CPS 1200 Issue

[HBWW]

The part I missed/forgot to mention was on lubrication for the valve itself. The spring behind it almost always fails (depending on the blaster) eventually, and to fix this you need rubber bands and/or an extra assist spring positioned behind it. Obviously, you will need a lot of force to keep the valve shut, but lubrication should also help. I've never had to deal with that though; the rubber bands have always worked for me given I use decent bands and enough to force the valve shut completely.

[SEAL]

I know I've taken my time with this, but at this point it doesn't look like the rubber bands will work no matter how I position them. CA99 mentioned lubrication; were you talking about the spring on the outside, or the one on the inside? Either way, it looks like I'm going to have to saw it open. Any advice?

After I solve this issue, I'll move back to the PC, and experiment with the balloons.

[atvan]

Did you se shrike's thread on SSC? You could probably post questions there.

[Andrew]

Link to thread

[SEAL]

I saw that thread a while ago, but I forgot about it.

I won't have time today, but tomorrow... The doctor is in the house; surgery time!

[DX]

"Oops"

[atvan]

? In reference to what?

[DX]

The doctor is in the house; surgery time!

Someone's either never had surgery, or never watched TV :p

[SEAL]

On second thought, I think I'll give the rubber bands one more chance; I found a better way to position them so more tension is applied to the spring than my former methods.

Edit: And I'm glad I did! It seems to be working now. I just hope it lasts...

So anyway, I'm going to experiment with the balloons, and hopefully it will turn out well.

[SEAL]

Pikachu, use Double Post!

So the valve was working alright for a little while, but it occasionally would get stuck, so I decided to make some modifications to the rubber band to make it even tighter, but I ended up breaking it. I can't seem to get the same results with other rubber bands that I've been using, so the valve is still not closing...
I noticed something curious though; when the valve gets stuck, it sort of feels like it hits something, and when you push it closed, it makes a noticable click. So that leads me to believe that the spring is getting caught on something. Do you think I should get out the cutting wheel?

As for the PC, I have 5 balloons on there now, and it seems to be just enough to give it a small power boost, but not blow the PC off. I think I'll keep it this way.

[DX]

If you can't get consistent basic performance, then it's time to investigate the valve. Have something that will re-seal it cleanly on-hand (you want the adhesive to resist high pressure, yet also allow for easy re-sawing if needed). Obviously take great care in cutting the valve and make it as clean as possible, with the thinnest cut possible. Then, it will be easier to put back together.

[SEAL]

Would epoxy work? In Shrike's thread, I think he used something called "Marine Epoxy" or something; would regular epoxy work too? On the package, it says it works for most plastics (I don't know what kind of plastic the valve is made out of.), but I don't know if it can withstand high pressure.

[DX]

Marine epoxy is extremely rugged considering the conditions it's made for, but it gets hot and sets fast. I'd go with a plumbers' epoxy that sets a bit slower so that you have more control over covering the valve.

[SEAL]

I got it open. It was actually easier than I thought it would be.

I think the problem is that it just needs lubrication. I'm leaving it to dry out now, and I'll give it some WD-40 later. Do you think it'll work?

[Andrew]

If there's definitely nothing else wrong with it, then yes it should.

Was the spring rusty? Did the seal and seal mount line up correctly with the lip of the valve? (obviously if it is misaligned and the rubber seal is not hard up against the 'lip' then that would let water pass out). I say this as I'm wondering what exactly that 'click' was when you pushed the valve forward (a rusty spring shifting, or the edge of the seal mount moving into alignment with the 'lip' around the exit of the valve, or something else?).

Hope it works so you don't have to strip it down again!

[SEAL]

I think there was a little bit of rust, but not too bad. Everything looked like it lined up properly as well. I think the "Click" was just from the pin getting unstuck, since it seems to be pretty sticky. If that's not the problem, then I'm stumped.

[SEAL]

Looks like I have to double-post again...

So I gave it a shot of WD-40, and it seems to be sliding quite smoothly now (Don't interperet that the wrong way.). In a little while, the WD-40 should have dried out, so I'll test it by holding the valve closed and pulling back on the pin. Hopefully that's all it took, and I'll be able to close it up and get a lot of use out of it before it goes bad again.

[Andrew]

Once again, good luck, and I hope it works!

Be careful not to pull the pin back too far though!

[DX]

Don't jinx it :p

[SEAL]

It can never be easy, can it? It slides much smoother now, but somehow still gets held up. However, less force is needed to push it back, so perhaps I should mess around with the rubber bands again?

I have absolutely no idea what's causing it to refuse to close...