Audio Systems: Receiver Power Switch Not Working, audio by van alstine, class reunions

Question
I have a Realistic STA-2500 100-watt receiver that I purchased about twenty years ago.
I have had no problems until recently. The push-button power switch on the front panel seems to be "stuck" in the ON position. The only way I can shut the receiver off is by unplugging the power cord which, I'm guessing, could lead to further problems.
I have tried spraying an aerosol contact cleaner between the very narrow slots around the switch which did not solve the problem.
Do I dare try to pry the switch off the front panel and then spray contact cleaner.
The left side panel is attached with two screws and seems to be removeable. Can I remove the side panel and spray contact cleaner behind the power switch?
Could the problem be something other than poor contact involving the power switch? Everything else on the receiver works just fine.
I use the receiver to do class reunions from the 50s, 60s and 70s (often at no cost) and the receiver has a MONO switch which comes in very handy when ideal speaker positions are not an option. I'd upgrade the receiver but a MONO switch seems to be non-existent on today's receivers.
Thanks In Advance For Your Reply,
Tom  

Answer
Dear Tom,

There's certainly no problem with taking off the housing to the unit and attempting to clean the switch from the inside. In fact, I recommend it for general cleaning. If you've never cleaned the unit, trust me that you've got a couple of layers of dust in there to deal with. You may want to take a low-powered, hand-held vacuum to the insides. Make sure the unit's not plugged in!

If cleaning doesn't do the trick--tho' I'd think it would, you may have to have the switch replaced. Radio Shack repairs its realistic product line. They'll have the right replacement switch.

Yes, you're quite right MONO switches are not common on modern receivers. There are a number of high end products that have them. I have an Audio by Van Alstine preamp that has separate MONO switches for each channel. You may also want to look at two-channel, audio only receivers (Denon, Sony, and Outlaw [web only] make them), which are more likely to have a MONO switch.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin