Star sizer question/problem

[vanilla_gorilla]

I finally got around to cleaning up and trying to use the excellent Star sizer I was given last year, and discovered a problem. I was trying out a mix of paraffin and white lithium grease, and had hoped to use it in the reservoir, but it seems like something is missing. I have the cap to the reservoir with the screw-in plunger to put pressure on the lube and force it into the grooves, but the plunger itself looks to be about have the diameter of the lube reservoir. There's no way this thing is going to keep enough pressure on the lube to force it through the grooves.

I've considered the idea that this item was made for the use of actual sticks of lube, but even so, wouldn't there need to be a washer or something on those sticks to keep the lube from running around the sides of the plunger?

Help me out here, guys. I really want to run this sizer.

[lathesmith]

Looks like you need to compare what you have with a schematic of the sizer. Do you have the instructions with the schematic? If not, let us know and I'm sure that I or one of the other helpful guys here can email it to you, so you can check for missing parts.
lathesmith

[dragonrider]

From you description I think you have not yet gotten the plunger out of the resevoir. On the top of the threaded rod there is a threaded hole. One must unscrew the cap turn it and the threaded rod upside down and and thread it onto the short threaded rod you will see inside the resevoir. Now grab onto the cap and pull. It will be difficult. Do not use anykind of prying tool. Obviously you will have to clean out the lube you put in before proceding as above. On the back of the resevoir you will see a small hole, may be covered with lube if so wipe it away. When filling the resevoir do not fill above that hole.

[vanilla_gorilla]

lathesmith, I don't have any instructions. Things would probably be much simpler if I did, but I'm working off of what I see in front of mme and my idea of how I believe this thing works.

The side view of the beast


Reservoir cap and plunger. Does this appear to be complete, or am I missing a part?


A view down into the reservoir with flash on. What appears to be a shiny ring down there is, I'm pretty sure, the bottom of the reservoir. If it's a washer or something, it won't come out.


I boiled the sizer for a little while yesterday to clean it up. It was pretty filthy, and the remaining lube (probably 25 years old) in the reservoir disintegrated into the water. It's nice and clean, but I really don't know what I need to make this thing run now. My mind tells me that a washer the size of the resevoir tube on the plunger would keep pressure on the lube and cause it to run into the grooves when the valve is opened by the action of the handle. Does that sound right?

[jsizemore]

Here is a link to the Star manual;

http://www.magmaengineering.com/PDF/...ons_012009.pdf

Looks to me like you are missing the pressure spring assembly or the threaded pressure spring piston rod that holds the pressure spring assembly together. If the lube cylinder is empty it's entire length, than you are missing the pressure spring assembly.

[jsizemore]

In picture #2 you have the handle in your left hand. Take the handle off. The threaded hole in the end of the pressure screw should be stuck down into the cylinder tube and threaded onto the spring assembly and pull like hell. Good luck.

[vanilla_gorilla]

Can it really be so simple?









Yes, it can. Thanks for the help. It came out in a flash. I can't believe I'd been looking at it this long and didn't see the solution.

[Springfield]

Believe me, you aren't the first one to have this problem. My first Star was used and came without instructions also.

[vanilla_gorilla]

From you description I think you have not yet gotten the plunger out of the resevoir. On the top of the threaded rod there is a threaded hole. One must unscrew the cap turn it and the threaded rod upside down and and thread it onto the short threaded rod you will see inside the resevoir. Now grab onto the cap and pull. It will be difficult. Do not use anykind of prying tool. Obviously you will have to clean out the lube you put in before proceding as above. On the back of the resevoir you will see a small hole, may be covered with lube if so wipe it away. When filling the resevoir do not fill above that hole.

Dragonrider, now that I know what I am looking at, your instructions seem easy, but I did not understand them the first time I read them. Thank you for your help as well.

[jsizemore]

Hey, I had the instructions and didn't get it until I saw the parts diagram that said the end of the pressure screw was "threaded to extract spring assy." Duh.

Someone with a camera should make a photo sticky on spring assembly removal and how much lube will fit in cylinder tube. I can take pictures, I just can't figure out how to post them.

[MtGun44]

Make sure you see the overflow hole and don't over fill the tube.

Don't ask how I know about this.

Bill

[wv109323]

It seems like you all are missing a step. When you invert the large threaded rod and screw the threaded hole onto the the spring assembly(male thread). You do NOT need to pull like H**l. Simply thread the top of the cap down against the top of the resevoir and continue to thread the cap against the top of the resevoir. This will pull the spring/plunger assembly from the bottom of the resevoir. If you do not have a heated base hit the resevoir with a little heat of a propane torch and the assembly will extract easily.

[AnthonyB]

wv:
You, Sir, are a genius! I have been using a Star for many years and pulling like H**L to get the spring/plunger assembly out. Thank you for this most excellent tip.
Tony

[lathesmith]

All's well that ends well! It appears that you can see the spring/plunger down there in the bore, and you got it to come right out. Good for you! As you will discover, the guys on this site are much more helpful when it comes to Stars than the instructions are, you've come to the right place!
lathesmith

[crabo]

I always turn my heater on early before I remove the plunger. When you soften the lube by heating, it pulls up easier.

I also have a mark on the outside of the resevoir so I know where to stop when pouring in the lube.

[dragonrider]

Yes it's true I could be much better when describing things, glad you got it figured out. It gets easier as you go along.

[Texasflyboy]

Can it really be so simple?

We've all been there, so no worries.

The washer on the spring pressure assembly that keeps the lube inside the reservoir is called a Hycar Washer. Over time they tend to dry out and shrink. A symptom of this is lube leaking out of the overpressure hole *after* the gasket has passed it. IF you get lube squirting out of the overpressure hole after the gasket passes it, you need to change the old Hycar Gasket. No sense wasting lube.

You can get a replacement from Magma Engineering. But I use use Toilet Bowl Rubber Gaskets from FluidMaster.

I wrote an article about this cheap replacement years ago and recently found it again in some old files. Here is the link:

How ro Repair a leaking Star Luber/Sizer