Conshelf Metal Second Stage Lever Adjustment

[guruboy]

Most of the time I spent adjusting the lever on the second stages. If you adjust the lever for a minimal amount of freeplay, when you pressurize the reg this seems to change and must be readjusted.

I've noticed that under pressure, the lever drops slightly.

From what I understand, the starting location of the nut from the service manual is just a ballpark. Once you pressurize the second stage, there is a two step process-
1) if free flowing, loosen the nut which allows the spring to press the seat more.
2) loosen the nut further to lower the lever to be even with the top of the body.

One question I have- is the lever is supposed to be "loose" once adjusted for proper height?

On one of my regs the lever stays pretty stationary. On another, the lever is "loose" and I can flick it with my finger in the upward direction. If I tighten the nut to prevent this freeplay, the lever is too high.

If the diaphragm and cover is on, the lever won't have space to move upward anyways, so it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Fishpie]

I adjust my USD 2nd stages so they don't rattle when assembled and pressurized.
Having a little movement (as long as it is just a little) in the lever is fine.

The one you have with some wobble is probably due to a worn LP seat or slightly under powered spring.
Try flipping the seat and if that doesn't work replace old spring (or stretch the old one).

 

[guruboy]

I'll go ahead and take it completely apart then. Was trying to avoid that since everything else seemed to be working OK.

I guess I will find out once it is apart, but does the spring press directly against the washer? So that ideally the spring will extend and take up any slack caused by adjusting the nut?

 

[Fishpie]

Take a long think before taking that lock nut off.
If you haven't got the assembly tool (bit like an inline adjustment tool but without the inline part) you'll need 3 hands and be pushing a wooden dowel against a side of a table with your belly whilst jamming screwdrivers beside the poppet to stop it spinning and screwing up the nut with a 1/4" socket.
If you only have a mm or two of slack lever movement just live with it.

 

[guruboy]

Is it that complicated? I was just planning to use my finger...

 

[Fishpie]

Not complicated..... but the spring needs to be compressed, lever and spacer fitted, nut driven and poppet prevented from turning all at the same time.

 

[2airishuman]

I've done a bunch of these regs and never found it difficult. I just hold the poppet in place with the little finger of my left hand, assemble washer, lever, and spacer, and thread the nut on with the index finger and thumb of my left hand. Once the nut reaches the nylon lock washer, I use a small flathead screwdriver to (carefully) hold the poppet so it doesn't turn, and tighten the nut with a 1/4" open end wrench.

I usually end up putting the lever in after the nut is started but you can do it either way.

 

[eelpout]

One other way to make it easier to assemble the :washer lever, spacer and nut is to put a used "MP seat" or LP seat and thread the inlet fitting on the 2nd stage body to keep the the poppet in place and not to spin. US Divers (Aqualung has a special wrench to hold the poppet in place). I also had somebody bend me a 1/4 nut wrench to hold the nut in place.

 

[guruboy]

So does the spring touch the washer and push on it? Is that why the lever shouldn't have any play after adjusting the nut?

Maybe my washer is stuck in place.