the great 109 to 156 (using the new S-wing) and "lever" issues threads (continued)

[Zung]

A small addition to brother couv's 2 last points: soak the reg, shake well, press the purge a few times, and re-test while it's still wet; any abnormal frictions may simply go away. It happened to me a couple of times after a few month's storage.

 

[rhwestfall]

The 109 has me "baffled" - may in fact be the orifice. The 156 is going to be stripped, and cleaned. I just took delivery of an ultrasonic, so that is step #1...

 

[smorneau]

What is the cost to convert an unbalanced r109 to balanced. I understand I will need a new S-wing poppet and seat plus other separate parts like a spring and balance chamber. What will these parts cost and does anyone know where to find them on the web or a brick and mortar that will sell by mail?

 

[rhwestfall]

aside from faster seat wear, Zung has "tested" the two styles, and with a good first stage, he feels the bang for the buck isn't necessary.....

 

[Zung]

The retail price for the 3 parts are about $20-25. They show up sometimes on eBay for about twice as much; I don't think it's worth the trouble, unless you have some in mint conditions and want to fit them with the latest and greatest updates.

 

[herman]

You have the best 109 experts answering your questions so I may not add much but 3 not directly mentioned things come to mind.

I am assuming you replaced the spring when you converted it....are you sure it's the softer 156 spring and not another 109 spring ?

Is it is possible you have a hard seat- old stock or just a bad run.

Does the balance chamber move easily on the poppet stem? If not, is it lubed properly?

 

[Couv]

What is the cost to convert an unbalanced r109 to balanced. I understand I will need a new S-wing poppet and seat plus other separate parts like a spring and balance chamber. What will these parts cost and does anyone know where to find them on the web or a brick and mortar that will sell by mail?

This is one area re 109/BA where I differ slightly from my esteemed brethren. To convert or not convert? The answer is really-it depends. True enough the difference in performance is not enough to justify the conversion, but let's take an example plenty of us have dealt with. You come into an old 109 and it needs a rebuild. It has the very old style poppet that cannot accept a simple puck seat, so you have to change the seat and the poppet-usually with a Duro poppet. Now, you're having lever height issues or the damn lever will just not engage the poppet correctly, so you need a new lever. If I've come this far with a rebuild, I would rather just go whole hog and do the conversion. Now, if we have a sweet 109 that already has a Duro poppet and and no lever issues, that's a different story.

I find the BA easier to tune, holds tune longer, seat last longer than a 109.
The 109 has the advantage of a less expensive/more readily available seat.

If I were in Smorneau's fins, I would contact Larry View Profile: DA Aquamaster - ScubaBoard and make arrangement to send my 109 to him for a proper and fair evaluation and make the decision based on his findings. (Unless you want to join us on the Dark Side and do it yourself.)

 

[Zung]

Bro, you're absolutely right: if the 109 comes with the old poppet, might as well go the extra mile and hunt down the spring and balance chamber.

Regarding the OP, it's hopeless: since he posted this in the DIY section, he's already on the Dark Side .

 

[smorneau]

I am going to go the unbalanced route. I found a rebuild kit for a 200 on eBay for $15 that has the duro poppet I am hoping it will also include the seat.

Now it is time to tackle the mk10!

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[smorneau]

And yes, I am already on the darkside.

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