Rotary phones at my local antique store in NorCal

[Contempra]

I would agree, I have restored quite a few phones and never had to replace a capacitor. Remember when these were made the phone company owned them and were responsible for repairs so they used good products.

Absolutely . they installed quality parts unlike the ch*****. It was not even comparable!

[Contempra]

Even when they don't check good on a component tester, they can still do their job in the phone. I did not have to throw away a single one so far.
I know in old radios capacitors are a frequent issue or even safety hazard but not in telephones.

I agree for Radio/TV , because people were running these devices from morning to night, whereas a phone rarely did. we picked up 5-10 minutes but could be closed all day long.

[SUnset2]

I had one 302 with a bad capacitor.  I replaced it with one from a 302 parts phone for authenticity.  But 95% of the caps in 302s have been fine.

[AliceWonder]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223903733817

Those are visually similar to Vishay capacitors I was looking at that are bulk purchase only and/or out stock but unless I can see the specs I wouldn't want to buy them.

But anyway no, I don't know mine is bad and it is probably good and perhaps I am biased by other old electronics where the caps went bad but old caps are a worry for me. Even if the phone still rings, if the capacitor is below design spec will it have the intended ring?

Normally caps are cheap and easy to find if you have the specs so it's not wrong IMHO to replace them just as a matter of course unless building something where the point is OEM.

The way this thread seems to be going, I have a feeling my lack of social skills and understanding of social rules and constructs is becoming an issue.

I didn't intend to express a request for advice on replacing the capacitor, I was dumping my thought process. And perhaps replacing it isn't needed most of the time but if I do decide to do so (and I haven't decided to yet) I don't see how it is wrong to replace 50+ year old capacitors just out of a matter of general practice.

Perhaps with phones by Western Electric it really isn't an issue but with many things it is. Something old can work just fine when brought back into service and two weeks later it stops working just fine all because old caps were left in place.

[FABphones]

Perhaps it may help you better understand telephones to do a few searches using the 'search' option above. Type in any telephone related key word you have an interest in. 'Capacitors' for example offers over 17 pages of reading up, 'Dial Repair' offers over 31 pages of reading up.

Regarding photos, they help enormously. As they say; 'no photos, it didn't happen'.

[LarryInMichigan]

I have restored a large number of radios, and there, replacing capacitors is very common because of the higher voltages involved and the nature of how radios work.  This is not the case with telephones where I have only had to replace capacitors a handful of times.  There are generally two capacitors in a phone, often only one in some European designs, and there are almost always good, but if they are bad, you will likely know quickly.  If the capacitor in the ringer circuit is bad, your phone may not ring, or it may act as if it is always off-hook.  Otherwise, it will usually be fine.  If the capacitor in the voice circuit is bad, you will likely notice a problem with the sound, but that is seldom the case.  The voltages in the voice circuit are quite tiny, so the capacitor is unlikely to go bad.

The most important things with these phones is to make them look nice, enjoy them, and make your friends and visitors wonder about how crazy you are for having them in your home or office.

Larry

[ChrisW6ATV]

I bought the phone today and did get some off because it has dents in the top and bottom, you don't see them when looking at the phone head-on so I'm not that worried about it.

Everything is there, everything with a date I can see is 8-54. It looks like the dial was replaced at some point

Very nice, congratulations for buying your first phone project! Regarding the price, timing and context are everything. This phone was near your home, so no worries about shipping damage or delays, and you supported a local dealer who may now be encouraged to offer more phones in the future. 

Yes, it will be used.

Awesome! I still need to (re)install a wall phone in my kitchen, too. Probably the same black 554 phone I have had in kitchens going back to about 1980.

Regarding your phone's dial, there is a man in (I think) Arizona who does highly-recommended dial refurbishment at moderate prices, if you get concerned about doing it yourself. With all of the great documentation and discussions on this forum, along with your radio or other experience, I think you will succeed doing it yourself. That is my plan for the slow-dialing Northern Electric Princess phone I have.

[AliceWonder]

Regarding your phone's dial, there is a man in (I think) Arizona who does highly-recommended dial refurbishment at moderate prices, if you get concerned about doing it yourself. With all of the great documentation and discussions on this forum, along with your radio or other experience, I think you will succeed doing it yourself. That is my plan for the slow-dialing Northern Electric Princess phone I have.

Yes, I have his webpage bookmarked and will be contacting him probably after Christmas.

[FABphones]

...there is a man in (I think) Arizona who does highly-recommended dial refurbishment...

Steve Hilsz
http://navysalvage.com/