This set sure has cost me some money. It's a Zenith console from 1988. Model Number SE2517P It had a tuner problem, so I put it in the unheated garage. Ordered a tuner, put it in, and now all the set does is let out an odd high pitched noise for about the first 2 seconds when you plug it in. It won't even turn on now. There have only been a few nights where it has gotten in the 20's, and I turned it on when it was about 52 outside. What part went out do you think, and why? I see the switch mode/power supply is a 9-520-07. Could that have failed?

I would suspect a bad electrolytic capacitor in the power supply. They tend to operate worse at low temperature when they're failing. The easisest way to find the bad ones is with an ESR meter. If you don't have one, you can at least start by visually inspecting the caps for signs of leaking around the pins. The larger caps will need to be removed to tell if they are leaking.

The other possiblilty is that there is a short that's overloading the power supply and causing it to shut down. Double check that all the connectors are in the right place and check for any solder bridges. It's even possible that a defective replacement tuner could overload the power supply.

This is all general advice, not specific to this model.

I would suspect a cap in the power supply. Without seeing the set I can' t be sure, but my guess is a bad 100uf/25v electrolytic in the power supply. I remember seeing a lot of those with Daewoo printed on them. Sorry I don't remember the location number, and my service data is not with me this evening. I do remember some of them had a blob of RTV rubber against one side of the cap. Maybe that'lll help you figure out which one it is.
Hopefully Andy and I are guessing right.

Also, lets hope the CRT is OK. 18 years old, and Zenith. Thats 2 strikes.

I thought it might be the new tuner as well, so I put the old one back in and had the same problem. Figures.... this is the Zenith I got that had a bad tuner. I put it in my garage to decide if I was gonna junk it or not. Had a friend who wanted a console tv and said she'd pay for the part (tuner) so I ordered one. tuner was $59.00. Popped it in and now this problem started. Surprisingly the set had a good picture altho it uses the A63AAX42X picture tube.

Power supply caps. My 1990 27" Zenith did the same thing after sitting in a cold-ish basement for a year or so. It's the one I installed in the old cabinet, and still looks fine. :thmbsp: Power caps were all that ever went bad on it.

I think this is older than the bad tubes... I think those started in 1993-ish.

Mine had daily use for 10+ years and still has an excellent picture. In fact, we got my grandparents a similar 27" set around 1993-4 because ours had such a great picture... Theirs was dead within three-four years. :thumbsdn:

I would suspect a cap in the power supply. Without seeing the set I can' t be sure, but my guess is a bad 100uf/25v electrolytic in the power supply. I remember seeing a lot of those with Daewoo printed on them. Sorry I don't remember the location number, and my service data is not with me this evening. I do remember some of them had a blob of RTV rubber against one side of the cap. Maybe that'lll help you figure out which one it is.
Hopefully Andy and I are guessing right.

Also, lets hope the CRT is OK. 18 years old, and Zenith. Thats 2 strikes.


Every once in a while you get lucky, even with Zenith. I have a 1995 Zenith Sentry 2, 19" table model (one of the few '90s-era sets by Zenith that still used the Zenith lightning-bolt logo, as the "Z" in Zenith, on the front panel), that still works as well as the day I got it (as a birthday present for my 39th birthday in 1995). Still has its original CRT. The set was in daily use in my home at that time for four years; when I moved in 1999 I put the set in my bedroom and left it there, using it these days only to cross-check when I have problems with the cable. Other than that, the Zenith has been unused (except for two weeks while my RCA CTC185 was in for service), but I do turn the Zenith set on every now and again to be sure it still works. Last time I tried it it still worked every bit as well as when it was new. The only thing really wrong with it, if you can call this a problem, is that the silver-grayish paint on the cabinet is wearing off in spots. I don't know if this TV will last another seven years (!), but if it's gotten this far it just might make it--one can never tell.