Is cleaning the modulation wheel an easy operation? Can it solve problems?

[Lowboy]

I have a 2016 reissue Model D.

I am good at fixing almost anything.

My modulation wheel will malfunction electronically for a split second on rare occasions.

Is it relatively straight forward to remove, inspect, and clean the pitch and modulation wheels on a 2016 Model D reissue? Can it solve problems such split-second loss of sound or emanating an unexpected sound?

It looks like it is straightforward to remove the wheels.

Thanks for any knowledge you can share.

Lowboy

[till]

...
Can it solve problems such split-second loss of sound or emanating an unexpected sound?
...

I don't think a split-second loss of sound is due to the modulation wheel. The modulation is not able to stop the sound. It may change the filter to a lower cutoff frequency, but only if the modulation to the filter is switched on.

Is this happening with no MIDI cable connected?
If it is only happening with connected MIDI cable, it is most likely due to some MIDI events and not hardware related at all.

Is this happening only when moving the modulation wheel?
I rather suspect some bad connection that is a bit wiggled when moving the mod wheel.

There is a PCB in the left hand section of the Reissue not to be found in the vintage Minimoogs. I think it is receiving the aftertouch ribbon of the keybed and transform its changes to a CV.

[Lowboy]

Hi Till,

Maybe my memory is not serving me well in reference to a split-second loss of sound, but there is occasional weirdness happening for a split second only when I am using the mod wheel. It is not the patch. No midi. Hard to describe the weirdness but definitely includes loud spikes or decreases in volume, maybe some pops and scratchiness, often sounding different than the patch (kind of like turning a dirty pot on an amp or EQ).

This is why I would like to pull the wheels and clean them and the connections. It would be the easiest thing to check first, given some of the symptoms. Removing the wheel module looks pretty straight forward.

Anyone ever removed and cleaned the wheel module, and if so, how did it go?

Regards,

Lowboy