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Hello! I bought a Kawai VPC-1 about a year ago and recently the sustain pedal that came with it started squeaking a few months ago. It wasn't much at first but then it started becoming more obnoxious and I'd like to fix the problem without buying a new unit. Is it advisable to attempt to disassemble the pedal and spray some WD-40? Or is it better to spray it in the pedal without disassembling it? I don't know how complicated these pedals are so I am careful to disassemble them.

Otherwise there is no problem with the pedal at all, functionally speaking. Thank you!

I will get lambasted for this, but I just sprayed WD-40 directly into the pedal. Indiscriminately. Kroil too. It worked permanently (after taking days for the smell to go away). Never had a squeak again. Shrug.

Yes you will Gombessa at least from me

WD40 in the old days would be okay to try. But not on modern equipment, as a lot of nylon-plastic parts in them. WD40 and these parts do not go well together. Better to get a silicone spray that is compatible to plastic IMHO.

I would use Teflon micronized powder. It makes wonders and is fully safe for any mechanism. Just open the unit and apply it where movable surfaces meet

Interesting, Jose! Where do we find such powder? Is it the same that is used in acoustic piano action felt bushes?

Cheers and happy lubing*),

HZ

*) That sounds somewhat... well... I'll let the reader decide on that 😉.

I also had an F-30 pedal unit where the sustain (right) pedal developed a squeak. I opened up the case (very easy to do - only a few screws on bottom plate underneath - and I took care to make sure I put in each screw back in its original location afterwards just to be sure).

Quickly found the squeaky spot by depressing the pedal by hand and looking at the moving mechanical contraption. I did not want to use WD40 for the reason stated above. I forget if I just rearranged/re-spread excess existing lubricant with my finger or if I added vaseline jelly, but it solved the problem and my F-30 has been quiet ever since (it has been a few years now).

Yes, it should be the same material. It is usually sold as PTFE powder 1.6 micron and is relatively cheap.

Jose

Oh, my pedal unit also started squeaking afew days ago. This is a timely post!!! Thanks!

Thanks, that is interesting!

Cheers and happy maintenance,

HZ

I may be old-school, but when my DP foot pedal was squeaking to high heaven, I used what I had on hand at the time, which was WD-40. It solved the problem, and still works like a charm, and no squeaking.

Based on some of the comments in this thread, I Googled WD-40, and it's use on plastic, and saw no info that it was bad or detrimental to plastic. And, it has always been a known for displacing water/moisture on electronic parts.

I also read that there is now a WD-40 silicone spray product, if that is what one is looking for.

I may have ruined my sustain pedal with the WD-40, but it still works great for my purposes.

Rick