DW Mistral - A Few More Questions

[Terry]

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for their replies that I received in regards to the thread "Restoring My DW Mistral". All of your comments were very helpful, and I'm glad to report that my Mistral is all back together and breathes great; at least on dry land since I haven't had a chance to dive with it yet. By the way; the CLR works great! I do however have a couple of other questions.
My first question is in regards to the lever plate assembly (part #6 1002-23) and the 2 screws (part #4 8360-05) that hold it in place. According to the USD manual for reassembly it states to: "Screw into body (11) through lever plate (6). DO NOT TIGHTEN. I do not see anywhere in this manual where it does state to finally tighten these screws. Are these 2 screws to be left somewhat loose? When I disassembled this reg both of these 2 screws were tight, and when I reassembled this reg I did tighten them. I assume these are to be completely tight; but then again this is the first Mistral I have worked on and I appreciate any and all of your guy's input. OK - Heah Stupid; tighten the screws is perfectly acceptable in this case!
I also have a question regarding the adjustment nut (part #7 1002-23). When adjusting the height of the levers (under pressure); how easily should this adjustment nut turn on the screw (part #8 8350-04), and how minute should the movement of the levers be when turning this nut? I personally felt that this nut was hard to turn, and that the lever adjustments should have moved more smoothly and minutely than they did; but then this may be due to my lack of experience of working on Mistral's. Thanks again, and as always - Safe Diving To You. If any of you ever get over to the area near Traverse City, Michigan be sure to contact me. I live about 35 miles south of there. Terry Stevens

[Linda]

If any of you ever get over to the area near Traverse City, Michigan be sure to contact me. I live about 35 miles south of there.

Hey, Terry, sorry to butt in here, but it would be great if you could make it to Wazee this year! If only there was some kind of ferry over to Green Bay, then it wouldn't be that far for you to drive. I bet there isn't one, though.

[SeaRat]

Hi Terry,

First, it's been some time since I've played around with the level height of my Mistrals. But the wheel should turn pretty easily. You probably kept pressure on the plate with the screws, and that made the wheel turn harder. Once you get the adjustment, then do tighten those two screws and the holding nut to make everything stay in place (it doesn't have to be real tight, but do use a screwdriver and wrench). Then, check the height again. It may change a bit when you tighten things down. If it doesn't leak when you have assembled it, and it breaths well, you have been successful. If it does leak, you may have the levers too high, and may need to readjust them. 'Hope you get it into the water soon.

John

[Terry]

Hi Linda,
I believe that there is (or was) a car ferry that sailed out of Ludington, Michigan and that idea might be worth looking into. I have heard a few people talk about this particular ferry; but I believe it's a relatively expensive proposition. People that I've talked with about this claimed that they weren't sure that the expense was worth it for the time that the didn't save, and figured that they should have just driven. I like the idea though, and I am going to look into it. Hope to see you and Dan at Wazee. Thanks for the idea! Terry

Hi John,
I was REAL GLAD to read what you had to say in your reply in regards to the screws being too tight which in turn made the adjustment wheel hard to turn. That was exactly what I was wondering when I was making the adjustments. It's always nice to get another opinion to help clarify some of the problems and procedures regarding these vintage regs. As for any leaks; None. I did the soap water test around the pin which has a new o-ring and no bubbles, and after the adjustments and tightening the plate down all seemed to be working just fine. Hopefully this winter weather will break and I'll get to wet test it real soon. Thanks again for your input; it's very much appreciated. Safe diving to all! Terry

[duckbill]

Terry,
I'm sure that John meant leaking when the whole regulator was reassembled. Please refer to my post I gave you regarding lever adjustment and the effect of the diaphragm acting as a counterspring. For future reference, keep the two screws loose, but put finger pressure on the plate while adjusting the nut. The lever height will change fairly quickly since it is a compound lever arrangement. Then, once you THINK the lever height is flush to the rim of the box, thighten the screws fairly snugly. They only act as lock screws. There is supposed to be space between the plate and nozzle housing. Then recheck the lever height and readjust as necessary until flush to the top as specified. Then install your diaphragm and bottom box and squeeze together tightly by hand. Put on a 300 psi air source and listen for any leaks. As John mentioned, if it leaks lower the lever height ever so slightly. If you can move the regulator around and hear the lever flopping around any, or if you attach a hose and try inhaling only to find a lag between start of breath and airflow, then raise the levers some. As mentioned elsewhere, be sure to have at least a hose attached if you do any breathing tests. When you are sure all is O.K. THEN final assemble it with the box clips and recheck it again. It is important to do all this on about 300 psi. If you adjust it at a higher pressure, you may find it leaking air nicely while you are trying to swim back to shore at the end of your dive after your cylinder has lowered.
Have fun.

[Terry]

Hi Duckbill,
Thanks for your reply. Not only did I refer to your prior post for lever adjustment; I made sure that I printed it out as I will this one for future reference. Your replies as well as those that I have received from others have been a great help and I'm discovering that it's the little details that you guys offer that really help in regards to restoring and adjusting these regs. Thanks again, and Safe Diving To You! Terry Stevens