Surefire U2 bites the dust...Think problem solved.

[IsaacHayes]

Re: Surefire U2 bites the dust...Now lives on..then dies!

TD well, your'e right. I didn't think of the switches on MagC/D lights. Of course they are MUCH larger than tail-cap clickies, so I would think that they would naturally be more robsut...

Perhaps I should of re-phrased that to Tail Cap Clickies...

 

[LouRoy]

Re: Surefire U2 bites the dust...Now lives on..then dies!

I wore out several switches on my Magcharger. Of course, I used it every day and would turn it on and off at least 100 times per day. I would just send it back to Mag and they would replace the switches under warranty.

I now use a Streamlight Ultrastinger. Same thing--the switches last less than a year before I have to send them back for replacement. They are probably failing after 10,000 clicks or so. Most people would never use the switches that much, so their switches are not failing.

Maybe these companies could hire me as a switch tester.

 

[JasonC8301]

I called up CS a few days ago and they are sending me a new tailcap.

With that in mind; I go over to CPF member luxlover's lab with the intention of fixing my busted tailcap.

The tailcap that came with the light broke due to an accidental slip. The second tailcap broke because the plunger or something inside got stuck just from regular use. Nothing harsh or abusive just normal CPF on and off (done often to compare with other lights on a white wall, lol.)

This tailcap issue was really making me angry. I really wanted to know what was wrong with it. So luxlover comes into the picture with his knowledge on the U2 tailcap.

This is what my tailcap looks like disassembled.

The first picture is the switch when screwed apart. The second picture is the switch (middle thing in first picture) taken apart. The third picture is the entire switch in order of how comes assembled.

The switch was taken apart and cleaned/lubed with Nyogel 759G. Nothing seemed wrong with it. Some springs were stretched (well that long one second from the right in the middle picture) and we proceeded to put the light back together. Voila, the 'clicky' tailcap works.

We cycled it for a few hundred on/off's and it worked without a miss.

Then I get the smart idea of twisting the front of the bezel to see if I can fix an off centered gasket/o-ring.

A few clockwise and counter-clock wise twists and the thing came off.

Here is a picture of the bezel without the front part, and on the right is the lens, o-ring, gasket, and retainer screw part.

The 12 o'clock piece (retaining screw part?) then moving counter-clockwise the small o-ring goes into the retaining screw part, then the domed pyrex glass goes into it (with bowed out part facing out), then the gasket goes on. This assembly then gets screwed onto the flashlight body.

Here is the finished product all cleaned and lubed with Nyogel 779ZC (o-rings) and 759G for the threads.

I now have a working U2 with a spare tailcap in the mail to me. I don't think the 'average' person would spend $279 on a flashlight then proceed to tear it apart.

Only time will tell if I need to use the new tailcap if this one fails.

Thanks luxlover for the tremendous amount of help and greenLED for suggesting tearing apart the tailcap. I am one happy camper right now.

I had to buy this SF E2e in HA black to hold me over, lol. Also because the E2e was my first SF (my first one was HA Nat. but something about black HA....)

Thanks for reading!
Jason

 

[greenLED]

Thanks luxlover for the tremendous amount of help and greenLED for suggesting tearing apart the tailcap.

That's quite al'right, you can blame me for that one

I wonder how tight that bezel ring is attached in my light - there's a certain piece of lint that "doesn't bother me" but I wouldn't mind getting rid of either So, no loctite anywhere?

You *had* to show me that BK E2e, right? Now I want one! The day they make a BK L4, I'm doomed.

 

[JasonC8301]

greenLED - there was loctite on it. It was black shards when it came off. Remember to point the reflector facing down so all the stuff (tiny black crumbs) fall onto a towel or something that can be disposed of later.

It wasn't too difficult, just some moderate strangth coming for a ~140 pound dude.

You are DOOMED. There are black KL4's floating around. Not too hard to find one if you look

 

[GarageBoy]

They're part of the SF weapons light system, I suppose you could always call SF for it

 

[luxlover]

They're part of the SF weapons light system, I suppose you could always call SF for it

Yo Leo. Where have you been hiding, man? You should have been here with us at THE LABS. It was a very productive day, and "the eats" were good too. How does "100% beef cocktail frank size pigs in the blanket" sound, with a peach cobbler cake for dessert? It was a day that will live in infamy!" As you have read, Jason left a happy camper, and I am so happy that his U2 is back in "fighting form."

You and Jason must visit The LABS after I get back from the Shot Show. Both of you homeboys can teach me some more about the proper use of my digital camera. This old man is all ears, when it comes to you "youngins'."

