I have just bought a bike and it came with a Vario topbox. The mechanism to expand the case seems very stiff - does anyone know if this is serviceable??
OldCroc
OldCroc
Vario Top Box Lub
- Thread starter OldCroc
- Start date
Mine is also stiffening up. Had it for 3.5 years and out in all weather. If you find a solution, please post it up!
Victor c
Registered user
This is easy to fix.
If you look inside the box there are three screws at the bottom down the two outer sides. Turn the box upside down and you will see the retaining wedges. Place a strip of masking tape over the wedges.
Turn the box back upright and remove the six screws. Note the position the box is set too (high or low) then pull up the expanding section.
All the mechanism will then be exposed and can be washed off with soapy water. Once dry sparingly lub up with a silicone grease on the cogs and a rubber grease on the outer seal that the extender slides on. Less is better to stop crud build up.
Put back together making sure all the mechanism line up correctly. Whole job should take no longer than ten mins.
Mark
If you look inside the box there are three screws at the bottom down the two outer sides. Turn the box upside down and you will see the retaining wedges. Place a strip of masking tape over the wedges.
Turn the box back upright and remove the six screws. Note the position the box is set too (high or low) then pull up the expanding section.
All the mechanism will then be exposed and can be washed off with soapy water. Once dry sparingly lub up with a silicone grease on the cogs and a rubber grease on the outer seal that the extender slides on. Less is better to stop crud build up.
Put back together making sure all the mechanism line up correctly. Whole job should take no longer than ten mins.
Mark
Hi Mark!
+1 on that write-up.
An idea to take it further: to stop dirt build-up on the grease, I wonder if it wouldn't be worth experimenting with colloidal graphite (readily available from any locksmith)?
Something else that might work well is any teflon-based chain lube which is non-sticky when dry.
Thanks all for the responses. I have just dismantled the box in my lounge and checked the cogs etc which seem fine. I have no suitable grease at the moment so decided to try the old baby powder trick! Unfortunately it did not work too well and has got me into big trouble with the current Mrs OldCroc who has not taken too kindly to a white carpet. Oh well, it's off to the grease shop in the morning.
OldCroc
OldCroc
Saw the original post, pity I didn't see this update esp re the lugs underneath!
! ten minutes ---well maybe for a guru! anyhow 90 minutes later all good. I actually undid the three bottom screws, did the cleaning (didn't have fancy smantsy grease and sprays) so wd40 on rubber seal with a light cloth, cleaned the inside rails out using a screwdriver and cloth, and used good old 3 in 1 lightly. I am aware that it will probably not be as good as the real silicone sprays but hey! Putting it together was a real blast! not! all because I couldnt work out why the bottom screws wouldn't bite....then i noticed the 6 lugs...took a wee while to work out where the hell they had fallen from! oh well, all together now, working better, smelling lovely too! 1 of my plastic cogs teeth had developed a slight bur, so shaved that off and that made a big difference. lots learned and glad i did it!
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