help repairing my BC...

[BarryNL]

Both are seized in there
A small amount of corrosion is visible.
Do not want to force and break.

What to use to break down the corrosion?
Penetrating oil?

Help please, we go on a dive trip in 5 days.

Please go to the dive shop - if you have to ask then I assume you do not really have the experience to work on this part. Be aware that wrongly servicing a power inflater risks having it stick open just when making a rapid, uncontrolled ascent will be most incovenient.

 

[SteveAD]

One more vote for if you don't know what you're doing you probably shouldn't be doing it . Worst case scenario, if you can't get it fixed before you go, I assume you'll be dealing with a dive shop of some sort on your trip, ask them to fix it.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I need help repairing my dive rite transpac BC's.

We have 2, the wife and I.
They are about 8 years old and 350+ salt water dives.
Last dives, 1 year ago, they worked fine.

I bought new inflater valves as a maintenance item.
Was told that the valve should come out easy. Just thread it out with needle nose pliers.

Both are seized in there
A small amount of corrosion is visible.
Do not want to force and break.

What to use to break down the corrosion?
Penetrating oil?

Help please, we go on a dive trip in 5 days.

You need one of these.

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1302

The cartridge valve can't really seize, as it is brass and it threads into plastic. The tool in the link above is the preferred way to remove and reinstall the valve, but you should be able to do it with needle nose pliers if you are careful.

Under the plastic button you will find a chrome plated brass ring with two notches. That's what you engage the tips of the needle nose pliers into.

Tobin

 

[Colliam7]

I bought new inflater valves as a maintenance item. Was told that the valve should come out easy. Just thread it out with needle nose pliers.

The cartridge valve can't really seize, as it is brass and it threads into plastic. The tool in the link above is the preferred way to remove and reinstall the valve, but you should be able to do it with needle nose pliers if you are careful. Under the plastic button you will find a chrome plated brass ring with two notches. That's what you engage the tips of the needle nose pliers into.

Once again, Tobin comes through! Neat looking tool. You may not have time to get one before your trip, though. The good news is that you can usually use needle nose pliers to get the brass valve body out (unthreading it from the plastic housing by counterclockwise rotation). As Tobin says, it shouldn't be 'frozen', as it is brass threading into the plastic inflator housing. At times, particularly if not used for a while (a year), or rinsed thoroughly after SW immersion, the inflator button appears to stick and won't depress (appears 'frozen'). The corrosion can also make it seem that the brass valve body itself is also 'frozen' in the inflator housing. But, apply rotational pressure as needed to get it unstuck. I prefer to put the inflator body in a bench vise, with the inflator button pointing up. Then, I use right angle needle nose pliers to remove the valve assembly - putting the tips of the pliers in the two notches in the metal neck ring behind/beneath the inflator button, and applying slight downward pressure to keep the tips in place while I rotate the pliers counterclockwise to remove the valve body. It is a pretty robust unit and even though it may seem that you need quite a bit of torque to get the unthreading started, you are unlikely to break the housing. I just had that experience with one of my Rec wings, in fact. Had trouble getting the valve rotation started. Once the corrosion 'seal' is broken, it should come right out

Although you have already purchased replacement valves, you might want to consider reusing the old ones, or at least using them for a self-tutorial on equipment maintenance. Inspecting, and further disassembly of the valve is pretty straightforward, once you have the valve body out of the inflator housing. Disassembly and cleaning usually solves the problem. For substantial corrosion, use nylon (on nylon) and brass (on metal) brushes to remove it, and/or soak in a dilute Simple Green solution. Be prepared to lubricate the two external O-rings, and the internal rings on the stem, before reinstalling. Then dry, reassemble and test. It is not a complicated procedure.

 

[captndale]

WD40 should almost never be used around scuba equipment. It sisolves many, if not most, rubber products and will harm many plastics as well. It will turn latex into a mass of goo in seconds.