How to Repair a Phone Jack
A telephone jack is the outlet on the wall that you plug a telephone into. You may need to repair the jack if your telephone isn't receiving a dial tone but the line has service. The primary issues in repairing a telephone jack are ensuring that the wires are connected correctly and make good electrical contact.
Instructions
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1
Remove the two screws that hold the jack to the wall. These screws are typically quite long with a narrow thread, so it may take some time and patience to get them out. Pull the telephone jack gently away from the wall so that you don't disconnect any of the wires.
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2
Look at the back plate of the telephone jack. It will have up to six terminals which allow you to connect the telephone wires to the pins in the back of the telephone jack. A telephone device will typically only use the two innermost pins.
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3
Trace the wiring from the two innermost pins to their respective terminals. These are the two terminals that the telephone wires must be connected to. The left innermost wire is the positive lead (tip) and the right innermost wire is the negative lead (ring).
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4
Ensure that the telephone wires are connected to the terminals that you identified in Step 3. Typically, line 1 uses green wire for the tip and red wire for the ring. Line 2 uses black wire for the tip and yellow wire for the ring. Line 3 uses orange wire for the tip and blue wire for the ring.
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5
Inspect the telephone wires to ensure they make good electrical contact. If a wire looks damaged or corroded, loosen the terminal screw and remove the wire. Cut off the curled part of the wire and strip off a half inch of insulation from the faulty wire. Wrap the bare wire around the terminal screw and tighten the terminal screw. Test your repair by plugging a telephone into the jack and listening for a dial tone. Screw the jack back into the wall once you've completed the repair.
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