5D Maglite, how to clean up and make it better?

lovenhim · Jun 24, 2010

Hello everyone. I have an old and forgotten about 5D cell Maglite. It still works but has been sitting for who knows how long. Well I thought I would play with it, so I took the battery cover off and guess what...the batteries would not come out. The batteries were nasty and all this powder was coming out of the light. I finally got the batteries out of it after 10 minutes of trying. I want to improve the light, make it better and brighter on a budget. How much of a budget I have no idea. I have never done a flashlight mod so I do not know if this is a $20 upgrade or a $100 upgrade.
The light will be used for an emergency light for the house should the power go out or if someone were to ever try and break in the house, etc. The light would be sitting with not much use unless it is needed.
How do I take the light apart so I can clean the inside of the tube and get the lamp module out of the light? What is an easy/newbie upgrade for the light that will make it brighter than stock and yet give good battery life? What battery type should I use in the light knowing it will not get much use and be sitting until needed? The two rubber o-rings seem to be ok but should I replace those as well if I am going to take it apart anyway? Thanks for the help.

Yoda4561 · Jun 25, 2010

Clean up the battery smutz with household vinegar, apple cider, white, doesn't matter. Either make a "mop" out of some rags/paper towels and a stick or spray some in the tube, it'll dissolve the alkaline stuff quickly, then flush with water a few times to get all the vinegar out. Dissasembly of the switch mechanism is possble, but I've never done it. Grab some deoxit DN5 in the spray can to protect it, it's the best product for contact cleaning and protection on lights that I've used, it won't remove alkaline battery junk though. There are a ton of mag upgrades available, from LEDs to incans that work with alkaline batteries, to hot-rodded lithium ion powered superlights, have fun reading up on them. I prefer the malkoff brand dropins, but it seems that demand often outstrips his production capabilities (very small buisness) so most of his products are out of stock at the moment. Probably the easiest to get "drop-in" led upgrades are the Terralux TLE-6EX for ~20 dollars (similar to stock output, 20 hour full brightness runtime), or the TLE 300M-EX ~75 dollars (about 4x brighter than stock, 1 hour runtime).

bobo383 · Jun 25, 2010

Maglite has a good switch replacement / disassembly guide here, showing the switch (light socket) being removed out the bottom of the tube. However I bought a pile of stuff a few months ago that included a mag like yours with stuck leaky batteries and so much white junk below the switch that I had to remove the snap ring between the switch and front lens assembly and drive everything (batteries, switch, etc.) out the front of the tube with a hammer and 1" wood dowel. After that I used a 60 grit sanding belt wrapped around a slotted rod chucked in a drill to get most of the white junk out of the inside of the tube, followed by a long brass shotgun cleaning brush in the same drill with plenty WD40 to keep things from getting too hot. The aluminum tube is still pitted on the inside, but it works fine.

Jash · Jun 25, 2010

Sino Union make the Fusion 36 Nichia led array that simply drops into your old mag and will produce 400+ lumens off alkalines and will run for many hours on 5D's.

It's $23 shipped and can be found on ebay.

To get the best out of the 300M-EX you will need ni-mh batteries.

lovenhim · Jun 25, 2010

Thanks for the help. I will work on cleaning the light and then go from there. A drop-in is the best option for me because i can not soder with my eye site, yet I would like to learn how to.

PCC · Jun 25, 2010

Take a look at the serial number. Does it start with a "D"? If it doesn't then the switch is held in with both a set screw and a retaining ring that is screwed in from the bezel-end. The switch will not fall out through the battery tube if this is the case. If it does then it's a newer one and the switch can be dropped out the back or removed out the front after removing the retaining ring.

The switches themselves are different between the early and the later pre-D and D MagLites. Knowing which one you have might help us give you the correct advice for removal and cleaning.

alpg88 · Jun 25, 2010

lovenhim said:
Hello everyone. I have an old and forgotten about 5D cell Maglite. It still works but has been sitting for who knows how long. Well I thought I would play with it, so I took the battery cover off and guess what...the batteries would not come out. The batteries were nasty and all this powder was coming out of the light. I finally got the batteries out of it after 10 minutes of trying. I want to improve the light, make it better and brighter on a budget. How much of a budget I have no idea. I have never done a flashlight mod so I do not know if this is a $20 upgrade or a $100 upgrade.
The light will be used for an emergency light for the house should the power go out or if someone were to ever try and break in the house, etc. The light would be sitting with not much use unless it is needed.
How do I take the light apart so I can clean the inside of the tube and get the lamp module out of the light? What is an easy/newbie upgrade for the light that will make it brighter than stock and yet give good battery life? What battery type should I use in the light knowing it will not get much use and be sitting until needed? The two rubber o-rings seem to be ok but should I replace those as well if I am going to take it apart anyway? Thanks for the help.

