Author Topic: Air Cylinder Rebuild?  (Read 2783 times)

Offline Logoman

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Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« on: December 19, 2016, 12:57:44 PM »
Anyone know if these can be rebuilt?


Offline cbjamel

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2016, 04:34:20 PM »
Some can some cant. Go to m&r parts website enter your machine serial and look for the part in it and you will see if they have a kit or call them.
Shane

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Offline jsheridan

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2016, 04:46:26 PM »
they can all be rebuilt. the O-ring on the internal seal is usually what goes out. The oil seals generally last a long time.

it depends on the style of the chopper that makes them easy.. or a real PIA to take apart.

you'll need two oil seals and 3 o-rings if I remember right.

You'll need some clip pliers if yours has the clips or you'll need to fashion a two point thingy similar to the tool used to tighten the nut on angle grinders to push out the spring steel clip.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2016, 04:50:21 PM by jsheridan »
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Offline Sbrem

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2016, 08:44:39 AM »
they can all be rebuilt. the O-ring on the internal seal is usually what goes out. The oil seals generally last a long time.

it depends on the style of the chopper that makes them easy.. or a real PIA to take apart.

you'll need two oil seals and 3 o-rings if I remember right.

You'll need some clip pliers if yours has the clips or you'll need to fashion a two point thingy similar to the tool used to tighten the nut on angle grinders to push out the spring steel clip.

Weigh your time against just buying a new one, though we all love to open stuff up...

Steve
I made a mistake once; I thought I was wrong about something; I wasn't

Offline Itsa Little CrOoked

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2016, 10:15:21 AM »
Weigh your time against just buying a new one, though we all love to open stuff up...

Steve

A hard lesson to learn! And it varies from time to time for all sorts of reasons, and where you happen to be in life.

My stroke cylinders used to be about 80 bucks shipped from Aero. That doubled just recently and they technically are not rebuild-able. But I wonder if a little heat on the business end of the cylinder and a slide hammer would pull the piston out.

Many (but not all) adhesives soften with heat. I have pulled out the end caps of bent up Newman Roller Frames with heat and a slide hammer. I did it in order to straighten out the tube with a "dolly" and a body hammer. (It was a bad craigslist purchase. Now I don't even use them.) They were assembled from Newman with epoxy.  Heated epoxy=softened epoxy. It was Easy Peasy after the first one, but it was a labor of love to straighten out those stupid rollers.

I've got a whistling stroke cylinder right now and it's either trash it (~$150) or try to warm up the end cap, pull out the piston and see what's in there. My shop is very close to an O'Ring Shop....a luxury most of you don't have. Tracking that stuff down after disassembly also changes the time vs money equation.

Offline jsheridan

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2016, 10:28:11 AM »
they can all be rebuilt. the O-ring on the internal seal is usually what goes out. The oil seals generally last a long time.

it depends on the style of the chopper that makes them easy.. or a real PIA to take apart.

you'll need two oil seals and 3 o-rings if I remember right.

You'll need some clip pliers if yours has the clips or you'll need to fashion a two point thingy similar to the tool used to tighten the nut on angle grinders to push out the spring steel clip.

Weigh your time against just buying a new one, though we all love to open stuff up...

Steve

It cost me $1.25 in rubber seals and rings to fix each one.. I had 6 machines on the floor all with bad choppers.

It takes all of 5 minutes to open up the clip style and fix it.

remove the top handle plug, then the nut on the post. Remove the two allen bolts on top slide it all off the top post. Clip pliers remove the clips on either end and the entire internal cylinder slides out. Their is an o-ring on a round disc on the center of the shaft.. this is the 0-ring that goes bad and causes all the hissing air leaker. replace it. check the oil seals in the end plugs. replace if needed. put cellophane over the shaft and re-insert through the oil seals. DO NOT mar the lip as oil seals are a 1-way seal, once past the cellophane, take it off. repeat on other side.
insert ends, clips, top, allen bolts, handle, nut, plug.

rebuilt chopper done.
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Offline jsheridan

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2016, 10:36:54 AM »
they technically are not rebuild-able. But I wonder if a little heat on the business end of the cylinder and a slide hammer would pull the piston out.


theirs a pin in there somewhere. They can't have a 'pressure' vessel with pressed in anything. It has to be fixed or over time the vessel could push out what was pushed in.

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Offline Itsa Little CrOoked

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2016, 11:57:24 AM »
they technically are not rebuild-able. But I wonder if a little heat on the business end of the cylinder and a slide hammer would pull the piston out.


theirs a pin in there somewhere. They can't have a 'pressure' vessel with pressed in anything. It has to be fixed or over time the vessel could push out what was pushed in.

I'm willing to bet you are right. I might destroy it finding out, but what the heck? Trash=$150 Mangled+Trash=$150

Offline Binkspot

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2016, 05:50:25 PM »
Get new, 9 times out of ten the bushing at the bottom of the cylinder will be worn out. You spend that time and money rebuilding it only to have it leak in short time. It's the cost of doing business.

Offline spotcolorsupply

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Re: Air Cylinder Rebuild?
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2016, 07:50:49 PM »
they technically are not rebuild-able. But I wonder if a little heat on the business end of the cylinder and a slide hammer would pull the piston out.


theirs a pin in there somewhere. They can't have a 'pressure' vessel with pressed in anything. It has to be fixed or over time the vessel could push out what was pushed in.
I don't think there are any pins. They are crimped... if it's not a re-buildable cylinder, you are wasting your time. I've cut a few apart for fun, and didn't see any way to salvage them.
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