AE Type 80 Sticking Hookswitch

[Westrex]

Hello everyone,

My Automatic Electric Type 80 phone has a thing. The thing is that the hookswitch inside the phone will stick down, causing the buttons/plungers to stick down, which means you have to open it up to make a call from it. Should I try and oil it with something like clock oil, or should I find some thing else to lube it with? Or are the plungers supposed to stick down like in the photo?

Thanks,

-Westrex

[Contempra]

No , the hook switch shouldn't stay down . just lift them a bit and the problem will be solved . All Automatic Electric Type 80 phone has a this thing that escapes me, but as I said, all you have to do is lift the hook switch a little and it's back in order. I've got two phones like that, one of them black (a fairly common phone). Sorry for my bad english

[TelePlay]

Make sure the plungers are clean, crud can accumulate on them keeping them from moving freely adding to the problem - soap and water and a brush that is small enough to fit into the plunger holes works well.

Based on your photo, looks like the mechanism needs lubrication. A small amount of clock oil on the long rod where that rods goes through both sides of the plunger mechanism should do it.

You may want to clean those two oil points with a toothbrush first, before applying oil. After oiling it, operate the mechanism until it moves correctly.

Also, as Denis said, the hook switch may have been pressed to far down, past it normal operating range, and just lifting it up from its overextended position will free it.

A little oil won't hurt as long as you have it apart.

[Westrex]

Thanks Teleplay & Denis, I'll go oil it soon, just after I bid on a phone auction... 

[stub]

Westrex,
        This was a special feature on the AE 80 called the " installers hooklock". It keeps the hook down during installation- leaves the service man with both hands free. No calls are lost,no switches tied up, while the phone is being worked on. AE Catalog 4055-N 1961, pg 4 . Nothing wrong with it except it's been waiting for another service  Man. Hope this helps , stub

[TelePlay]

Stub,

Didn't know that, good information.

So the fix is lift the hook up out of installers position and put the housing on.

That makes sense, easy fix.

[Contempra]

That's what I wanted to say, but English isn't my language and I'm not perfectly bilingual... . There are a lot of terms in telephony that I don't know in English . I also have the same black phone and the hook switch was also totally at the bottom. I just had to lift it up and everything was fine. But a drop of oil in the holes does no harm indeed . Have a nice day and God bless you TelePlay.

[Westrex]

With a combination of a little oil, some cleaning with a brush, and re-adjusting, the telephone hook switch now works perfectly. Thanks everyone!

[Contempra]

Thanks everyone!

You're welcome

[stub]

Westrex,
        Your welcome. stub