Eek!! Amp leaking oily stuff..?? What's going on??

[nickbaba]

So, today I noticed my trusty SS McIntosh MA7000 became incontinent... eek...

OK, well, I've never had any problem with it, use it everyday. It never runs hot to the touch (on the heatsinks) or ever seems to break a sweat. Today I was spring cleaning and carefully moved it off its shelf onto a plastic record box so I could clean the shelves. When I went to put it back I noticed a puddle of weird brown liquid had formed under it. Never seen that before. The shelf where it had been standing until today had so sign of fluid or leaks. The liquid is viscous to the touch and has the consistency of motor oil. (see pic)

Looking through the grill I can see some signs of 'leakage' inside too... (see pic 2) strange thing is that the amp was not dropped or anything, and was (seemingly) working fine with no issues until today. What on earth could have caused this?

Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?? I've never seen this from an amp before... or even heard of it happening. A classic car, yes, but an amp...??

Amp is currently disconnected and will remain that way for the foreseeable future until I can get this sorted.

2334523346

[Stryder5]

Leaking capacitor(s)??

[walpurgis]

Leaking capacitor(s)??

Probably.

Shouldn't be too hard to sort out.

[Firebottle]

Almost certainly leaking capacitors I would have though.

Easy enough to fix.

[struth]

As above. Or someone spilled something. Look at the big caps inside. Probably one of them burst a seal

[nickbaba]

No, nothing spilled. Definitely coming from inside the amp.

Leaking capacitor? Well, at least it's good to hear from you gents that it's not too serious/ hard to fix.

Anyone recommended in London area for such a repair? Or do I need to send it to Jordan Acoustics (UK McIntosh-approved service dept)?

[hifinutt]

ad audio in wimbledon

https://adaudio.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/the-satchmo/

[flapland]

Had some good work done by Jauncho (David) of this and other forums.

Edit.

Phil beat me to it. AD Audio is the company name David trades under.

[hifinutt]

yes , thats the guy . met him at wam show once i think

[nickbaba]

Yes I have spoken to David before - I have his number.

I thought he only worked on valve amps? Well, I'll give him a call and ask. He's near me in SW19 so hopefully can help.

[WESTLOWER]

Yes I have spoken to David before - I have his number.

I thought he only worked on valve amps? Well, I'll give him a call and ask. He's near me in SW19 so hopefully can help.
David works on all amps not just valves

[Patrick Dixon]

Leaking capacitor? Well, at least it's good to hear from you gents that it's not too serious/ hard to fix.

The 'goo' can damage the circuit board so it's not really a good idea to leave it. I'd mop it up off your furniture too, if I were you.

[walpurgis]

The 'goo' can damage the circuit board so it's not really a good idea to leave it. I'd mop it up off your furniture too, if I were you.

Glad somebody said that. I was going to mention it. The amp really needs immediate attention, as the leaking electrolyte may cause damage and could even be toxic.

[Spectral Morn]

If its under warranty is needs to go back to where it came from, not be repaired by an unrelated service source.

[anthonyTD]

As other here have said, power supply caps without a doubt, had a few bits of original McIntosh equipment on the bench recently, and a few of the caps in one were showings signs of having leaked, just ask who ever does the work on it to change all of the large Electrolytics in there, they will all be of the same age, and thus all have the potential to go bad in a similar way.
Hope you get it sorted. :)
A...

[Macca]

If its under warranty is needs to go back to where it came from, not be repaired by an unrelated service source.

I suspect it is a lot more than 2 years old. If it isn't then it's a bit poor that the caps are leaking already.