Ok... so I got bored waiting for my Howard Industries 1800rpm self-starting motor to arrive and deceided to have a closer look at the organ... after shining a bright light through the "oil" slots on the board directly above the generator I noticed extensive corrosion on the brass cover around the oil cups/funnels. Most of it was a dark tarish substance but green calcium/lime-like deposits were concentrated in one particular area which I'm hoping isn't from a failed capacitor.</P>
So after removing and cleaning both the reverb and percussion amplifiers I only had to remove the generator's power terminal, unsolder two wires which restricted the removal process *something like a ground wire and another wire I have yet to research*, and break a few of the vintage stapled paper tie-downs *what did they expect me to do?* The actual removal itself was made much easier by positioning an old sturdy wooden chair next to the back of the organ, however, I don't recommend that anyone try the way I stradled the chair and used my back to gently cradle the beast out of it's home. The first attempt was fruitless because the ancient *and deteriorated* rubber mounting gromets wouldn't push through and had to be torn in half to free the unit, then of course came the long gentle extraction.... lol. Anyone got a Lor-tab? So, now I can start meticulously cleaning and looking over the heart of the Hammond...</P>
Question: Although they seem intact visually, the capacitors have me a bit concerned. Should one or a group of them be bad, is there a popular or preferred type/brand of capacitor I should use to replace these on the generator with? I'm not worried about inductors/electrostatic pick-ups, those can be easily found on eBay for the time being. So tonewheel generals, now that I have this out and accessible... what other official Hammond tech methods can I use to tune this beauty up? Andalso, is it possible to test the new motor/organ in general with the generator outside the chasis as it is now? I don't see whythis would be a problem and in fact leads my imagination into all sorts ofcreative dementia. Please enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them ;)</P>
Hammond L-103 *Serial#: 9333*</P>
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