Blake Coaxial indicator question.

Ken_Shea

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Haven't used this unit in well over a year and now it is sticking and not all that free turning. My question is, any of you guys taken one apart for cleaning, oiling then regret it? Could send it back to Blake but not all that excited about dropping half it's worth new just to clean and oil.

Thanks ken
 
Have done/doing that Steve, it was incredibly humid for a period last year and I fear it may have rusted a bit inside, it feels gritty when moving up and down, when rotating it is smooth but stiff.


Ken
 
Frank has a good tip there. Forget the WD and try the trans fluid, ATF. The ATF will help clean the crusty stuff and lube it.

I have a couple co-axe indicators, and never had the Blake get sticky, but the off shore one did at one point, and the trans fluid worked like a charm. Its thin enough to get into the parts, and helps clean well.
 
WD40 is not a lubricant, it is a water displacer. Hence the WD Tranny fluid should do the trick. When mine did that I was told it would work and it did.

"Billy G" :))
 
I keep some ATF in a spray bottle to coat parts that I want to protect from rust. Even the machines, from time to time. There are cast iron parts in automatic transmissions, so I figure it is safe enough.

I read that a 50:50 ATF:Acetone rivals Kroil. I have a bottle of that mixed up as a penetrating oil. Works very well.
 
A few drops of Marvel Mystery Oil will help clean the gunk as well. It contains oil of wintergreen and is really good at removing sludge buildup. Matter of fact one of my colleagues bought a car with 100,000 plus miles on it and thought it would be a good idea to put in a quart of MMO during his first oil change. It cleaned the gunk so well from inside the engine it clogged up the oil pump pick up screen. He now has a "new" engine courtesy of school of hard knocks!
 
MMO is some good stuff too. I make an octane booster using 1:4 MMO:Xylene (Xylol). Sure helps the ping and knocks on the old high compression hot rods. Through some research and prying questions to some refining people I know, it's approximately the same as commercial boosters, but way cheaper. Just don't spill it on your paint.
 
Somewhere in my piles of paper work, I have a sheet that shows the break down of the co-axe, but not sure if I would try tearing it down, if I remember there is a fair bit of parts inside that item.
 
Didn't use WD-40, used Gibbs but the process was the same and the result likely the same, been setting all day on it's end with just a bare improvement, even that may only be my hopeful imagination.

Will put more on it and let it set over night and see if that does it, if not, guess I'll bite the bullet and send it back.
I'm with 8ntsane, the shaft is straight forward enough but the dial mechanics look like they could be a problem.

Thanks for all the input, will let you know how it goes setting overnight.

Ken
 
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