I have a Philco 41-280 that will not tune lower than about 11-1200 khz. The push buttons will tune the whole AM broadcast range very well. I have replaced tubes, aligned it and replaced all the metal film caps. The mica caps were good and within tolerance. I have the Ryders Philco info on it.

When last used around 1970, it tuned on the dial fine. If anyone has run into this problem or has a suggestion, please comment.

Check to make sure the vanes on the tuning capacitor are not touching each other through part of the range. The push buttons use their own tuning circuits.

Did you use an accurate signal generator to adjust the IF transformers to 455 KHz?
Don

+1+1
This is most likely the issue ! !
Peter

look on top of turning cap , does it have a wire hooked from one section top to the other? They should not be electrically connected. this wire was rubber coated and the insulation may have fell off shorting the two sections together causing alignment issues. Also as stated above check for touching tuning plates in the tuning capacitor.

Thanks for the help to all who responded. I'll check the cap, the cap wire, and I'm waiting on delivery of a frequency counter. So, I'll get to the bottom of the signal generator issue. I have an old Heathkit tube IG-102 generator which I like because it has a pretty big frequency range, but which I built in my youth (35 plus years ago). So, it could be a little off.

If you have a working digital radio, tune it to 910Khz and then tune your signal generator around 455 and zero beat it on the radio. It will be exactly on 455Khz with the radio picking up the first harmonic. Let the S/G warm up for 20 minutes first to stabilize.

I have found that the plastic or bakelite right angle tab that holds the stationary gang in place on one gang is broken at the right angle, allowing the gang to move from side to side, creating all sorts of problems. It will not give a capacitance reading and is subject to shorting. I put in a classified ad to try to get a replacement. It has stamped in the metal on the side opposite the wheel: 31-2472G Philco, and right below is stamped 2482. In black ink is: 0290. Has anyone had this problem? Is it possible to glue the plastic or bakelite back together reliably, or do I just need to find a replacement? Please contact me for photos if you have one of these tuning capacitors.

If all the phenolic insulator parts are there, surely you can epoxy it back together. Align the condenser plates together so they don't touch: use thin cardboard spacers to hold the rotor properly in alignment with the stator.