# Need help with leaky Reo



## Viper_SA (2/4/16)

Hi all,

A while back I bought a 2nd hand Reo Grand. A few weeks later it started leaking and wetting up the positive contact and battery. dropped in a repair kit, but it still leaked a little. Inspected it tonight, and it seems that the "outer" seal on the 510 is damaged. I think I over tightened an atty at some point. Part of that seal was hanging out of it's recess. It is not included in the repair kit, so I'm stumped. It's the old style 510. Any suggestions for a replacement seal?


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## kevkev (2/4/16)

Hey @Viper_SA I had the same thing with one of my older REO's. A repair kit did sort it out. Perhaps post a picture of the seal you are talking about. Is it the white one just under the 510 or the silicone one?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Viper_SA (2/4/16)

kevkev said:


> Hey @Viper_SA I had the same thing with one of my older REO's. A repair kit did sort it out. Perhaps post a picture of the seal you are talking about. Is it the white one just under the 510 or the silicone one?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



It's not a seal that comes wit the repair kit. It is recessed into the reo body. About roughly twice the size of the silicone one in the repair kit.


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## Andre (2/4/16)

If you are talking about the silicone sealant at the bottom of the 510, visible from inside the Reo (once the delrin cover has been removed), try this fix: http://www.ecigssa.co.za/all-things-reo.t524/page-75#post-132498

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 1


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## Viper_SA (2/4/16)

Thanks @Andre, you're a star. Now I just need to figure out exactly what he means

Reactions: Like 1


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## Genosmate (2/4/16)

I'll try and help in case @johan is at the pub!
Look at the attached,Johan replaced the silicone seal which is the bigger of the two in the picture,between the small white one and the firing leaf.he used a 4mm outside diameter piece of Teflon tubing cut to length.i'm typing on my cell and can't do imperial measurements which are the feed tube size of a Reo but the metric equivalent is 4.8mm od and 1.6mm Id, that should give you an idea of what you need.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Winner 2


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## johan (3/4/16)

Genosmate said:


> I'll try and help in case @johan is at the pub!
> Look at the attached,Johan replaced the silicone seal which is the bigger of the two in the picture,between the small white one and the firing leaf.he used a 4mm outside diameter piece of Teflon tubing cut to length.i'm typing on my cell and can't do imperial measurements which are the feed tube size of a Reo but the metric equivalent is 4.8mm od and 1.6mm Id, that should give you an idea of what you need.
> View attachment 49996



Nice explanation John - I also replaced the white hymen thin washer with the smallest o-ring I could find (can't remember the size).


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

Genosmate said:


> I'll try and help in case @johan is at the pub!
> Look at the attached,Johan replaced the silicone seal which is the bigger of the two in the picture,between the small white one and the firing leaf.he used a 4mm outside diameter piece of Teflon tubing cut to length.i'm typing on my cell and can't do imperial measurements which are the feed tube size of a Reo but the metric equivalent is 4.8mm od and 1.6mm Id, that should give you an idea of what you need.
> View attachment 49996



Thanks @Genosmate and @johan, but that is not one of the seals I damaged. I am referring to the one inside the recessed part of the 510.


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## Genosmate (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> Thanks @Genosmate and @johan, but that is not one of the seals I damaged. I am referring to the one inside the recessed part of the 510.


I don't think there are any other seals in there,can you take a photo?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## johan (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> Thanks @Genosmate and @johan, but that is not one of the seals I damaged. I am referring to the one inside the recessed part of the 510.



You're talking about the silicone "filler" around the tubing @Genosmate showed in the picture.


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

johan said:


> You're talking about the silicone "filler" around the tubing @Genosmate showed in the picture.



So in theory could pop an o-ring in that cavity?


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## johan (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> So in theory could pop an o-ring in that cavity?



NO!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

johan said:


> NO!


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## Genosmate (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> So in theory could pop an o-ring in that cavity?


If its the piece I showed in the photo then you can fix it as @johan described in his post.
If you don't have 4mm tubing but you do have a Reo feed tube then try this ;
Take the tube and whilst holding one end place the other end (about 25mm of it) into boiling water,make sure it gets hot.Take it out of the water and pull the tube from both ends,you want to stretch it,don't let it go back to its original length until its cooled,if you can,whilst stretching the tube hold it on an ice cube.What you're trying to do is reduce the diameter of one end. 
If this works ;
Feed the now narrower end of the tube into the 510 housing from outside of the Reo,when it goes thru the 510 pull the tube from inside the Reo until it becomes tight in the 510,cut the tube off flush with the top of the catch cup,pull again from the inside of the Reo so you snug the tube down into the 510 to where it should sit.If you don't have the thin white insulator you can use an O ring in its place as Johan has stated.Push the 510 into the now fitted tube and screw on an atty to see if you have seated it deep enough,if not then snug it down some more,when you get it in the right place you can then trim the inside of the tube.
Hope it works.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jakey (3/4/16)

@Viper_SA I had the same problem with the first reo I owned. Did a very shifty DIY jobbie on it. I cant attest to how safe it is but it worked. I think that you talking about the inner insulator that is in the 510. From what I read this can only be fixed by sending it back to reosmods. I cut off a small piece of the feeding tube and press fitted it from the bottom of the 510 after removing tge delrin insulation block and all the othe parts. I only went to this extreme as my insulation was completely worn out. It was extremely tricky to fit it in there but it worked

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

Genosmate said:


> I'll try and help in case @johan is at the pub!
> Look at the attached,Johan replaced the silicone seal which is the bigger of the two in the picture,between the small white one and the firing leaf.he used a 4mm outside diameter piece of Teflon tubing cut to length.i'm typing on my cell and can't do imperial measurements which are the feed tube size of a Reo but the metric equivalent is 4.8mm od and 1.6mm Id, that should give you an idea of what you need.
> View attachment 49996



In other words, you are using an elongated version of the repair kit silicon seal with only the teflon ring on top of that?