ok, first good thing batteries came out. now cleaning is easy, hydrogen peroxide will dissolve battery leaks and clean up every part, reflector thou will be destroyed by h2o2,
now, since you'll be using it in once in a blue moon, i suggest not to use alkaline cells anymore. nimh, unless low self discharge, will most likely be dead when you need them, my advice li ion.
to make it bright and cheap i suggest mr16 20-35w module.
see how i build 4d mr16 light, and do the same with a difference of 1 extra cell, it will give you brighter, whiter beam, you'll be looking at 700 and up lm, for as little as $15, not including batteries. you need 5 18650 cells.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/276552

shipwreck · Jun 25, 2010

Jash said:
Sino Union make the Fusion 36 Nichia led array that simply drops into your old mag and will produce 400+ lumens off alkalines and will run for many hours on 5D's.

It's $23 shipped and can be found on ebay.

To get the best out of the 300M-EX you will need ni-mh batteries.

Yes, I got one of these. Its not too bad. I expected a little more out of it based on the way people were carrying on. BUt it is much better than the stock maglight 3D I had before I upgraded it.

lovenhim · Jun 25, 2010

PCC said:
Take a look at the serial number. Does it start with a "D"? If it doesn't then the switch is held in with both a set screw and a retaining ring that is screwed in from the bezel-end. The switch will not fall out through the battery tube if this is the case. If it does then it's a newer one and the switch can be dropped out the back or removed out the front after removing the retaining ring.

The switches themselves are different between the early and the later pre-D and D MagLites. Knowing which one you have might help us give you the correct advice for removal and cleaning.

The serial # starts with D5. I am using the instructions from the link above and I can not get the switch out of the light. There is acid all in the tube, so can I submerge the entire thing in a baking soda solution and let it sit or will that destroy the switch? The instructions say you can use a wooden rod to push the switch out, so how much force can I use or does it just slide out?

PCC · Jun 25, 2010

First, loosen the screw in the switch assembly.
Second, click the switch to "on".
Third, let the switch slide into the battery tube a little bit.
Four, remove the head and look inside. See that metal ring? Remove it. The switch should now slide out through the front of the light.

Good luck with your light.

lovenhim · Jun 26, 2010

PCC said:
First, loosen the screw in the switch assembly.
Second, click the switch to "on".
Third, let the switch slide into the battery tube a little bit.
Four, remove the head and look inside. See that metal ring? Remove it. The switch should now slide out through the front of the light.

Good luck with your light.

OK, I do not want to sound dumb. I have a visual impairment and do not see that ring. Where is it located? There is a rubber O-ring on the outside of the body and something blue that sits around the plastic bulb assembly inside the head of the light. I see that the screw does not come all the way out of the hole, it just loosens up and I can tell by feel that it is backed all the way out. So where is that snap ring and how do I get it out?

This is where good eye site comes in to play. LOL

Stereodude · Jun 26, 2010

This ring:

Edit: Maybe not since you have an older Maglite.

lovenhim · Jun 26, 2010

Stereodude said:
This ring:

Edit: Maybe not since you have an older Maglite.

OK here is what I have to work with.

Thanks for this help.

I tried to ply up that blue ring on the outside but it only spins around and I can not get it to life up to get under it to remove it. Is this the right piece to remove or am I doing something wrong? Heck can i just leave the switch assembly in it and soak the entire tube in baking soda and water to remove the battery acid or will that destroy the swutch assembly?

Yoda4561 · Jun 26, 2010

It's not acid, it's alkali, hence the term "alkaline batteries". Baking soda and water will probably be less effective than water alone, mild acids will dissolve the battery residue without harming the light.

PCC · Jun 26, 2010

Yes, remove the blue ring.

lovenhim · Jun 26, 2010

PCC said:
Yes, remove the blue ring.

OK thank you, I will do that and se what happens.

Then I will work on cleaning it, then save up for an LED drop-in and maybe batteries for it.

5D Maglite, how to clean up and make it better?

lovenhim

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Yoda4561

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bobo383

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Jash

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lovenhim

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PCC

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