Anyone tried greasing their n64 control stick?

[SheerMadness]

I need new controllers yet again. I'm tired of having to buy new controllers and or replacement sticks.

I've done some research on n64 joysticks and saw a couple people talking about popping open the analog casing and greasing all the parts inside. Friction is apparently what causes the sticks to go bad so quickly. Greasing all the parts, and mainly the little white bowl the stick slides across is supposed to drastically increase the lifespan of the stick.

Reference:

Just a little fun fact...

Back in 96 when I got my 64, I looked at the analog stick and how it was designed and immediately found a flaw. Maybe it was intentional since Nintendo sold replacement controllers, but I knew that the thing would wear out faster than I'd want it to.

So I opened the casing for the analog assembly and coated all the parts, especially the bottom "dome" which the stick glides against, with lithium grease and popped everything back together.

My controllers are over 14 years old and have zero wear to the analog stick. They still feel like they did when I first got them.

Has anyone tried this with their controller?

I'm probably going to give it a shot for my next batch of controllers/sticks in hopes they don't wear out so damn quickly.

 

[rpotts]

You could also try silicon spray, like CRC All-purpose or a high-viscosity silicon differential oil such as Traxxas, or perhaps a thinner silicon liquid like shock oil

 

[KnitePhox]

I'm going to use this tube I have of SPG and see how that works out for one stick, it has high thermal resistance so it should be overkill, which is what I want.

You could very well grease the entirety of a control stick ball and joint even to the point where you get grease on the small board that is inside SO LING AS YOU DON'T INTERRUPT THE PHOTO-DIODES ---> TRIGGER WHEEL.

grease up, sheer

 

[Battlecow]

I know a guy who tried that

he said it worked OK but it's not gonna stop them from wearing down just slow the process

 

[clubbadubba]

i'm waiting for an astroglide joke...

 

[Battlecow]

the old one is when your parents find a tube of KY under your bed and you insist that it's "Only for greasing my stick so I can play with it longer!"

 

[The Real Sykes]

Just throw in some astroglide for some falcon on falcon action and your good to go. Been using this trick for the past 2 months. No flaws/no pregnancies

 

[SuPeRbOoM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJmSQjONRg

 

[prisonchild]

this won't help a stick that is already a little worn will it?

 

[SheerMadness]

No the grease is just preventative.

If the dude's had the same n64 controllers for 14 years with 0 wear after greasing it, has to be a pretty solid solution.

But the link that boom provided also shows how to fix worn sticks. Kinda complex process though. I saw that vid the other day too. He also suggests greasing sticks to prevent wear.

 

[SheerMadness]

Mission "grease my stick" commences tomorrow after I get lithium grease and a new controller/stick.

Guess I'll bump this in a couple months to update you guys on how it works.

 

[cmu6eh]

Use a hori pad

 

[SheerMadness]

I greased 2 of my controllers/sticks. A mediocre one that's my last playable online controller and a really good one that doesn't work with my adapter.

It really does feel incredibly smooth after you've greased it. Plus it should drastically increase the life span of your stick. I'd strongly recommend everyone who uses original n64 controllers to open up your controllers and grease your sticks.

I used "white lithium grease" for anyone who's curious. It cost like $5 for a big tube at Home Depot. You can use any plastic safe grease, but obviously the more anti-friction it is the better.

EDIT: Here's a good reference video that shows you how to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ9nJ1F0qfo

 

[Nintendude]

So does this make a worn out controller playable again?

 

[KnitePhox]

So does this make a worn out controller playable again?

nope

eleventy nope's

 

[SheerMadness]

No, it doesn't. The friction actually grinds away at a couple of the plastic parts inside the stick. Grease can't rebuild the plastic unfortunately.

It just radically reduces wear over time. So it's really only worth doing on good or new sticks.

But it will make almost any stick feel extremely smooth like a brand new stick. It just won't make loose sticks tight again.

 

[TANK64]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJmSQjONRg

This will change my life forever. This video is perfect, and you are godly for posting this.

this won't help a stick that is already a little worn will it?

So does this make a worn out controller playable again?

Peeps didn't even click on godly link smh.

 

[Cobrevolution]

would WD40 be a good alternative as well? that ish smooth

 

[KnitePhox]

would WD40 be a good alternative as well? that ish smooth

naw, id say in this application, grease is far greater than oil

its a joint, needs some ELBOW GREASE

 

[SheerMadness]

Yah stick to grease. I've read that WD40 isn't a good option.

 

[SuPeRbOoM]

I just greased one of my controllers. Having a little trouble doing stuff that involves me going to the right, but that's probably because I put too much grease in the white bowl. I'm sure the grease will settle soon and it'll work fine.

 

[SheerMadness]

You can go back in and take some out if you put too much, so not a big deal. Personally I think the first video you posted boom, that guy put way too much.

In mine I just kept coating the entire white bowl part evenly with small amounts until it got to the point where it barely started to clump. And then I just coated both the black axis parts and the tip of the control stick once.

 

[KnitePhox]

lmfao @ bowl greasing, noobs, theres no friction there, you wana put the grease on the BALL and JOINTS

LOOOOL thats like greasing the ouside of a wheel when you need to grease the bearings... there is exactly 0 wear there LMFAO what a waste of grease!


ahahahahahaha

 

[SheerMadness]

^ Are you serious dude?

Where do you think all the white/grey powder comes from in worn sticks? It's because the rounded tip of the stick grinds across the white bowl every time you move the stick.