 

[JasonC8301]

Recieved new tailcap on Feburary 16, 2006. I am going to have to take apart the new one. It feels really soft and 'mushy' I don't like it. It needs to be stiffer. It also takes a while for the tailcap to engage. Thank goodness I got my older tailcap to work.

Jason

 

[greenLED]

While at SHOT, I spoke with a SF Engineer and he mentioned the plastic ring that holds the clip may be a tad too high (similar to what happens with the A2 clip), which doesn't allow the tabs inside the tailcap to make proper contact. Thus, there might be an occurrence or two where the tabs are OK, but still don't make contact even if you tighten the tailcap *really* hard. Re-bending the tabs back up as described here should fix the problem (and so would making sure the ring is positioned as far down as possible - don't know how to check/deal with this, though). Anyway, I thought I'd add that to the knowledge pool.

 

[JasonC8301]

Cool greenLED Not an issue in my case. I'm clip free.

 

[greenLED]

I'm clip free.

How'd you remove it?

 

[Valhalla]

How'd you remove it?

I removed my clip this way.

Unscrew the tail cap. Pull back on the plastic ring that holds the metal clip in place, enough to see the metal clip. Use a pair of needle nose pliers that have duct tape wrapped around the jaws to aid in metal to metal grip and to protect your U2 if you should slip in the next step.

Place pliers, with the jaws closed, where the clip makes a 90 degree bend into the body of the light. Open up the pliers and the jaws will spread the clip wide enough for you to stick a finger or a popsicle stick, between both sides of the clip and the body of the light. The popsicle sticks will help you expand the clip further. The clip is not a full ring around the flashlight so you need to spread it wide enough to slip it off.

I did not remove the plastic ring because it hides the groove that the metal clip was sitting in. Aesthetically pleasing to me with it left on. The plastic ring also helps to keep a homemade rubber grip ring (similar to the rings on SF M2, M3, M4) in place when I have the light between my index and middle fingers with the switch on my thumb.

I do miss my U2

. It has been gone for about 2 weeks to be fitted for a leather holster. I can't wait for its return with its new protected holster for EDC.

 

[GarageBoy]

Who made the holster?

 

[JasonC8301]

How'd you remove it?

Like Valhalla, remove tailcap. My technique differs from then on.

Rip the clip off, and slide plastic retaining ring to reveal the broken ends of the clip that hold the actual clip part onto the body.

I don't care for the clip or the plastic ring, so I keep both off. Doesn't matter to me anyway since I holster the U2.

Garageboy I think Valhalla sent it away for one of those custom holsters made by; darn the name escapes me at the moment.

 

[Valhalla]

Who made the holster?

I have not received the holster yet. I want to make sure the holster is up to spec before putting out someone's name over a public forum.

The holster should arrive by the weekend

, and if its up to spec, I'll post pictures and the name of the maker in a new thread. I'm new to CPF, so if I continued on this thread, I believe it would be hijacking the thread.

 

[Valhalla]

Like Valhalla, remove tailcap. My technique differs from then on.

Rip the clip off, and slide plastic retaining ring to reveal the broken ends of the clip that hold the actual clip part onto the body.

Wow! Your method is short and to the point. The U2 is my first "premium" light and I still try to baby it, clip and all, as much as possible. I guess it shows in my newbie, convoluted methodology

.

BTW, great pictures and story about the U2 falling 40 ft

.

 

[JasonC8301]

Thanks Valhalla.

The replacement tailcap I got from SF stuck again today (the new one, not the one that was taken apart and re-assembled.) I tried to take this new one apart but it seems like it is Loc-Tite'd in place. I have the working tailcap (my second tailcap) on my U2 and will be sending this tailcap back to SF with a letter explaining my story and why this shouldn't happen.

Jason

EDIT: Guess I lose the tailcap lottery.....

 

[GarageBoy]

Thanks! I thought it was from Lifter

 

[LEDMaster2003]

Is the tailcap supposed to rattle? That's what mine is doing. I can feel something hitting the rubber when I shake it. I never dropped it or anything, the night it conked out, it was in my back pocket. I didn't feel anything "break". I am going to email SF now and see if they'll sen me a replacement tailcap. After it comes (if it comes) I might try to take this one apart and fix it. I agree this shouldn't happen on a $270+ light. But I still love it, and my A2.

 

[Frenchyled]

Thank you JAson for these nice explanations on the clickie tailcap !!
On my U2, when the clickie was on.. I heard a noise like a rattle in the switch...I finally opened the tailcap and put some Nyogel like you explained !!
And now no noise and no rattle !!!