Do it Yourself, or Not

More Tips
Got a tip to share and want to
make a few $

Do it Yourself, or Not.

Moen Two-in-One Core Puller I'm sure very few of you recognize the tool on the right. No, it isn't a headlamp adjuster, a chain tightener, or even something for tweeking the inside of an engine. In fact, it isn't even for a motorcycle at all. The fact is, it's the only tool that will reach way down inside the cartridge of a Moen kitchen water faucet so you can pull it out for replacement. How do I know that?

Let me back up a minute. Saturday afternoon a dripping kitchen water faucet was pointed out to me and although I'd been putting off fixing it for some time I knew that the time had come to do something about it. "So what's the big deal with a dripping faucet. I've fixed them before and I'm sure I can fix this one" I thought to myself.

I shut off the water, got out my electric screwdriver, popped the top off the handle, removed the retaining screw, and twisted off what I thought was the packing nut. So far so good. What I see before me though is a configuration I've never encountered. At this point I should probably have put everything back together and called a plumber, but I didn't.

It took about 20 minutes of tugging and twisting before I noticed a small clip and ring holding everything together. OK, I pull those off and with a bit more tugging the shaft slides up and out of the core. "Cool", I thought and I'm off to the hardware store for whatever I'll need to fix the leak. I get there, however, and the attendant can't match what I have in my hand to anything in the display rack. He tells me he needs to get the plumbing expert and disappears.

About 5 minutes later "Carl" shows up and says "You're the guy with Moen core aren't you? You know you're not supposed to take those cartridges apart don't you?" He points out the replacement cartridge, and says what I have came out of one of thse. He also says it's too late for the removal tool I'd been looking at. What I need to do, he says, is to put the little plastic top from the replacement cartridge onto the old shell, give it several twists until it turns more or less freely, then pull out the shell. Once that's done all I need to do is pop in the new cartridge and put everything back together again. He then showed me instructional drawings in a repair manual, and sent me on my way.

Back home again, I top the shell with the little plastic top, give it a few turns until the shell is loose, then tug on the edge with my pliers. Nope. Not coming out. I try again twisting the shell. Nope. Not coming out. This thing has been here collecting crud and corrosion for 20 years. I put the core back inside since I can now see that's the only thing that will actually let me get a good grip on things with, and tug away.

About about 20 minutes of struggling with the old cartridge and verbally abusing the faucet designer I realize that the tool Carl said I didn't need was the only hope I had of getting the cartidge out. The next step would be to replace the entire faucet, so it's back to the hardware store where I found the tool costing considerably more than the stupid cartridge.

Once back home again I find the tool did actually fit down in the hole and lock in place, but the cartridge was still stuck quite firmly. I'm sure I was quite entertaining when I climbed up in the sink, and nearly tumbled backwards when it cartridge finally gave up and came out.

I was, however, successful as I now had the old cartridge out and in my hand, and the faucet was ready for the new cartridge. The same 20 years crud and corrosion faced the new cartridge, and it didn't seem to want to go down, but a bit of light tapping with a 3 pound blacksmithing hammer soon put it to rights (not the smartest choice, but I got lucky). I was finished and ready for dinner as it was by then 6 in the evening. I was tired, hungry, and my temperment was less than pleasant.

So what's the point of this story and what does it have to do with motorcycling? That's pretty simple really. It's lessons learned about doing things yourself instead of paying an expert to do the job for you. Before beginning a job asking yourself some basic questions can save a lot of grief.

Have you done a repair like this before?
If you've not done the repair before, have you done one in the past that was similar enough to prepare you for the current task.
Do you have the mechanical skills needed to complete the job?
Do you have the manual/instructions for the job?
Do you have the correct tools?
If you don't have the tools, is it more economical to purchase the tools, or pay someone to do the job that does have them?
How long will it take you to do the job, and would it be more economical to pay someone that has the knowledge and equipment that enables them do it efficiently?
Is help available if you run into trouble and need advice?
Do you have a back up plan if you find you cannot complete the job?
Finally, do you have a blacksmith hammer when all else fails?

Don't be afraid to work on your motorcycle yourself, but before you do, know what and how to do the job, and know that you can complete the job.

Oh, and if you know anyone that needs a slightly used Moen Two-in-One Core Puller, I've one for sale.

Ride safely.
Kent

Thanks for visiting VirginiaWind.