TIL that heat sink compound isn't just for looks on older gear

A guy named Mike from an old repair shop told me last week to always check the thermal paste on vintage receivers when they run hot. I thought he was overthinking it, but I had a 1980s Pioneer amp on my bench that kept shutting down after 20 minutes. I cracked it open and the paste was totally dried out, like gray dust. After cleaning and reapplying some Arctic Silver, the amp ran cool for a full hour test. Has anyone else dealt with dried compound causing intermittent failures on older stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elizabeth12d ago

Nah, I bet it's just coincidence tbh.

taylor1212d ago

Coincidence or my life, @the_elizabeth? Because I once walked into the wrong car at a grocery store and sat there for a full minute before realizing it wasn't mine.

lily7012d ago

Funny you mention gray dust, @the_elizabeth, because that's exactly what I found inside an old Kenwood integrated amp from the 70s. It was like someone sprinkled fine ash all over the transistors. Made me wonder if the original owners ever even knew it existed in there. But yeah, that dried paste is a real problem, kinda like how I once grabbed the wrong milk jug at the store and didn't notice until I got home.