Go find a real loose and worn stick, open it up and observe all the white power inside. Then look at the very tip of the stick where it rolls across the white bowl and you'll see how worn down it is. All the videos showing how to grease a stick agree this is a huge part of the wearing process. The black axis parts can also wear too though.

@ Boom, I'd take some grease out if I were you. If it's hard moving the stick to the right you definitely put too much.

 

[KnitePhox]

The black axis parts can also wear too though

at first i thought that only the axes and ball matter


but then i thought they matter like 9:1 vs the powder and i still think so

where do you think all the LOOSENESS of OLD STICKS come from, that BOWL? ROFL!


EDIT:i strongly think i am more correct due to my logical process on observing the insides of 9+ sticks, ALSO, aren't the ball and axes like...REQUIRED for movement? am i missing something here??

 

[SheerMadness]

K you can think what you want. You're disagreeing with everything and everyone I've seen write/talk about the issue.

I've opened up all my controllers/sticks too. None of my black axis pieces have almost any wear. I've seen pictures of really worn down, so I know they can wear, but none of my were like that.

So despite my black axis pieces having little to no wear the stick is still extremely loose. Why? Because the tip of the stick and white bowl have worn down to the point where it's not touching the bowl anymore, which makes it loose.

This forum is about as much info you're gonna find on n64 control sticks:

http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/forum/3009316/

 

[KnitePhox]

K you can think what you want. You're disagreeing with everything and everyone I've seen write/talk about the issue.

I've opened up all my controllers/sticks too. None of my black axis pieces have almost any wear. I've seen pictures of really worn down, so I know they can wear, but none of my were like that.

So despite my black axis pieces having little to no wear the stick is still extremely loose. Why? Because the tip of the stick and white bowl have worn down to the point where it's not touching the bowl anymore, which makes it loose.

This forum is about as much info you're gonna find on n64 control sticks:

http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/forum/3009316/

Thanks much!

 

[Cobrevolution]

so i picked up a Classic Controller because the *******s at the retro gaming store don't sell used n64 controllers unless they're bundled in a pack with a console and game for fifty five bucks. it was only fourteen so i figured i'd give it a shot.
it's hyper sensitive, as you guys probably know, and there's a bit of lag in the input. i was thinking of switching the stick itself with one of my girlfriend's sticks, since she's got a couple laying around, because the problem isn't mechanical but computerized (right?). but damn, how i wanted the controller to be normal.

 

[SheerMadness]

I've got some pretty interesting news. I bought a replacement OEM style (made to be exactly like the original) third party stick from lukie games:

I've done a lot of reading about replacement sticks over the past couple weeks. A lot of them are pretty crappy quality. So I wasn't expecting much out of this one but thought I'd try it because it's less expensive than buying a brand new controller.

Anyway I got it the other day and opened it up to grease it. To my surprise it was already greased.. They greased the entire bottom bowl part and the tip of the stick that rolls along the bowl. I was shocked. If they took the time to figure out why it wears and go into all the sticks and grease them, it might be better quality than I thought.

I'll let you guys know how it holds up, but I'm pretty optimistic right now.

Also FYI I added even more grease to the stick when I opened it up. They hadn't greased the axis parts so I greased those and added more to the bowl and tip.

 

[crush]

updates ???

 

[B Link]

A couple of controllers I bought a while ago were pre-greased (without my knowledge lol because I didn't open them upon purchase). They worked fine I guess.

 

[Komotonoto]

I LOVE MY 6 GREASED CONTROLLERS oh yeah baby!

 

[Yobolight]

Information on this subject should be in the index, really useful IMO.

 

[Yobolight]

What brand of grease is best and where might I purchase it?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

What brand of grease is best and where might I purchase it?

I just used some white lithium grease from a hardware store. It was like $5 and I estimate it to have enough grease in it for 100 controllers.

I know you asked about brands but I'm going to ignore that because its either grease sold by this guy or grease sold by this guy.

 

[SheerMadness]

You can use any non plastic corrosive grease you want.

I use white lithium grease.

 

[Darkhorse]

Just did the full fix that boom posted earlier in the thread, and greased with some WD40. It's feels a little grainy, but it still feel like brand new. Is the grainy feeling normal after a fix like this?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Just did the full fix that boom posted earlier in the thread, and greased with some WD40. It's feels a little grainy, but it still feel like brand new. Is the grainy feeling normal after a fix like this?

Why did you use WD40 instead of grease? I think WD40 is a metal lubricant as opposed to something to lessen friction between plastics. You should clean that out, buy some grease, and do it again. None of my controllers have felt "grainy" at all after I fixed them, and I would be disappointed if they did.

 

[KnitePhox]

Just did the full fix that boom posted earlier in the thread, and greased with some WD40. It's feels a little grainy, but it still feel like brand new. Is the grainy feeling normal after a fix like this?

You should open it back up and clean it out, thoroughly. The grainy feel may mean that there is a small speck of debris that will **** your **** up after a while as well as make it feel weird before it ****s up. And if there is no debris and the problem ends up being a small peice of plastic on the ball end of the stick, at least you know you cleaned it out well. Use q tips and rubbing alcohol to clean generally, but not if you used wd-40 to lube it, learn from your mistake and never use it again for lubrication of n64 stick parts. To remove the wd-40 you need to use some break parts cleaner in an open air environment (OUTSIDE, OPEN GARAGE DOOR IN UR GARAGE, ETC.) because that's relatively cheap, spray on a rag NOT THE PARTS. If you can manage to obtain some illegal tricolene, that would clean the wd-40 better, but uh....its illegal ROFL

Good Luck!

 

[MattNF]

u can grease my stick anyday