I am new to this type of repair and I need some advice. While trying to install a new pip ( is that what the little round gasket is called? ) it did not want to go in easily and I broke a chip off of the side when I used pliers as a press. I am ordering a new one but would appreciate any advice on how to get that little thing in a tight space without ruining it. This is on a 123R from the eighties that I bought new and have used ever since. Thanks.
Welcome!! If I read that correctly ... Can you flip the pip over and try again? Is the pip too large for the tube? I have not had to use any tools to insert the pip into the cap. To be sure, without a picture, the pip fits in, most likely, a small bucket shaped piece of brass. It is accessed with a special 5 sided 'allen' style of wrench removing the outside cap of the filler cap. OR: Do you mean the round doughnut shaped filler cap gasket? Can you post a photo? Ken in NC
Ken, I am sure you and I are talking about the same thing, not the large donut but the little round part that goes in the end of the brass part at the end of the spring assembly. The pip was only just a tad big. It seemed to have been stamped from a sheet of material, one end was slightly smaller in diameter so I tried to put that in. I bought the parts and the five-sided tool from Quiet Stove. I was able to just barely get it started, pressing down on the work surface by hand wouldn't get it all the way in. I used the flat surface of a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze it in, it chipped on the side.
I am not a fan of that vendor. The tool can possibly damage the 5 sided hole. And it seems the pip was not the correct size. Try getting another pip, I make mine, but I believe Fettlebox has them. He will undoubtedly know how to make the correct pip. If he doesn't have any, send me a pm. Ken in NC