[captainclock1988]

OK So I was able to get a hold of my dad's 1950s vintage Weller 100/140 Watt Soldering gun, and I was able to get the grounding braid unsoldered from the tuning capacitor retaining screws, and I was able to get all but one of the tuning capacitor retaining screws out of the radio, the third one is being a pain in the @$$ and won't come out because the head is stripped for some reason, because no matter which 1/4" nut driver I use to try and get that screw out the nut driver doesn't catch the head and it just spins around on the screw.

Any ideas on how I could go about removing this screw from the tuning capacitor assembly?

P. S. Even needlenose vise grips wouldn't grab the screw and remove it.

[KCMike]

If it's on of the bolt heads that had solder on it you might try heating it up with the solder gun and pushing the socket onto it before it cools down. Not real easy but doable, I had the same problem on a 116b. or try use some solder wick on it.

[Steve Davis]

You may have to drill the head off. Start with a small bit, 3/32 would be good, drill a pilot hole about 3/16 inch deep. Then use a larger bit, 3/16 should work and drill the head off. After removing the condenser, you should be able to get the screw out with your Vice Grips. The reason for starting with the smaller pilot hole is, it is easier to drill the center of the head and not skate off.

Steve

[captainclock1988]

If it's on of the bolt heads that had solder on it you might try heating it up with the solder gun and pushing the socket onto it before it cools down. Not real easy but doable, I had the same problem on a 116b. or try use some solder wick on it.

I already tried that, the nut driver wouldn't bite, it just kept slipping, almost as if the hex head had stripped out for some reason.

You may have to drill the head off. Start with a small bit, 3/32 would be good, drill a pilot hole about 3/16 inch deep. Then use a larger bit, 3/16 should work and drill the head off. After removing the condenser, you should be able to get the screw out with your Vice Grips. The reason for starting with the smaller pilot hole is, it is easier to drill the center of the head and not skate off.

I may have to try that.

Another quick question, how big are the tuning capacitor support grommets? 
I'm asking because I have an assortment of rubber grommets that I got from Harbor Freight that I think I could use on the tuning cap for the replacement support grommets, but I need to know the correct diameter, outer and inner diameter.

[captainclock1988]

I have another question, where can I get another tuning dial insert for my 116B? 
The item I'm referring to is pictured below. 

I'm asking because I can't seem to find this part anywhere on the internet, Radio Daze doen't have Reproductions of it, there aren't any for sale on ebay whether NOS or Reproduction, or previously used units.
I don't even know what this part is called or if I'm even searching for the right name for it.

[462ron]

Hi Captain, there are various types of easy out tools for removing stripped hex head bolts. You can do a google search or visit a hardware store and see what they got that could work!

Ron

[captainclock1988]

Hi Captain, there are various types of easy out tools for removing stripped hex head bolts. You can do a google search or visit a hardware store and see what they got that could work!

Ron


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[Image: https://philcoradio.com/phorum/attachment.php?aid=21423]    

I was thinking of those as well, but I ended up getting the bolt out by just drilling the head out. 

The hex nut screw they used is a common enough size that I can just pick up some new ones at the hardware store.
and I think I figured out the grommet question I had earlier, I had some motor mount grommets that I had picked up from Lowe's when I was restoring an old Signal Box Fan from 1955 that had some similarly sized grommets to what this radio used for its tuning capacitor mounts, so I'll just use one of those to get more of the grommets that I need for this radio, besides new screws.

[captainclock1988]

OK so I got the old rubber bushings replaced for the tuning capacitor but now I have a little problem, for reason ever since I replaced the old dry rotted rubber bushings that were used to mount the tuning capacitor to the chassis with new replacements that were exactly the same as the originals nothing on the tuning assembly is lining up properly, the tuner pointer mask isn't lining up right with the pointer arrows like its supposed to, and the original tuning dial isn't lining up with the mounting hardware anymore either,

Anyone else have this issue? And if so what was your fix for this issue, and why would something like this even happen?

Also I'm having issues with the tuning knob assembly, I took the tuning knob assembly apart following the instructions in the Philco Library and put it back together as per the instructions in the Philco Library but for some reason or another the tuning knob assembly work like it should, the fine tuning knob turns smoothly like it should but the coarse tuning knob turns really rough and very hard and overall not very smoothly like it should, if I push in on the fine tuning knob and then turn the coarse tuning knob then it turns smoothly but as soon as I let off of the fine tuning knob then the coarse tuning knob goes back to turning hard and rough again. 
Any ideas as to what is going on with my tuning knob assembly?