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## Genosmate (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> In other words, you are using an elongated version of the repair kit silicon seal with only the teflon ring on top of that?


If I understand what @johan did,yes.He also substituted the teflon for an O ring.
If you can use the solution I suggest then the pin will be insulated from the body of the mod for the whole upper portion above the firing leaf because you can cut the tube to suit.
It may move around a little at the bottom of the 510 because theres some other gunk missing but the movement will be very minimal when you've got everything fitted,look closely at the machining in the Delrin,even that is done so that the leaf is held in position.


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## johan (3/4/16)

The teflon tube replaced only the silicone "gunk", nothing else, and the 510 center pin movement is less than with the original silicone "gunk".


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

johan said:


> The teflon tube replaced only the silicone "gunk", nothing else, and the 510 center pin movement is less than with the original silicone "gunk".



So you still have both the Teflon and rubber gaskets from the repair kit?


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## Andre (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> So you still have both the Teflon and rubber gaskets from the repair kit?


Yes, that it how I understand it. Below is a picture of the center pin part of the repair kit. I presume the silicone sealant/diy fix must go in at the bottom once the center pin repair parts have been installed correctly. It you install the center pin with the silicone gasket attached, you will probably fail and have leaks - that silicone gasket must be installed on it own beforehand - see video below. Hope this helps.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Winner 1


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

I have installed the new center pin, but used the old feed tube as an elongated washer with an print on top to create a shoulder. Will tests it later and see if it works. Have put in an order for a repair kit or two earlier.

Reactions: Like 2


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## johan (3/4/16)

Viper_SA said:


> So you still have both the Teflon and rubber gaskets from the repair kit?



Yes as @Andre explained - I still have the _silicone gasket in place_, but replaced the _wafer thin washer_ with a very small, tight fit o-ring.


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## shaunnadan (3/4/16)

Ok so let me see if I'm understanding this properly... 

Remove Centre pin and white silicone gasket 

Then rip out squishy gasket underneath the 510 (mine is already missing)

Then after that is done heat a reo bottle tube and then squish it and cool it to make it thinner and push from underneath. Once it's in place trim the edges

Then reinstall Centre pin and white gasket as per normal ?


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

Well, my McGyver trick was an epic fail. Looked like a juice fountain 
Will await the new repair kit from VM and retry. Thinking of getting some aquarium sealant and chucking it in there.


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## Ernest (3/4/16)

shaunnadan said:


> Ok so let me see if I'm understanding this properly...
> 
> Remove Centre pin and white silicone gasket
> 
> ...



All I did was install 510 pin as usual, then screwed an atty down to keep it in place. I then cut a piece of the bottle tubing and pushed it over the bottom of the 510 pin right to the top. It should stop short of the thread where you put the firing leaf. This is just to keep the pin from touching the side of the hole in the Reo, any insulation there should work.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Papa_Lazarou (3/4/16)

Hmmm... I really hope this doesn't cloud the thinking further...

There are 3 insulation things in play with older 510 assemblies - the soft silicone "tube", the wafer gasket... and goop around the 510 body. It looks like you've also damaged that 3rd material.

It's not meant to be involved with a rebuild, so it doesn't come with the rebuild kit. Rob (the manufacturer) has always counselled people to send their mods in if that third material was damaged or removed. He never explained how to repair or install it - all the videos on rebuilding talk about the pin insulators (tube and gasket), but not the housing insulation.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> Hmmm... I really hope this doesn't cloud the thinking further...
> 
> There are 3 insulation things in play with older 510 assemblies - the soft silicone "tube", the wafer gasket... and goop around the 510 body. It looks like you've also damaged that 3rd material.
> 
> It's not meant to be involved with a rebuild, so it doesn't come with the rebuild kit. Rob (the manufacturer) has always counselled people to send their mods in if that third material was damaged or removed. He never explained how to repair or install it - all the videos on rebuilding talk about the pin insulators (tube and gasket), but not the housing insulation.



Exactly, I damaged that 3rd part. But I have a plan of action. She shall vape again, oh yes, she shall vape again 
I'll just get the guys at work to make me a teflon insert to slide in place from the bottom,or grab an old feed tube, or some aquarium silicone.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Papa_Lazarou (3/4/16)

I'm not sure if there is an upper lip on the 510 housing that needs to be insulated as well. No one is sure why REO-Rob chose to use paste/gel for this element of the assembly and he's moved away from it completely with the newer ss adjustable 510's.

As a side thought (maybe plan C), you could get a new ss 510 from Rob (I believe they are just press fit, but you might need to ream the mounting channel) if this all goes pear shaped on you.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Viper_SA (3/4/16)

Papa_Lazarou said:


> I'm not sure if there is an upper lip on the 510 housing that needs to be insulated as well. No one is sure why REO-Rob chose to use paste/gel for this element of the assembly and he's moved away from it completely with the newer ss adjustable 510's.
> 
> As a side thought (maybe plan C), you could get a new ss 510 from Rob (I believe they are just press fit, but you might need to ream the mounting channel) if this all goes pear shaped on you.



I'm afraid the shipping costs alone would make it more economical to buy a new economy reo.


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## Papa_Lazarou (3/4/16)

That's such a shame. I think it's because all outgoing packages are sent as light box packages. If something like this were sent as a padded letter, the cost would be more like $10 (R170-ish).

It costs $27 to get a box package to me from the USA, $8 if sent in an envelope. Sometimes, shippers put even a small atty in a box and I eat the cost, and other times I get it in a padded letter for the lower price.

Reactions: Like 1


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