Anyone tried greasing their n64 control stick?

[SheerMadness]

Yah WD40 isn't going to cut it. Buy some plastic friendly grease. It's not expensive.

 

[Grizzmeister]

You should use ceramic grease to lube the base of the N64 analog stick. I've done it and it really helps make the stick last much longer.

Watch the end of my video to see the stick I lubed with the ceramic grease I picked up at a local bicycle repair shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FamENJXMR7s

Oh, yeah, I'm a big fan of Super Smash Bros. as you can tell by this picture.

 

[lpierce1313]

Controller

Help***

Hey guys i greased my controller now the joystick is kinda weird and my z button won't click or go down all the way help!

 

[Grizzmeister]

Help***

Hey guys i greased my controller now the joystick is kinda weird and my z button won't click or go down all the way help!

What did you grease the stick with?

As for the z button, it's probably not seated correctly.

 

[crush]

Help***

Hey guys i greased my controller now the joystick is kinda weird and my z button won't click or go down all the way help!

lol get wrecked !!

 

[Grizzmeister]

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that lubing the stick of an N64 controller will restore it even if it's badly worn but that's not true. It’s really only a good idea to grease a stick if it functions properly and you want it to last as long as possible.

Again, the correct product to use for this is ceramic grease which is often used for lubricating bearings on bicycles.

If I get enough interest maybe I’ll make a video showing how to correctly grease the base of the N64 analog stick although you gotta have a little bit of your own talent to open and close the N64 controller properly.

Here’s a picture of one of my custom hybrid N64 controllers that has the newer third-party “GameCube-like” stick although tests have shown that these are not very good for playing SSB.

 

[clubbadubba]

At Apex I remember Banze mentioning that some guy in Brazil would "fix" broken sticks. I think it actually involved melting down and remolding the sticks. Banze help me out here what does he do again?

 

[SuPeRbOoM]

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

second half

 

[Grizzmeister]

You should only use ceramic grease on a N64 analog thumbstick. All other lubrication products tend to thicken over time making the stick feel unnaturally stiff.

Watch this video to see how much ceramic grease helps reduce friction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJz0nOO6gvE

The repair shown in the video SuPeRbOoM posted seems a little suspect to me. That is, I'm not really sure how well that repair would hold up under serious SSB play.

 

[SheerMadness]

My controllers were greased with white lithium grease several months ago and they still feel fine to me.

Ceramic grease may be the optimal grease to use, who knows. But I think it's silly to tell people not to use any other type of grease.

Any plastic friendly grease is better than no grease.

 

[KnitePhox]

I used industrial quality food processing machine grease, safe for pets/kids and no odor or color and its pretty light so my stick glides easier than a slippery dolphin through water

 

[Grizzmeister]

My controllers were greased with white lithium grease several months ago and they still feel fine to me.

Ceramic grease may be the optimal grease to use, who knows. But I think it's silly to tell people not to use any other type of grease.

Any plastic friendly grease is better than no grease.

Sure you can use any grease you want but if you're going to go through all the trouble of opening your controller why not use the best product for the job. Believe me, I've greased a lot of controllers so I kinda know what I'm talking about.

 

[SheerMadness]

I doubt you know what you're talking about. Unless you've done in depth side to side studies of ceramic grease vs a multitude of other greases...

You're just straight up guessing that ceramic grease is superior to everything else.

I don't know if it is or not, but neither do you. The bottom line is that any kind of non corrosive lubrication is better than nothing. So if someone has another type of grease readily available to them they should feel free to try it.

 

[KnitePhox]

Not leaving any slack when u wrap your controllers makes you look like a noob to me lolo

 

[Grizzmeister]

Not leaving any slack when u wrap your controllers makes you look like a noob to me lolo

I laughed so hard when I read this.

Here are some of my more minty controllers.

 

[KnitePhox]

Get on my level

PWNED

Spoiler

 

[Grizzmeister]

The reason some of you may be having trouble finding good N64 controllers is because hardcore collectors are hoarding them.

http://youtu.be/--bvr6IvYig

Heck, even cute young girls have gotten in on N64 controller collecting.

http://youtu.be/qr-hwrUBGzQ

 

[Grizzmeister]

Here's a link to another one of my YT videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXFTw4Jf2M

Please comment and like to show your support.

 

[breakthrough]

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

Any update on how well they work?

 

[SheerMadness]

Yah, after a couple months it still seems like an acceptable replacement. As long as you grease it up and take care of it.

Not as good as an original stick, the plastic doesn't seem as durable and the stick is natually looser than an original. But it's a fairly cheap alternative to trying to find a controller with an acceptable stick, which can be hard and or expensive. I use it as my online controller and keep my best sticks just for console play.

EDIT: I did replace the spring with one from a stock control stick though. That seemed to help give it a bit more resistance.

 

[cmu6eh]

Opened up one of my hori pads to grease a button. Didn't care too much about the joystick but it looks like it is made of metal parts instead of plastic. I'll take pictures of the next one I open.

 

[Grizzmeister]

One more game related video if anyone is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLeT33BsrCo

Again, please rate and comment.

 

[Timotheus]

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

second half

THIS!

Grizzmeister why do you post your collection here. this fred is about repairing the controller

btw i prefer silicon spray than greasing to prevent friction. it doesn't cause the kind of "soft" stick feeling. it makes the controller louder and it works better imo! but be careful! don't use too much of it!