Also I'm missing the clip that goes onto the tuning knob assembly (it was missing when I took the tuning knob assembly out of the radio initially, which I had found a weirdly shaped clip thingy sitting on the front of the top side of the chassis which I didn't know what it was at first, but then when I was looking at the disassembly instructions for the tuning knob assembly I realized it was the clip for the tuning knob assembly), which I had installed it back onto the tuning knob assembly but then I was having the above mentioned issue with the tuning knob assembly so then I took it apart again to make sure everything was assembled correctly and it was but then I somehow lost the clip.

So I don't know what to say to all of this stuff except that I am in serious need of help in straightening these issues out.

Thanks for any help with these matters.

[Radioroslyn]

Problem 1,
https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=16833  Read post 6 there are two screws that adjust the arrow mask position. I'm making a couple of assumptions that you have the chassis out of the cabinet, that you either have removed the 80 tube or have the spkr plugged in, the dial is centered properly onto the flange, and that all of the dial assembly is put together properly.

Problem 2,
Not sure. Have done a half dozen or so of them and have never had one that was hard to turn afterwards. Would think that it's not assemble correctly or something on the outside is causing it to bind. I have had the outer knob feel rough when turning it. Have read that it can be caused by the ball bearings having flat spots on them from wear. This last one I did I lost one of the balls and got a sack of replacements of all different sizes. Found the right ones and replaced all three. After I got it back together it was still rough. Am thinking that it's from the shaft being worn.

Problem 3,
Not sure which clip you mean. There's three to choose from. Small one at the far end of the planetary drive that's the one you have to pry open to get off. Large one that clips into the planetary drive kind of a piece of springy wire that clips into a slot. And finally the flat spring clip that fits into the knob to hold it onto the shaft it's press onto.

[captainclock1988]

Problem 1,
https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=16833  Read post 6 there are two screws that adjust the arrow mask position. I'm making a couple of assumptions that you have the chassis out of the cabinet, that you either have removed the 80 tube or have the spkr plugged in, the dial is centered properly onto the flange, and that all of the dial assembly is put together properly.

Hello Terry to answer your first question or comment, I've tried adjusting the position of the arrow mask several times and I can't get it to center correctly, it's either too high or too low, I can't seem to get the pointer arrows to center exactly in the center of the mask.

Problem 2,
Not sure. Have done a half dozen or so of them and have never had one that was hard to turn afterwards. Would think that it's not assembled correctly or something on the outside is causing it to bind. I have had the outer knob feel rough when turning it. Have read that it can be caused by the ball bearings having flat spots on them from wear. This last one I did I lost one of the balls and got a sack of replacements of all different sizes. Found the right ones and replaced all three. After I got it back together it was still rough. Am thinking that it's from the shaft being worn.

The issue you said you had with yours, is the issue I'm having with mine, the outer knob (which is the coarse tuning knob) is what's turning hard and rough compared to the inner (fine tuning) shaft which turns smoothly. 
Fortunately I still have all three of my original ball bearings yet, and from what I could feel on my ball bearings they didn't feel like they had wear spots on them. 
The weird thing about the problem I'm having with my tuning knob is that the rough turning of the knob seems to go away once I push in on the inner knob shaft and then turn the outer knob shaft, once I do that the outer knob shaft turns smoothly as it should, but as soon as I let off the inner knob shaft the outer knob shaft goes back to turning roughly again.
The other thing is that the outer tuning knob was working fine before I disassembled it, then once I disassembled it to clean and lube the tuning knob assembly and then reassembled it, that's when the problem started happening. 

Problem 3,
Not sure which clip you mean. There's three to choose from. Small one at the far end of the planetary drive that's the one you have to pry open to get off. Large one that clips into the planetary drive kind of a piece of springy wire that clips into a slot. And finally the flat spring clip that fits into the knob to hold it onto the shaft it's press onto.The 

The clip I'm referring to is the small D-shaped spring clip that goes in the slot on the top of the tuning knob assembly housing to hold the tuning assembly together. 
When I first went to disassemble the tuning knob assembly the clip wasn't present, but then I had found it sitting on top of the radio chassis behind where the tuning knob assembly would of sat, so then when I disassembled, cleaned and relubed the tuning knob assembly and put it back together again I reinstalled the clip, but then I was noticing the aforementioned problem with the tuning knob assembly where it was tuning rougly, so I removed the tuning knob assembly from the radio again and disassembled the tuning knob again to make sure everything was assembled correctly and it was and so when I went to reassemble the tuning knob assembly again I got everything put back together and that's when I noticed that the D-shaped spring clip was missing.

