[Cloud9...68]

My question pertains to re-assembling the OPRV after replacing the inner o-ring on the slide valve housing. The problem is that when I press the slide valve housing back into the plug, the new o-ring shears off, even though I liberally coated it with oil, and worked VERY slowly when pressing the two pieces together. I ordered two new o-rings, but I'm not sure what I can do to avoid a repeat of the same problem. It's just a very tight fit between the o-ring and the plug. Is there a lubricant I could use other than engine oil that would work better, yet is compatible with the o-ring material? Any tricks to this procedure? Thanks.

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[banditsc]

Picture maybe? I didn't have that issue with mine, it wasn't that tight. It just went back in without any thought or lube.

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[DaveN]

Maybe your O-rings OD is wrong; aftermarket part?

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[Cloud9...68]

The o-rings are from Sunset, so I assume they're correct. Here's a picture of what I'm struggling with:



   



The o-ring that's shearing off upon re-assembly is the one on the slide valve housing very near the spring. The manual says to expect this o-ring to be destroyed when you separate the slide valve housing from the plug, so it stand to reason that it should also be destroyed when you put it together, so this makes no sense. I feel like I'm in a Dilbert cartoon!

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[Ryan]

Cloud, not sure what the working end of this looks like so I may be way off track, but could you treat the "O" ring like the rings on a piston and make a sheath or sleeve out of a cut section of a beer can and use it as a shield to slide this into the boar and then pull it out?



Just spinning my wheels....

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[Cloud9...68]

Ryan,



I'm afraid there isn't anywhere near enough space to fit something between the o-ring and the inner wall of the plug. And even if there was, I don't know how I'd get the sleeve out once I squeezed the plug onto the slide valve housing. The problem is that the fit is so tight that the o-ring is getting mangled as I press the slide valve housing into the plug (the threaded piece on the right side of the picture). I have to do this in a vise, because the combination of the spring tension and the tight fit makes it impossible to do by hand.



This is why I'm thinking some super-slick lubricant, something even slipperier than engine oil, if that's possible, may help. Any ideas? When i do a search for "slickest lubricant", your mind doesn't have to get too far into the gutter to imagine the types of responses that come up... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

i'll talk to my guy this morning about this

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[Cloud9...68]

Thanks; this has me more concerned than the timing of the cams!

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[vliegwielolaf1234]

I had the same problem , could see that the o-ring was going to be destroyed pushing it in .

Used a silicon oil used on hinges etc for model airplanes etc , it is apperently very slippery stuff since it worked for me .

Used a vise and some wood for protection of the oprv .

Lucky enough someone warned me and i orderd 2 o-rings .

I put a little pressure on the unit and then wiggeld it a bit with my hands to work the ring in there , and simultaneously putting more pressure on it with the vise .

Worked for me this way .

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[Cloud9...68]

vliegwieolaf,



Funny, I've gone through the exact same thought process and procedure (I also ordered two new o-rings, used a vise with some wood to protect the OPRV, etc.). I'll have to try the silicon oil, pending the response from Flash's engine builder. Seems that the trick is getting something ultra-slippery in there, as long as it doesn't degrade the o-ring material.

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[vliegwielolaf1234]

silicone oil will have no effect on the ring , i let the other one soak in it for a few days , did not see any trouble there .

I cleaned the oprv with some brake cleaner afterward and put some fresh oil on it for assembly .

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[DaveN]

Really off the wall here but...How about silicon spray and cinching a small tie-wrap on the o-ring, Then butt it up against the opening and push through the tire-wrap and into the housing? My original thought was wide dental floss <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[kwikt]

[quote name='DaveN' timestamp='1331152505' post='122879']

Really off the wall here but...How about silicon spray and cinching a small tie-wrap on the o-ring, Then butt it up against the opening and push through the tire-wrap and into the housing? My original thought was wide dental floss <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

[/quote]



Sounds like a good idea, almost like a mini ring compressor.

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[flash]

hang on - almost have the answer - i'm being told there is another tool - let me get that verified - i just sent him the pic

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[Cloud9...68]

Another tool?! Is this yet another thing I'm going to have to build out of scrap parts laying around my garage? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.png" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



Just kidding - I appreciate the effort, from everybody, to find a solution. There has to be one - they got it together at the factory, after all.

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[flash]

he got back to me. he said that thing is a bear. he doesn't normally take them apart. he made a custom tapered sleeve to help compress it the last time he had to do that. he's looking today to see if he can find it.

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[kwikt]

Reminds me of the Fel-pro O ring for the disa valve on a BMW. It never did fit correctly.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... Great. I've made it a point to replace every o-ring in the engine, but it sounds like maybe this is one I should have left alone. I think I'll search for the slipperiest oil I can find, and then try using a tie wrap as a mini compressor, as DaveN suggests. It'll be the next thing I do after I finish timing the cams and putting the balance shaft belt back on. I'll let everyone know how it goes (not that there are a whole lot of other people out there foolish enough to rebuild their own engine...), but in the meantime, please keep the ideas and suggestions coming. Thanks.

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[flash]

try freezing it. rubber shrinks when it's cold and stretches when it's heated. you might gain a bit of clearance if it's cold

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[Cloud9...68]

That sounds like a good idea, but then I remembered that rubber has some counter-intuitive properties, due to the nature of the polymer chains that make them up, so I googled the question of how to shrink rubber, and found this:



http://www.ehow.com/how_7426083_shrink-r...bands.html



So, I think I'm going to do an experiment, since I bought a spare o-ring. I'll suspend one from some sort of a hook, apply a light weight to it, carefully apply heat to it with a blow drier, and see if it stretches or expands.

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