I recently picked up a free 50 inch projection tv on the side of the road. Sign on it says it works. Well, its fairly old. It was made in 1997 i believe. I turned it on, and it works, but the screen is kind of dim and the entire picture has a extremely red tint. Its a viewable picture, but distinguising what colors im really supposed to be seeing is nearly impossible. If someone could give me some advice on the issue, and maybe ballpark an estimate, i would be greatly appreciated. Again, it was a free tv, but im not going to put money into it if it's not worth it. Thank you in advance!
read a bit on tv safety before you jump in:
http://www.techlore.com/article/14476/Troubleshooting-a-TV-For-a-Dead-Co...
You can pull the upper back, or front screen off to inspect the crt's.
Check if all three are lit and at similar levels.
The crt lens tops could be very dirty, clean with a damp microfiber cloth or paper towel and non-ammonia cleaner, go easy.
Or the coolant fluid in the blue and/or green could be cloudy, look into the lenses while projecting an image, or with a flashlight without an image.
Don't make any adjustments until you first check those things.
To the person who told me what to check, I thank you. I checked the crt's and the blue and green's coolant is definitely in the need of replacement. My NEW question is, is this a manageable job by myself? I did SOME research and see that you can buy the coolant tubes on your own. I also know that it would be a couple hundred dollars to have it replaced professionally. And would I need the entire replacement kit? Or can you get by with just buying the replacement coolant? thanks in advance!
yes, im a cheap guy :)
You can do this on your own, but very tedious. You have to remove the color tubes one at a time being careful of the tabs. Do not mess with the tabs, they should be marked for position, but if moved can be tricky to place back in order. When you empty the fluid from the color tube be sure to clean the tube with alcohol and dry thoroughly. Replace the fluid and be careful with the o-ring. If it is crimped or not tight enough or too tight, it will not make a seal then fluid will leak into your television and short is out. Clean your lenses and all parts as you work on it. Replace the tube exactly as it was taken out. The bulb on the tube will be your guide for placement back into the set so watch as to how it came out. Good luck!
Can you do it yourself? You bet. You will learn a lot and have a good understanding why it costs a couple hundred for the service!
You will need 1 bottle of coolant per crt, and a small tube of rtv (silicone) sealant (from auto parts store) to coat the gasket, plus denatured alcohol,cotton balls etc.. for cleaning and a turkey baster with tubing extender or equivalent for filling.
I did mine like blueelectrogirl details above, but some like to change the coolant with crt in place:
http://www.techlore.com/forum/thread/21023/philips-coolant-change-philip...
I have the same problem with red tint taking over and hard to adjust. Is there a place in Jacksonville fl you recommend to do this? I called Tv Doc and was told they dont work on tv's 10 years old........my TV works great except for the red tint overpowering all the white areas on the screen. I'm willing to change out the lamps but if the red is overpowering and I'm seeing bright blue then do I need to replace the green? That's what seem to be missing.
Changing the fluid in your television may be a good fix. However, if the set is ten years or older, it is possible that one of the other color guns are weak and not showing clearly. A weak color gun will give your television a blooming effect or looks like the color is bleeding from the figures on the screen. If you have the color guns cleaned, you will still have weak color guns and the picture will not be much better than it was before. The only fix for that is to replace the color gun and some of those are not available any longer from the manufacturer. You may be able to get one from some one online. If you are not doing it yourself, it is a very costly repair either way you go. Sorry I can't be of more help. I do not know of any shops in the Florida area. Check with the Better Business Bureau for a good reference.
CRT coolant change and advanced convergence - how to
I documented the procedure I did on a Philips 55" rear projection 55p916
http://tinyurl.com/lmp6eu
CRT coolant change procedure
http://tinyurl.com/l7bd7r
basic and advanced convergence
http://www.riddledtv.com/repair/journal/CRTCoolant/
good description on how to repair with pictures
What kind of fluid goes into the green and blue lenses? We took it apart and wiped of the lenses and now we are stuck.
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/20-4275
Two posts above has the how to and the links. If you are going to do the green and blue, do the red. I've done 3 TVs so far and the coolant wasn't clear on any of the red. I'm glad I changed it.