Best way to clean up pots on old crossovers

[vettedrummer]

Hey gang, I've got several JBL crossovers with pots that are very hit and miss. What's the best way to clean them up? Cheers, Frank

[duaneage]

radio Shack sells a contact cleaner spray that work. Partsexpress.com sells switch and pot cleaner sprays too.

You could replace them for around 10 bucks each as well.

[toddalin]

OOOOHHH! Another Corvette person on the forum!

Pic was taken at my house during a tune-up session. The tan '64 is one of mine.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/photopost/direct_data/1011/14790Sat_Attendies-med.jpg

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/photopost/direct_data/1094/14790ENGINE2-med.jpg

[scott fitlin]

Hey gang, I've got several JBL crossovers with pots that are very hit and miss. What's the best way to clean them up? Cheers, FrankYou can use DeOxit D5 spray, but if your pots are carbon composition, I would check with JBL and see if they still have the parts in stock and just replace them if they do!

Carbon pots will be better after cleaning, but is usually only a temporary cure!

[Zilch]

We need to be a bit more precise here.

Crossover "pots" are not potentiometers, typically, but rather dual reciprocal wire-wound rheostats configured as L-Pads.

Gotta open them up to really clean them successfully....

[Anthony L100]

Hey gang, I've got several JBL crossovers with pots that are very hit and miss. What's the best way to clean them up? Cheers, Frank

As Zilch says, open them up, if they are not fried then you can usually return them to as new (wirewound type) with a little contact cleaner and patience. I was surprised how DIY friendly they are. If the copper wiper is a little "soft" on the wirewound resistive element IMHO it is also OK to give it a little tweak to exert slightly more pressure, but don't overdo it! I have had good results with this approach and it keeps everything original.

Hey, Toddalin, nice parking lot!

[andresohc]

Does anyone have a list of links to other website posts on this subject like on Audioasylum or AVS or Audiokarma etc. (cleaning and repairing pots, rheostats, switches, basically corroded electronic connections in vintage gear) I would like to read anything I can on it and havent had a lotta luck finding informative sites. I gotta think there are some gurus out there that could or have posted a lot of useful tips on this.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Look these things are a miserable unreliable mess at best.(and nickrome wire is not my idea of Planet HiFi for a louspeaker signal path.)

Best you measure them there L pads after tweaked to the right levels and put in fixed value Mills resisters like JBL did in the 250