I hope that helps you understand better what I was trying to say in my post about my problems I'm having with my tuner.

Also my staff person that works with me from a local organization that works with people with disabilities, seems to think that me gutting those bakelite block capacitors is going to be somehow harmful to my health just because he had read an article online somewhere that said that Bakelite supposedly was toxic and that was why they discontinued it.
I would like to straighten him out once in for all concerning that matter, and if it helps any he's one of those people that buys into that extremist enviriomentalism of the extreme far left, so it wouldn't surprise me if that wasn't where he got his "information" about
the supposed toxicity bakelite, I told him that Bakelite isn't any more toxic than any of your modern plastics and the only way you would release any potential toxins that would be in it would be to actually melt the bakelite which just heating up the bakelite with a heat gun set on low isn't going to be hot enough to melt the bakelite, because Bakelite has a much higher melting point than modern plastic does, but he didn't believe me, he was more willing to accept what an article online sourced from who knows where that he never even bothered to fact check said.

[462ron]

Hi Captain, I don't know if your tuning assembly with Fine and course tuning is the same as my 37-116. I took mine apart years ago and I remember there were 3 ball bearings that went around the shaft and another that was at the end of the shaft with a small Spring. There is an ever so slight size difference between that end ball bearing and the other 3. I am guessing possibly you have one of the 3 transposed with the end one. I know Harbor Freight sells a kit with various size ball bearings and also kits of various size "C" or "E" clips too if you are in need!

Ron

[captainclock1988]

Yes, mine has the 3 ball bearings going around the shaft with a ball bearing inside. I'll definitely see about going to harbor freight and getting some ball bearings and seeing if that would make a difference, except for the fact that I didn't take the tuning mechanism completely apart to do anything with the inside ball bearing just the 3 outer ball bearings.

[captainclock1988]

Yes, indeed it seems my problem with my panetary reduction drive for my tuner on my radio is indeed that I'm missing my spring clip which would hold the drive mechanism in place correctly and without that clip the ball bearings for the drive mechanism aren't sitting in their groove correctly which is resulting in a rough turning coarse tuning knob shaft, which its kind of weird that the fine tuning knob shaft isn't affected but the coarse tuning knob is. So I need a spring clip for this radio's tuning mechanism, which someone had suggested getting a clip assortment from harbor freight but because of how the original clip made (it was a D shaped clip) I don't know if a regular C-Clip or E-Clip would work in this application or not. 

Also I will definitely need a new power switch for this radio as the power switch is acting up again unfortunately after having had it working fine for nearly a month, and then it finally started sticking in the on position again, it even started tuning itself on without anyone touching it, because I had the radio plugged in to check my wiring I did when I replaced the original cord which was in sorry shape but still worked, and the radio was in the off position and I went and checked some stuff out on my computer and when I went back the radio was on and I didn't even touch it, and the knob wasn't even in the on position.

So I definitely will need a new power switch for this radio, which I talked to Mark Oppat over at Old Radio Parts, and he said he should have the switch I need but I would need to send him a picture of the original switch so he can make sure he matches the right switch assembly.

[morzh]

Cap,

Since your power switch is a volume regulator/power switch assembly, you have two options:

1. Take it out, open the resistor and try to clean and lube the switch. I do not know how cleaning-friendly the 116B switch is but it's worth a try.
2. Go to Mark Oppat who restores/sells replacements for the power switch/volume control pots.

Mike

[captainclock1988]

Cap,

Since your power switch is a volume regulator/power switch assembly, you have two options:

1. Take it out, open the resistor and try to clean and lube the switch. I do not know how cleaning-friendly the 116B switch is but it's worth a try.
2. Go to Mark Oppat who restores/sells replacements for the power switch/volume control pots.

Mike

Howdy Mike,

I already cleaned and lubed the switch 3 or 4 times already and it fixed it temporarily and it started acting up again, so I think trying to fix the switch on this thing is out of the question. 
I'm working on sending Mark Oppat a message complete with pictures of the switch I need so I can hopefully get a new switch assembly, and all I need is the power switch assembly as the volume control part works just fine yet.

As for how easily the power switch on this radio is to service, its not very easy to service as there aren't any external openings to use for spraying cleaner and lubricant into the switch with, you have to take the whole switch assembly off the volume control pot assembly and then access the switch from "inside" the switch (the side of the switch assembly that butts up against the back of the volume control pot).

So as of right now my only option is to just replace the switch and be done with it.