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What is the best and safest way to re-insert the knuckle (whatever it is called)?
I tried a little lube and plastic wedge with no luck.

Roger, I put some air into the displacer...just enough to push the rubber out. I have an adapter that fits onto the hose end with a Schrader valve.
Be careful....just a little air.
That will allow you to insert metal piece into the rubber.
Cheers
D

360gts wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:14 am Roger, I put some air into the displacer...just enough to push the rubber out. I have an adapter that fits onto the hose end with a Schrader valve.

Thanks D.
I do not have air but I can use my hose adaptor and pump up with my home-made displacer pump.
I will try that and report back.

I am refurbishing 4 displacers but only have the “knuckle” for 2.
Does anyone have another 2 knuckles they are willing to part with?

rogerotto66s wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:43 am I am refurbishing 4 displacers but only have the “knuckle” for 2.
Does anyone have another 2 knuckles they are willing to part with?

Roger, there are a couple of members on here who refurbish the displacers...Tim at Minimail....you could try him.....he might have some spare bits.
Cheers
D

rogerotto66s wrote: I am refurbishing 4 displacers but only have the “knuckle” for 2.
Does anyone have another 2 knuckles they are willing to part with?

Roger, be aware that there were 2 different lengths of the socket that the ball knuckle fits into. About 0.150" extra length - possibly to lift the ride height without using spacers.
These should push on while twisting it, with a little rubber grease and some carefully chosen words.

360gts wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:11 am

rogerotto66s wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:43 am I am refurbishing 4 displacers but only have the “knuckle” for 2.
Does anyone have another 2 knuckles they are willing to part with?

Roger, there are a couple of members on here who refurbish the displacers...Tim at Minimail....you could try him.....he might have some spare bits.
Cheers
D

Tim has retired now.

Yep, done it regularly. Inflate with air until the inner female end is protruding, slap on the rubber grease - or better still some KY Gel from your wife's private cupboard and then wiggle. twist and turn the male part in.......... if you'll excuse the phrase

And while you're down there, don't forget that at the bottom of the opening where the plastic knuckle cup sits there is a small 3/32" hole that goes through the bottom of the opening. Clearing this vent hole makes life easier when assembling and stripping by preventing the vacuum or pressure stop.

whistler wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:57 am

360gts wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:11 am

rogerotto66s wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:43 am I am refurbishing 4 displacers but only have the “knuckle” for 2.
Does anyone have another 2 knuckles they are willing to part with?

Roger, there are a couple of members on here who refurbish the displacers...Tim at Minimail....you could try him.....he might have some spare bits.
Cheers
D

Tim has retired now.

You could also try Hydragas & Hydrolastic Service Ltd for hydrolastic related spares:-
viewtopic.php?t=38933

On Tims Minimail website it says:-
"After 30 years at our farm we have moved !
Orders for stamping plates are now being done on a weekly basis unless requested quicker.
Hereafter I will be selling off the new stock by mail order I have and carrying on with bits and pieces of used and doing the plates."
https://www.minimail.co.uk/news/

Yes , still breathing , thanks Martin

I do have some odds and sods of displacer stuff lurking, but it will take a while to sort.

There were 4 or 5 variations of the knuckle - the one in the pic has a sharp edge to it which defies getting it back in and I used to grind it down a bit to make a smoother radius and the use a bit of fluid as lubricant

I threw away over 50 dead units (less knuckles) when we moved as the time and energy to get them back into the land of the living would be huge. We did experiment with taking them apart and seeing if you could swap the guts around.

Not for the first time I had an occasion last year with someone complaining that the re-hosed unit leaked instantly , which was impossible , unless you are that nosy and try to undo the adaptor where it goes into the unit to see if you can do it yourself cheaper. It is not rocket science but requires some care and application. It didn't help to keep my enthusiasm up

I have a huge library of pics and detail on displacers which I will make available - one day . I have had many happy hours of archaeological style digging, trying to work out detail on them , along with the jolly rubber cone but several things never got answered

I was successful using air to slightly push the rubber up and insert one knuckle.
It actually went in on the first try.

No luck on the second knuckle with the remaining 3 displacers.

I did notice a difference on the two knuckles I have. As Tim mentioned one does have more of a lip than the other.

Will continue trying by removing the first knuckle and trying on other 3 displacers just to see what combination works.
One displacer has a distorted socket which may not accept a knuckle.

Thanks all for feedback.