Can't get Scubapro MK15 cap off

[scubadoguk]

How much do you figure a new reg is because I doubt when people have finished tearing it up it will be worth much but if you were to send it back to S/P with a note or call them and ask what they recommend they may be more helpfull than you think seeing as you have tried all the "normal" efforts,
if they are not then what do you have to lose tearing it up as you have no choice?

 

[Genesis]

Yep.

If its the "cap" (not the seat retainer plug, but the large barrel to which the turret attaches) then it shouldn't be that big of a deal to get off even if its "frozen", provided you have the right tools.

I've dealt with this before; if the holes the spanner lock on are damaged (due to someone using an improper tool in the past!) and won't hold, then you put the holding bar into one of the HP ports and chuck the tool into a vise (to keep from marring up the reg), as close as possible to the body. Then you use a strap wrench on the cap, with a breaker bar on it if necessary.

You won't mar up the reg doing this. I'd probably NOT use the PB Blaster in this case, since it will make the reg extremely slippery and difficult for the strapwrench to get a good "bite".

When you put it back together put a bit of Christolube (better) or silicone (ok) on the threads; this will keep it from freezing up in the future.

 

[300psi]

Thanks for all the advise. I have purchased the Scubapro Multi-Tool from
http://www.scubatools.com/Scubapro.html.

I let everyone know how it goes it a week or two when I get it.

Thanks

 

[quimby]

You can also get some dry ice from your local supermarket (I know publix down here carrys it). It goes a long way to shrinking metal, its around -100f so balanced against a light heat might make a difference.

 

[redacted]

I think I'd try some hot & cold with it also after trying moderate force with the multitool. I'd suggest and ice water soak to get the body temp down to freezing. Then, with the reg in the vice, just a bit of hot (120 sounds about right) water run over the body but avoid getting any on ther retainer. The hot body should expand leaving a little more clearance between it and the colder retainer. The effect shouldn't last too long as brass is such a good conductor of heat, so you may want to try it a couple times in the hope of getting the timing right.

Good Luck

 

[scubatech]

Boil up a pot of white vinegar on the stove and let it cook for 5 or 10 min.
Should do the job with the use of the proper tool to take it apart.
If all else fails break out the blue tip wrench. :54: FIRE FIRE FIRE

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Thanks for all the advise. I have purchased the Scubapro Multi-Tool from
http://www.scubatools.com/Scubapro.html.

I let everyone know how it goes it a week or two when I get it.

I have a Scupapro multitool as well as the Peterbuilt version of the SP multitool. You can think of the Peterbuilt tool as being generation one, with SP having made generation two and three of the tool.

One fault I have noticed with my particular Peterbuilt tool is that it uses roll pins for the large spanners and these have a rather rounded shoulders on the ends. In contrast the SP tool uses solid pins that are very square in profile with no rounded shoulder. The SP pin gets a better grip on the hole in the cap. With the peterbuilt tool, the pin does not get as good a grip and is more prone to slip, which is exactly what you don't want to happen.

If Peterbuilt has not fixed the problem and still ships them this way, your best bet when you get the tool is to drive the roll pin out and then grind the end flat to remove the shoulder and then tap it back into the hole. This will improve the amount of torque you can bring to bear with the tool and reduce the risk of slipping and gouging the edge off the hole.

I don't have many beefs with Peterbuilt tools, but this one is a biggy and I have no idea why they let mine out the door this way.

 

[redacted]

Boil up a pot of white vinegar on the stove and let it cook for 5 or 10 min.
Should do the job with the use of the proper tool to take it apart.
If all else fails break out the blue tip wrench. :54: FIRE FIRE FIRE

Well ST, I sure would like to understand the reasoning behind this suggestion. Is it a joke? Or, perhaps it should be moved over to the thread on LDS Scams? Can you tell us what you are trying to accomplish?

 

[chrispete]

I recently dealt with a reg that the end cap (different manufacturer, same thing though) was locked up on. I solved the problem by putting the spanner in the vise, screwing in the "hold bar" that I usually use to hold a reg in the vise (screws into the hp port, about a foot long) and then did the reverse of what I would normally do and used the bar to get some torque on the body of the reg while putting some downward force on the reg to keep it in contact with the spanner. It came apart using that setup moderately easily versus trying to do it traditionally. This isn't something that I would normally do to a reg but I had already explained the potential of killing the reg to the customer and they agreed to give it a shot. Long story short, a reg tech in the past really liked locktite (like a kid with Elmer's glue) and once that was figured out, the rebuild was completed without any more problems.