WE302 finger dial does not return

[southernphoneman]

as davepei said,steve hilz will do an excellent job, I have personally used him and he saved one of my dials, Gregg

[RAW302]

I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.     The cleaning/lubricating per Jorge's dial overhaul photo gallery went well as now the dial no longer gets stuck on the return.  The phone was working perfectly before I disassembled it to clean the dial but now that it's back together I have no dial tone.  I don't see a problem in the wiring.  What can I try?

Thanks guys,
Rachel

[poplar1]

The bottom 2 dial contact springs--closest to the terminals--appear to be open. They should be closed when the dial is at rest. You can temporarily move the white handset lead from W to BB to bypass these contacts.

[Tim Mc]

My guess is that the pile-up mounting screws should be loosened and the pile-up moved slightly to center (up) so that the cam will fully depress the contacts when the dial is in the return position.  I've had to do this a few times when cleaning and reassembling dials.  Loosen and apply a small amount of pressure upward while re-tightening the screws.

[RAW302]

You guys are great.  I adjusted a few things per your suggestions and now have a dial tone and can place calls. But as soon as I get one thing corrected I manage to make something else go haywire.  Now I get a loud popping/clicking sound in the receiver when I dial.  I tried to research this on the forum and found this:  

"If there are loud clicks in the receiver while dialing, it's because the receiver is not connected to the shunting contacts on the dial."

If this is the problem, I need a translation--what are shunting contacts?  Sorry but most of this is a foreign language to me.  My wee brain is overtaxed.  Another photo of the pileup is attached if someone can see what's "off" and point out (maybe with arrows) what to do next.  

A couple of months ago I didn't even know what a WE302 was so I realize I'm in way over my head but so far (thanks to all of you) I have successfully corrected the original problem by taking the dial apart, cleaning and lubricating it.  I'm determined to see this through to completion if possible (ie: get this latest problem solved without creating another!)

Thanks for bearing with me,
Rachel

[TelePlay]

This is a photo of the pileup on a 5H dial at rest for comparison. Click on the photo and it blows up quite well.

[Dennis Markham]

Rachel, when you get time take a look at this thread.  One possibility could be some contacts bent out of place.  Particularly pay close attention to reply #9 on the attached thread.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2714.30

At the bottom of post #9 you will see an attachment (PDF) file that I made from information given to me by Steve Hilsz.  He's the dial guru that people have referred to in previous posts within this thread.  His advice help me solve my dial click issue on a different phone (that what is being discussed in this thread).

[RAW302]

    SUCCESS!!! Since I am clueless on how a phone works, you're gonna love this one.

Teleplay, thanks for the advice to compare my pileup to another 5h dial if I had one.  I have two 302's and did just that.  When dialing the healthy phone I saw that some contacts were moving that did not move at all when dialing the sick phone.  (Dennis, I think according to the Steve Hilsz info, they are BB and R next to the heavy "W" bar.)  I did not realize until I dialed the healthy phone that the main gear cam puts pressure on those two contacts. I think it's the R contact that has a little tab that sticks down and catches the cam.  When dialing, the cam releases those two contacts to their natural position.  Then when the dial returns, the cam puts a bit of pressure on the contacts to hold them at "rest."

I guess I bent some of the contacts when cleaning and then I bent them improperly in trying to adjust them.   I go by pictures and I bent my contacts so my pileup looked like other posted photos.  Unfortunately I bent my contacts-- while my pileup was detached from the rest of my dial-- to match a photo of a pileup in a completely assembled and "at rest" dial.  Big difference.  Some dials are at rest.  Mine was comatose.   I told you I was clueless.

This may or may not make any sense, but the bottom line is that I learned quite a bit and my 302 is back in business.  A big THANKS to all of you guys for the helpful suggestions and links and your patience with a novice.  I can now sleep peacefully (until that screaming loud ring from my 302 wakens me!)

