King LTD spaceport will NOT loosen

[melo]

Hey everyone. I've heard rumors of these getting loose and randomly coming out...mine on the other hand absolutely will not loosen one bit. I've tried heating it a bit, I've tried wd-40. I'm at a loss for how to get it out. 

 

Any ideas?

[jvincent]

You've got the unicorn spaceport!

 

I assume you're trying to loosen it with the normal wrench so it's probably clicking due to the torque limit. If you try using a normal torx head driver/wrench you should be able to apply more torque.

[JungleJimbo]

1 hour ago, melo said:

Hey everyone. I've heard rumors of these getting loose and randomly coming out...mine on the other hand absolutely will not loosen one bit. I've tried heating it a bit, I've tried wd-40. I'm at a loss for how to get it out. 

 

Any ideas?

Maybe your spaceport had some Loc-Tite applied to it?

I would be worried that once loosened... whether you might get annoyed with it perpetually getting loose!

[melo]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:10 PM, jvincent said:

You've got the unicorn spaceport!

 

I assume you're trying to loosen it with the normal wrench so it's probably clicking due to the torque limit. If you try using a normal torx head driver/wrench you should be able to apply more torque.

Tried this today and no dice. It is absolutely stuck. No movement at all. I'm guessing someone did put some loctite on it. I'm going to try some acetone and more heat, see if I can get it to budge. 

[jvincent]

If it's loctite you might need to physically break the bond.

 

I'd say take an impact wrench to it but the space port adapter thingy will probably just fly off.

[tmz016]

I had the same issue when the internal weight inside the head came loose. Three pretty strong guys alternated and it was physically impossible without breaking it. 

[melo]

On 5/17/2021 at 2:26 PM, tmz016 said:

I had the same issue when the internal weight inside the head came loose. Three pretty strong guys alternated and it was physically impossible without breaking it. 

This is exactly what I'm finding. I believe the metal "arms" of the spaceport will break well before it ever comes loose. I have yet to try the acetone to see if it can break down the seal, but that's what I'm going to try tonight

 

[Ri_Redneck]

If you're wanting to take it off for internal weighting (hotmelt), DON'T!! Hot melt will not adhere well to the painted interior of the LTD head. I tried multiple times and had to go the lead tape route cause the hotmelt kept coming loose and rattling around. Plus, If you damage the Spaceport, you wreck your driver.

 

BT

[melo]

1 hour ago, Ri_Redneck said:

If you're wanting to take it off for internal weighting (hotmelt), DON'T!! Hot melt will not adhere well to the painted interior of the LTD head. I tried multiple times and had to go the lead tape route cause the hotmelt kept coming loose and rattling around. Plus, If you damage the Spaceport, you wreck your driver.

 

BT

 

I need to remove it in order to replace it. The orange "weight" for the spaceport broke and is rattling around inside. Cobra was kind enough to send me one at no charge, but I can't take the old one off so it doesn't much matter at this point.

[Ri_Redneck]

26 minutes ago, melo said:

 

I need to remove it in order to replace it. The orange "weight" for the spaceport broke and is rattling around inside. Cobra was kind enough to send me one at no charge, but I can't take the old one off so it doesn't much matter at this point.

I see. IIRC, the spaceport is made from aluminum and it may just be corrosion that has it locked in. AL corrosion can be dissolved using vinegar, so you would need to remove the head and place it in a bucket of vinegar overnight. Try removing it the next morning. If no luck, give the threaded area a scrub with a NYLON brush (no metal)and put it back in for another day. Repeat this until it comes loose. Won't hurt the paint job.

 

BT

Edited May 19, 2021 by Ri_Redneck

[melo]

On 5/19/2021 at 3:43 PM, Ri_Redneck said:

I see. IIRC, the spaceport is made from aluminum and it may just be corrosion that has it locked in. AL corrosion can be dissolved using vinegar, so you would need to remove the head and place it in a bucket of vinegar overnight. Try removing it the next morning. If no luck, give the threaded area a scrub with a NYLON brush (no metal)and put it back in for another day. Repeat this until it comes loose. Won't hurt the paint job.

 

BT

I really appreciate this advice. Going to try it tonight! 

[jvincent]

@melo, if you ever get your spaceport out and you want to prevent the new one from coming loose, use some teflon tape on the threads. That's what I did with mine.