OCi battery replacement

[dkr82]

I'm getting a low battery warning in dive mode after a LOB trip in Jan. I haven't found an Oceanic service centre/dealer in Jakarta, but have a CR2450 battery ready to go in before a trip to Thailand next weekend. The manual says the o-ring should be tossed and a new one put in. I don't have a new o ring for it, and am wondering if I can just clean and lube it and replace it, assuming there's no visible damage.

Should I, or should I not??

 

[patrickusaf08]

Hmm I would not trust a compressed o ring. In aircraft maintenance we have to change o rings every time we change a part out that has them. They form a seal when you install them the first time. If they are composed you may not get a good seal after you reuse them causing the computer to flood.

 

[dkr82]

Hi, thanks for the reply. That's a good point you raise. Would the material make a difference? I'm under the impression there's no compression with silicon o-rings. The o-rings on my UW housing and strobes are repeatedly compressed and they hold up. Not sure if the watch o-ring would be silicon or some other material however.

 

[Twoblues]

Have you called America Underwater Products's (Oceanic,Aeris,etc.) toll free number? 800-435-3483 and Spoken to Neil Morales about a replacement o ring?

 

[dkr82]

No, but the crunch time and first test has come and gone. I did actually track down the AUP dealer in Jakarta, and they replaced the battery, without replacing the o ring. Not sure that's to dealer spec.. Did a couple of dives to 40m in Thailand and there were no issues, so I'm living with it for now.

 

[Twoblues]

I too am an A&P mechanic, and while it's good practice to change the o ring as Oceanic recommends, I've had a dive shop owner say that because it's not a moving part, you can get by w/o changing the o ring. There is still the possible development of a "set" and the o ring's becoming unreliable. If my new OCI is like my old Data Max, the battery is sealed away from the computer section! Maybe I'll cal Neil Morales and ask the question on Monday!

 

[DIVEWATCHDOCTOR]

I realize this is a somewhat dated post. However, I want to offer my two cents here. The probability of flooding a computer by re-using the Oring when changing the battery is the same as tossing a coin. The Oci is a medium/high price dive computer and does not have an isolated compartment for the battery. If water gets inside, the electronic module is kaput. My advise (for the future in case drk82) is: always replace the Oring.