is my Panasonic TV dying?

[gearhead]

I've got a Panasonic 32" CRT TV, model CT-32621U.
It's been shutting itself off-then it'll come back on about 5 minutes later.
What's wrong?
Should I start shopping for something else?

[Celt]

Maybe nothing more than a cap or two going bad. Any of your friends into DIY electronics? Maybe one of them could help you give the chassis a look-see. Be careful of high voltages though. Best to unplug it and give it a few hours to drain off current. Only other thing I can think of is it might not like your choice of TV programs. :D

[James7506]

Or a failing solder joint. The least I would do is go in there with a paintbrush and vacuum hose and clean out the dust that might have accumulated on heatsinks. Jim

[Celt]

Yes, failing solder joints is another strong possibility. RCA's used to be notorious for that.

[gearhead]

I Googled the model # and found a few others with this problem.
Failed solder joints were mentioned as a guess, but nothing I found listed anything as a definite cause.
I'm wondering if I could fix it, if it was solder joints.
What do you do, just get them hot again, or do you desolder & resolder everything?

[Celt]

Use a magnifying glass and look for joints with hairline fractures. Usually, re-heating them and adding a small bit of fresh solder is enough. If you see any that are cold (frosty looking), clean off the old solder and make a fresh joint.