tv lost red colour

[downonthestreet]

Hello. I hope this is not too off-topic for this area, but I can't see a more appropriate spot to pose this question.

My tv - a Mitsubushi over 10 years old - intermittently loses red colouring. One day you'll switch it on and there is full colour, then as you're watching it will suddenly lose red. It may switch back to colour anytime. Sometimes, you switch it on and it's lost the reds from the start, and they stay absent for a day or more.

I will no doubt have to get a tv repair guy out, but would be grateful if anyone who knows about such things could let me know what the problem is likely to be, and how much it is likely to cost to fix. There are lots of unscrupulous repair persons around who charge hundreds to replace a part that costs cents and does not take much time, so I would like to be armed with some basic knowledge to begin with.

Cheers

[spiderman2k1]

The only thing I can think of is the RGB. One of the wires inside the set is bad.

That’s my guess; I’m not a TV repair man so please take it with a gain of salt.

[johns0]

Sounds like either a loose solder joint in the red color circuit or theres a flake in the neck of the picture tube shorting out the red gun intermittently,hope its just a solder joint.

[edDV]

If this is happening while using the internal TV tuner, then it may be time to buy something new.

If the tuner is external (e.g. cable box) try replacing cables first.

A new TV will perform much better. 10 yrs of heavy use is typical life these days.

Repairs @ housecall + 1-2 hrs could range $70-250. That could buy a piece of a nice new set.

[Prot]

You really don't want to go messing around in the back of your TV if you don't know what you are doing...unless you want all your friends and family attending your funeral. The capacitors inside the set carry a lethal charge even when the set is off and unplugged.

[davideck]

Sounds like either a loose solder joint in the red color circuit or theres a flake in the neck of the picture tube shorting out the red gun intermittently,hope its just a solder joint.

I agree with johns0.

Intermittents are particularly troublesome because the set may work fine when the technician looks at it. I had an RCA set that would lose blue on an intermittent basis. It was in fact a loose solder joint, but it took me a long time (months) to find it because it wouldn't act up whenever I took the back off the set to look for it!