whats up with my x valve, is it toast???

[pablo4429]

ok so something is weird with the threaded hole in the bottom.
1. the screw wont go all the way in and the valve has a little up and down play, is this normal, should i just put a washer in it to space it out?
2. when i got it about half the threads were stripped out of the hole but it still screws in, ive used it once with no problems, but might this lead to it shooting off at me one day during play?
if i have to fix it can i just helicoil it? which helicoil if so, like what threads
thanks guys for the help

[pablo4429]

can anyone drop some knowledge on me haha

[secretweaponevan]

ok so something is weird with the threaded hole in the bottom.
1. the screw wont go all the way in and the valve has a little up and down play, is this normal, should i just put a washer in it to space it out?
2. when i got it about half the threads were stripped out of the hole but it still screws in, ive used it once with no problems, but might this lead to it shooting off at me one day during play?
if i have to fix it can i just helicoil it? which helicoil if so, like what threads
thanks guys for the help

When seated on the rail, the screw should go through the grip frame, through the rail and into the valve body. It should sit flush against the grip frame when finger tightened. There should be no play.

Sounds like your valve is fubar'd and might pose a safety risk. I don't know if a helicoil will work. Best to send it to someone really good at machining/engineering.

[athomas]

You can fill the hole with jb weld and then redrill and tap. Your field strip screw may be too long for the grip frame. I have one that is too long as well. There are a couple of lengths of field strip screws floating around. I use a washer under it to allow me to tighten the valve.

[punkncat]

There are helicoil kits available that have everything you need to repair the existing stripped hole. Assuming that you have some mechanical ability, and prefferably access to a drill press and vice, its really easy.
With the included drill bit you will drill out the stripped hole, put in new threads with the included tap, and then the helicoil threads into that hole, and you have a fixed valve.
If you take your thumbscrew with to a better hardware store they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Be sure to pay close attention to how deep the current hole is, and set a stop on your press. If you go too deep, you will have a worthless Xvalve.

As athomas has already mentioned, there are some different length thumbscrews running around. Get in touch with Mann, and see if he still has one you can buy and try it. Or you can use a small washer....

If you are not mech. inclined a machine shop will probably do it for you for a small charge. Most in this area have a minimum $25 setup fee + the price of the parts.

[Spider-TW]

You can fill the hole with jb weld and then redrill and tap. Your field strip screw may be too long for the grip frame. I have one that is too long as well. There are a couple of lengths of field strip screws floating around. I use a washer under it to allow me to tighten the valve.further more,

Check the thread engagement that you have. Measure the hole depth through the frame, with a toothpick if you have to. Compare it to your screw. I ground off the last 1/16th of an inch of the screw from my old classic to fit the X valve, until I bought a new scew that fit (just a new one from AGD). If the threads still hold the screw tight, that is all you need because there are not many additional forces on it in tension, except when you smack the body on something at a weird angle.

Whether you fix the threads or not, you will need a shorter screw or some washers that will make your screw head hang down farther. You will need a regular tap and a bottom tap to get all of the original threads back with either a heli-coil or JB and they will be different sizes between the two methods. It's a whole other step to cleanup the threads at the bottom of the hole with a bottom tap. If you are willing to work with just the threads you can get with a starter tap, then the threads you have may be just as good. That's why I would keep the good threads that you have if they are sufficient to hold it all together.

[smilestyler]

If I were you, I would call AGD to see if messing with this is a safety concern.

[pablo4429]

yea i think ill call agd next week but hopefully they will say that i can helicoil it or at least have a suggestion for me

[maniacmechanic]

I don't see any reason you couldn't use a Heli Coil on this AS LONG AS IT'S DONE RIGHT , HC threads are made from stainless steel and are stronger than most materials you use them on i've used them many , many times on all types of equipment sizes from 6mm to 1" & on a lot of high vibritation machines & have had no failure's ; to the best of my knowledge