http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3283180744&category=3638

Nice set in Black and gold

The seller of this RCA obviously doesn't know much about TV servicing. Any television set with horizontal hold that "won't stay put" needs more than just a cleaning to get it working again as it should. Seems to me the horizontal AFC circuit is defective. I'd check that first. The problem could be a misadjusted horizontal-oscillator coil or weak AFC tube at best or an off-value resistor or a leaky capacitor in that circuit at worst. Since the seller also mentions being able to get a "light picture" on the screen when the set is on, I would also suspect that the CRT is weak (not uncommon in a set of this vintage) or perhaps there is a problem in the video amplifier circuits (if the contrast is weaker than it should be, and cannot be adjusted to normal with the contrast control). In any case, a simple cleaning won't repair this vintage set.

http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3283180744&category=3638

Originally posted by Jeffhs
The seller of this RCA obviously doesn't know much about TV servicing.

Most sellers don't know any better, and that's normal. You can't expect everyone to know what a set needs. Most of them assume cleaning will help, and with some problems, cleaning actually helps... especially if the insides is really dirty.

I had a set that would hardly make a picture when I first got it home. The chassis was pretty damn dirty, and cleaning off all the dust actually put a picture on the screen. It still needed other work, but cleaning it made a difference at first.

You're right, it probably needs a tube or cap somewhere, but at least it puts light on the screen. That's much better than a dead set.