Thanks so very much,
Rachel

[poplar1]

If it rings too loud, you can adjust that by moving one or both gongs. The holes in the gongs are not centered, so by turning the gongs, they are closer (quieter) or further apart (louder).

[RAW302]

Thanks, Poplar1, one more thing I know now that I didn't know before!
Rachel

[Tim Mc]

Glad to hear that another 302 is alive and well!  I had to turn the bell volume down in order for it to stay in the bedroom.    Congrats!  Careful, it's addictive.  Before you know it you'll be tearing down more 302s just for the fun of it.

[RAW302]

The ringers on the 302 could wake the dead.  It's part of their charm.  I went ahead and tweaked the position of the gongs so they were closer/quieter and didn't like the "tune" -- sort of dulled it so it wasn't so crisp and clear.  So I moved them back and I guess my husband will just have to jump whenever the phone rings.   Part of the appeal of the 302 is that clear, distinct ring.  I always let it ring until just before my answer machine kicks in just to enjoy the sound. 

Rachel

[poplar1]

If you loosen the gong screws slightly, you can then rotate the gongs a little at a time, while the phone is ringing, until you find the desired sound.

When adjusting any ringer, the clapper should not touch the gongs; there should be a visible air gap of at least 1/64 inch.

Also, depending on how many ringers you have connected, you may want to adjust the tension of the biasing spring: on a 302, there are 3 notches (located between the gongs) and the spring should be in either the middle notch or the one closest to the front of the phone. The spring is often in the back notch (highest tension) when you get a 302, probably because it was the only phone on the line when originally installed.

[Mr. Bones]

The ringers on the 302 could wake the dead.  It's part of their charm.  I went ahead and tweaked the position of the gongs so they were closer/quieter and didn't like the "tune" -- sort of dulled it so it wasn't so crisp and clear.  So I moved them back and I guess my husband will just have to jump whenever the phone rings.   Part of the appeal of the 302 is that clear, distinct ring.  I always let it ring until just before my answer machine kicks in just to enjoy the sound. 

Rachel

Wow, you got it BAD, Rachel!!!

     I've been waiting / enjoying the ring for many decades, and instantly recognize the symptoms. Yup, I let it ring until it's about to go to voicemail...Truth be told, I frequently call them from my cell phone, just to enjoy the gongs...WE 302, AE40, 2 WE 554's, WE 500, and one Cortelco 2500-xxx in the garage hooked up, at present... more to come / rotate, as time passes...

     This doesn't even count calling them to tune/adjust ringers, test phones, etc.

Sounds like you're on a great track; I hope you continue to collect, and enjoy Classic Telephones. Great to have you aboard!

     Phonitis? PAH!!! That's an urban legend!!! I can quit anytime I want!!!!

Best regards!

[WesternElectricBen]

The ringers on the 302 could wake the dead.  It's part of their charm.  I went ahead and tweaked the position of the gongs so they were closer/quieter and didn't like the "tune" -- sort of dulled it so it wasn't so crisp and clear.  So I moved them back and I guess my husband will just have to jump whenever the phone rings.   Part of the appeal of the 302 is that clear, distinct ring.  I always let it ring until just before my answer machine kicks in just to enjoy the sound. 

Rachel

Wow, you got it BAD, Rachel!!!

     I've been waiting / enjoying the ring for many decades, and instantly recognize the symptoms. Yup, I let it ring until it's about to go to voicemail...Truth be told, I frequently call them from my cell phone, just to enjoy the gongs...WE 302, AE40, 2 WE 554's, WE 500, and one Cortelco 2500-xxx in the garage hooked up, at present... more to come / rotate, as time passes...

     This doesn't even count calling them to tune/adjust ringers, test phones, etc.

Sounds like you're on a great track; I hope you continue to collect, and enjoy Classic Telephones. Great to have you aboard!

     Phonitis? PAH!!! That's an urban legend!!! I can quit anytime I want!!!!

Best regards!

Mr. Bones doesn't anytime mean http://tinyurl.com/2al9r2l ?

Ben