I have a Sony 32 inch TV KV32XBR85 with a weird pincushion/horizontal
problem. The picture alternates between two problems states: one where
the top and bottom of the picture are stretched out (like a corset) and
a second where the picture is pinched about an eighth of the distance
from the top & bottom (like an urn). At power on the picture tends to
be in the first state then flickers back & forth between the second
state, eventually settling on the second state. It's a bit hard to
describe so here are actual pics of the screen:

pic 1: http://tinypic.com/iwspbs.jpg
pic 2: http://tinypic.com/iwsr3m.jpg

I haven't opened up the set yet. I tried the smack test, without any
effect on the picture. This is a nice TV and definitely worth fixing
IMO. Any tips on what to check, common failure parts or rebuild kits
would be much appreciated. TIA.

Look for the 'been hot' larger coil in the horizontal circuit and
replace it. Troubleshoot the rest of the circuit as well. While it is
apart you should go ahead and resolder all the low voltage regulators
you can find and the IF coils and maybe some connections inside the
tuner.

Okay, I took the chassis out today and inspected it closely. None of
the coils (or anything else) showed evidence of overheating or
burntness. While I had the set apart I reflowed any suspect solder
connections (most looked pretty good but I figured resoldering couldn't
hurt), and reseated all the connectors I could find, put it back
together, but no luck.

I don't have much in the way of troubleshooting equipment other than a
DVM (no schematics etc.) I was hoping to find a common failure kit at
Tritronics which saved my butt in the past but no luck there either -
Tritronics lists only a few components for this chassis, and most of
them are no longer available anyway.

Anything else I should try before throwing in the towel?



wrote:
Look for the 'been hot' larger coil in the horizontal circuit and
replace it. Troubleshoot the rest of the circuit as well. While it is
apart you should go ahead and resolder all the low voltage regulators
you can find and the IF coils and maybe some connections inside the
tuner.

Since it looks like the picture quality and brightness would be pretty
good if it were working, I would say the next step is to probably take
it into a technician who has the equipment, service manual, and lots of
Sony tv experience from that era.

Given that most of the set is working at this point, the repair cost
might no be so much if you take it into the shop. Consumer Reports
probably would not recommend even having the set repaired, but I would
say if it is less than $100, go for it.