 

[Grizzmeister]

THIS!

Grizzmeister why do you post your collection here. this fred is about repairing the controller?

I want people to see that I'm a serious Super Smash Bros./Nintendo/video game enthusiast and I know what I'm talking about with respect to lubricating a N64 controller.

 

[SheerMadness]

Yah Grizz that honestly seemed like a shamless plug for your youtube channel. Didn't really have much of anything to do with this thread. Keep stuff like that confined to the social thread.

Again, maybe ceramic grease is the best. Who knows. But any grease is better than nothing. I'm perfectly content with the white lithium grease I used. KnitePhox is perfectly content with the grease he used.

I'm not sure why you're so concerned with being the "all knowing" authority on greasing control sticks?

 

[Grizzmeister]

I'm not sure why you're so concerned with being the "all knowing" authority on greasing control sticks?

Just trying to share my experience and offer up alternatives to traditional grease products.

Many people have never heard of ceramic grease or are aware of how well it works on the kind of plastic used in the N64 controller's analog stick. It's really amazing stuff that adds a lot more life to something that tends to wear out rather quickly.

 

[cmu6eh]

How come I cant upload more than one pic at a time?

 

[cmu6eh]

It would be a pain in the but to try to grease this. There is no reason to though, the only plastic part seems to be the top of the stick, and the rest of the stick is attached to some metal stick. Hopefully the inside has metal. I don't feel like breaking one of these open yet. Maybe when it breaks in like another 5-10 years.

 

[cmu6eh]

 

[cmu6eh]

 

[KnitePhox]

WTF cmu6eh aka "STEVEN"....TOO MUCH HAIR, i don't even wana know how...

my grease is too good; no odor, safe to eat, i assume more safe for pets to eat as a result, approved for food processing machines, very light and its clear.

this is the exact one i use
http://www.home-barista.com/forums/img/www-aimsdata-com-tim-espresso-TaylorLubeHP.jpg

if i didn't care about the odor or safeness for children/pets, i would just use wheel bearing grease or no oxide grease, both of which i have way too much of and use basically everyday(no oxide too expensive for just any old application and it's REALLY thick so i wouldn't probably use it....maybe try it on a crappy stick considering just how thick it is.)
http://products.pennzoil.my/mediafiles/Premium-Wheel-Bearing-Grease-707l.jpg
https://www.oeltelco.com/telco/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/5-Gallon-Pail.jpg

i'll try sheer's grease and grizz's grease on 2 of the 4 new sticks i have left, then try a VS MODE of all the greases AFTER they are ALL broken in and the grease has settled

then, as i do now, i will JUDGE grizz. GGs

 

[cmu6eh]

Eh it's mostly the texture of the metal and dust. I haven't had this one for that long. The only weird thing I found was a piece of that brown stuff that covers a peanut. Lol that probably broke some produce import law.

I like petroleum jelluh for lube

 

[Timotheus]

i wonder what the japanese and peruvian players do when their sticks worn out. becaus i recently watched this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiEVgCUbAlo
do they have some tricks to repair or do they just buy a new controller. any ideas?

 

[prisonchild]

i'm getting a refurbished joystick mailed to me right now, when it comes which type of grease should I use?


also getting a controller shipped to me since I snapped the joystick on mine (I need a spare good controller anyways), should I grease that too since I won't be using it that much or should I wait until I use it regularly to grease it?

 

[Yobolight]

How many hours should a pristine immidiately greased joy stick last? I think I am feeling significant wear after ~50 hours (2 and half months of heavy play) and I am wondering if this is normal?

 

[SheerMadness]

Lol Yobo...

We don't have this down to a science, no one can give you an exact hour count. If you've gone 2 and 1/2 months and you're JUST now starting to notice wear I think the grease has done fairly well.

Open the controller and see for yourself how much/if any wear has occurred. Add some more grease if you're worried it's wearing down too quickly. Honestly if you want to prevent wear as much as possible you should probably be opening it up every month or so to monitor it.

 

[banze]

At Apex I remember Banze mentioning that some guy in Brazil would "fix" broken sticks. I think it actually involved melting down and remolding the sticks. Banze help me out here what does he do again?

Sorry it took me so long. That's actually the first time I open this Thread.
Yes, we got one fellow here in Brazil that rebuild the whole control stick part by melting down, refilling and griming the plastic again.

this video shows everything (has no sound thought, but still a pretty good video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX9sF-xuXhI

I watched Boom's video a few days ago and its really good! We never thought about refilling the bowl, we just take care of the "side parts" that moves and that's it. Also, we will try to grease, that's so obvious ... how could any body done that again!?!?

watch it and tell me what you guys think.

 

[rustyw]

it's really too bad that guy in the other thread abandoned the wii classic controller project

 

[jimmyjoe]

this video shows everything (has no sound thought, but still a pretty good video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX9sF-xuXhI
watch it and tell me what you guys think.

Cool video, I didn't realize how complicated repairing the joystick was, but even without sound that video is a pretty good guide

 

[Sangoku]

Just bought 3 controllers on ebay. The seller says one of them has a really tight stick and the other two are a bit less. Let's see if that's good enough.

Anyway, what is the final agreement on the grease to use? If possible easy to find.