Leaking capacitor?

[Bushcat]

(09-06-2023 08:09 PM)JoeG Wrote:  I didn't remove the smaller capacitor because even under binocular type of glasses it looks nice and clean. And, it's really tough to access. But if the drive doesn't work after replacing the capacitor, I can replace the other one as well.

Electrolytics are lifed items. Whether they've leaked or not, and if it's no hassle, it's always a good idea to replace capacitors older than, say, 15-20 years. Very roughly, useful lifespan for smaller electrolytics (up to around 8mm diameter) is around 5000 operating hours (210 days) at max. rated temperature (105C in this case), but doubles for every 10C below that. Around 30 years ago, there were a lot of fake electrolytics with bad electrolytes in the can, so I'd swap them out as a matter of principle if I had replacements laying around.

They can also drop way out of spec if they've not been used for a while. Simply using the equipment resurrects them most of the time.

Edit: changed "210" to "105C". Doh!