Rebuilding an Empire Relay Regulator/ASA

[Dwild]

Hello! I've been getting a lot of excellent advice on MCB lately so here's my latest question.

I picked up an old Empire Relay ASA/Regulator to get my BT TM7 running again.

Current situation:

• No idea if the reg has ever been serviced
• Internal O-rings are likely 10+ years old
• I’ll test it once my adapter arrives, but I don’t expect it to work as-is
• The pressure gauge is shattered, and I have a new Empire gauge ready to install

Concern:
Empire sometimes uses red Loctite on these regs
I’ve damaged threads before trying to remove Loctited parts

Questions:
Best way to soften or defeat red Loctite without damaging threads? Any general tips for disassembling or rebuilding this regulator safely?

Thanks in advance.

[Cdn_Cuda]

Heat in the best bet. I often use a hair dryer on full blast, but you may need to use a torch. I had a Mini with a slow recharge that I had to partially disassemble and lube to get working again. Didn’t get the reg fully apart but it was enough to get it working again.

[drewkroeker]

Unlike the original invert mini ASA the relay is meant to be disassembled (although empire didn't really want the average player to work on it). I attempted to take one apart from an og mini and the plunger was a round pin. There was nowhere to put a wrench or pliers on it. I looked online for jewelers tools that could grab it, no dice. I even called Empire and asked them how it comes apart. The guy told me that they often end up wrecking the plunger trying to unscrew it. I had to give up on it. If I were to try again today I would drill that plunger out and swap in a new one with the 3mm hex head.

For the relay ASA there were two styles of brass "core retaining nuts." The first one was round with four little slots, and you need special tool with four little nubs to engage with the slots to unscrew it. I made my own with a dremel and 1/2 inch diameter metal bar. It did what I needed but I was always paranoid about gouging the brass plug if the tool slipped. The updated style of brass plug is 1/2 inch hex style. For this you need a thin-wall 1/2 inch socket. I couldn't find any that would fit down in the ASA so I bought the thinnest 1/2 inch socket i could find and then went to town with my dremel.

The last thing you need is a 3mm nut driver to unscrew the plunger from the regulator piston. When you go to screw the plunger back in, use a drop of MEDIUM strength locktite. Don't air it up for 24 hours so the locktite has a chance to cure. Ansgear has a youtube video of all these steps if you are unsure of anything.