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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

My BEST RIX SA3 Rebuild...

Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:48 pm

My BEST RIX SA3 Rebuild...

- I covered this a bit in my post on the compressor stand. But I wanted to clarify it.
- I've re-built everything, more than once, on my RIX in the past. Never all at once. Most often the first time I did it wrong and with the wrong parts... For example, don't lubricate the teflon rings when installing new ones... The lube helps them scum up and stay compressed and break contact. Another example, don't use hardware store O-rings to rebuild the piston heads... They get hot and extrude. And more recently I thought I found a way to economize on the teflon rings... I called it a "refresh" process to simply clean up the rings so they compress and expand freely. This sort of works but the rider rings wear down and degrade the alignment of the compression rings... I think causing them to break contact and cause blowby.
- So anyway... For possibly the first time, I ordered all factory parts... O-rings, teflon compression rings, new rider rings, viton head rings... etc. All the exact correct factory parts and it cost me about $270. Then, I think I did a much better job of assembling everything because I learned from past mistakes. And much to my happy self... This thing is now running extremely well.
- Thankfully we can still get factory parts from RIX... So, we should take advantage of that and buy factory parts!
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

SeaHuntJerry
Master Diver
Posts: 420
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:45 am
Location: Minneapolis

Re: My BEST RIX SA3 Rebuild...

Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:39 pm

Great good Job Eben!

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: My BEST RIX SA3 Rebuild...

Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:27 am

You are the Rix man!
The older I get the better I was.

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