# Leaky amp caps



## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

What problems will you hear with leaking caps?


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## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

Power section or output section?


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

I noticed on my o.s. rubi 502 that one of my input power caps and both of the small caps by the rca inputs seem to be leaking.Just wondering how this would effect the performance of the amp.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

bkjay said:


> I noticed on my o.s. rubi 502 that one of my input power caps and both of the small caps by the rca inputs seem to be leaking.Just wondering how this would effect the performance of the amp.


if they are leaking, replace them. no telling if they are shorted or what value they are once they start to leak.


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

The part that worries me is the amp that is leaking is not being used but I have 2 Rubicons that I'm running now that are about the same age. I also just got a alt. whine and now I'm wondering if leaking rca caps are the problem? I hope that made sense.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

They dont have to be used in order to leak or fail. I had an amp stored (and I knew it worked perfectly) then when I hooked it up, nothing. Later I found out it had a bad capacitor (with no signs of damage) but I've read that leaky caps can damage circuit boards and traces.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

Good advice from some knowledgeable members.
Definitely replace them.
Here's a link to a continuing thread I started that addresses the problems with these older amps; especially the caps (see pics).

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...eries-2-amplifier-reconditioning-repairs.html


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

Thanks guys, looks like I'm gonna have to send these bad boys out.


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## mmiller (Mar 7, 2008)

Yup.... they can even go for a **** ****ting in your closet. Electronic Components only last so long.


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## ATOMICTECH62 (Jan 24, 2009)

Very bad leaky caps will cause squealing,screeching,whining,hissing,cracking,popping,ticking noises.
These are terms that customers used to describe their Delco Bose systems when they came in the shop.
Delco even made a repair kit that contained about 12 caps.They used the cheapest caps they could find in the original and it showed up in just a few years.
Some were beyond repair because the fluid that leaked out ate up the board.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

ATOMICTECH62 said:


> Very bad leaky caps will cause squealing,screeching,whining,hissing,cracking,popping,ticking noises.
> These are terms that customers used to describe their Delco Bose systems when they came in the shop.
> Delco even made a repair kit that contained about 12 caps.They used the cheapest caps they could find in the original and it showed up in just a few years.
> Some were beyond repair because the fluid that leaked out ate up the board.


And sometimes they go POOF! And let all the magic smoke out.

Eating the board would get expensive really quick.
Hope GM stood behind them and covered the repairs
Sounds about right for Bose.

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

Thanks guys, I went from maybe this winter I will get my amps refreshed to OMG should I pull my **** out now! LOL!


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## AKheathen (Sep 10, 2011)

good call, in the great white north, i find most problematic caps will rear their ugly head in the dead cold and make a huge mess of things, even lead to killing your battery for good. only 1 single time have i avoided total disaster, and that is when the bad caps blew up all over the place, through the display acrylic, across the heat-sink, and to the center console, where i investigated the source of the brown paper before even starting the truck. several times, it was just the magic smoke after a dead battery.


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## dragonrage (Feb 14, 2007)

ATOMICTECH62 said:


> Very bad leaky caps will cause squealing,screeching,whining,hissing,cracking,popping,ticking noises.
> These are terms that customers used to describe their Delco Bose systems when they came in the shop.
> Delco even made a repair kit that contained about 12 caps.They used the cheapest caps they could find in the original and it showed up in just a few years.
> Some were beyond repair because the fluid that leaked out ate up the board.


Computer motherboards had problems with this, too. The problem that I remember reading about at the time was that someone stole an *incomplete* 'recipe' for capacitor electrolyte from one of the Japanese companies (forget which... if the article even mentioned it) and brought it to China (or Taiwan... one of the two) and started mass producing unstable capacitors.

Always buy capacitors from reputable sources, and I only buy Japanese capacitors such as Panasonic, Nippon Chemicon, Nichicon, etc. And I always go for 105* capacitors for anything audio-related, not 85*.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

dragonrage said:


> Always buy capacitors from reputable sources, and I only buy Japanese capacitors such as Panasonic, Nippon Chemicon, Nichicon, etc. And I always go for 105* capacitors for anything audio-related, not 85*.


That's what my guy said as well.

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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