Power switch problem (I think) on Road King

[primal]

This is probably a dumb question given the symptoms, but atleast if anyone else has run into this it would be helpfull.

So I go to turn on my Road King tonight and the light comes on for a second, I hear the relays click on, but then the light starts flickering and i can hear the relays flickering, after about two seconds it turns off.

I am standing there dumbfounded for a moment. I am thinking I blew a fuse but was thinking that if that were the case there would most likely be no flickering, just a simple turn off. I reach over to switch it off, and as my hand touches the power switch, it flickers back on.

I shut it all the way off, then turn it all the way on. It seems to work fine.

After about 30 minutes, it all of a sudden flickers again but doesn't go off.

So I turn it off, then turn it back on. Everything is fine. I do it a couple more times to see if I can recreate the problem. No luck.

So I then try to mess with it a little. I turn it on, but then I start to push down on the power switch a little. Not near enough to toggle it in the other direction, but enough that it would not be in the fully up position. When I do this it starts flickering again, and even flickers when I release it and let it go back to the upright position.

Given the symptoms I am failry confident it is the power switch that has gone bad.

But it just seems to me that the power switch is such a simple device.

Has anyone had a switch go bad on one of there Mesa's before?

Is there anything besides the power switch that could cause this symptom?

 

[primal]

I no longer think it is the switch.

What I am noticing is that the problem is happening more and more often.

If the amp has been sitting off for a while (over an hour), when I flick the switch to on, it flickers on for a second, my panel lights flicker dim then it goes off.

I let it sit with the switch on and then 3 to 5 seconds later, it starts flickering again and comes on.

Anyone think it could be a bad tube somewhere?

What is the behavoir when your rectifier tubes start to go?

Is there any tube that if it where to go bad would prevent it from powering on?

 

[MesaGod666]

Take it in to your nearest Mesa certified engineer and have him take a look at it. It could be a number of problems.

 

[primal]

Take it in to your nearest Mesa certified engineer and have him take a look at it. It could be a number of problems.

Yeah, I have a real reputable one close buy. Just hate to have to spend the cash.

Oh well!

 

[sleepingtiger]

Don't forget you have a 5 year warrantee!

Tony

 

[primal]

Don't forget you have a 5 year warrantee!

Tony

Bought it second hand. Don't have the receipt. I think the guy I got it from said he bought it in 2004 as well.

 

[Chuck Bravo]

Did you check that the power cable hasn't crept out of the socket on the chassis?

 

[primal]

Did you check that the power cable hasn't crept out of the socket on the chassis?

Just double checked it. Unfortunately that is not it.

I am wondering if it is tube related.

When I double checked the power chord, I turned it on and it flickered a bit but eventually came on. I then shut if off then back on again a few times, and it worked without any issues.

I let the amp cool for 15 minutes, tried it again and there was the flickering problem again.

Is it possible to run a Roadking with some of the tubes removed? The EL34's for instance?

 

[LerxstLee]

Two problems come to mind when dealing with the road king.

have you replaced any tubes recently, esp any preamp tube.

Try disconnecting the Foot switch , and set the dial on the back ,
Play it on any channel for a while and see if that makes it better.
IF so , check for bent pins in the cable or a bad cable.
/cheers

 

[primal]

Two problems come to mind when dealing with the road king.

have you replaced any tubes recently, esp any preamp tube.

Try disconnecting the Foot switch , and set the dial on the back ,
Play it on any channel for a while and see if that makes it better.
IF so , check for bent pins in the cable or a bad cable.
/cheers

Thanks, but I dropped it off with Yontz at Mad Science Works last week to be repaired. He has a three week turn around so I probably will get it back at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.

I will be sure to let everyone know what it was!

 

[primal]

Just got the amp back.

So, one of my rectifier tubes went, which then caused the other one to short out completely, which then burned out a couple diodes in the power supply.

Works now!

 

[LerxstLee]

Glad to see your amp is back in business.
Hope the price was reasonable.
/cheers

 

[primal]

Glad to see your amp is back in business.
Hope the price was reasonable.
/cheers

Not bad IMO. With that, I also replaced my EL34's and a couple of preamp tubes, as well my power switch had gotten smoke checked slightly as well.

Everything in total came to 200$.