Help! Water metering valve cap seems too big

[jimmaki]

1998 SPX, doing routine maintenance which is starting to feel more like a major restoration project, but anyway, I popped the covers off the RAVE valves and the springs were intact and the paddles could be moved up and down about 1/4" each. They moved freely and smoothly, no binding or stickiness. Is about 1/4" to 3/8" all they are suppose to move using light pulling on the top of the paddle shaft?

So I go to check the water metering valve on the muffler and the wire hook that holds the cap on won't rotate off to the side like the exhaust hold down wires did. It is not frozen, it moves, but it just won't go over the edge of the cap and release it. Looking more carefully, it appears the cap is a much bigger diameter than the same cone shaped black plastic cones on the RAVE valves, but the wire clip that holds them on appears to be the same size. So rather than force it, I just left it alone. Not sure what I was expecting to look for if I did get it off. Is it just a matter of prying the wire off with more force or is there nothing under there worth risking breaking the cap trying to get it off?? This is one of those if it ain't broke ... situations. I'm not trying to fix a hot pipe or burned coupler problem. Just doing as thorough a check of things as I can while I'm goofing around the innards. But I don't want to break anything so I thought I'd ask before forcing the wire off with a screwdriver or something. It's going to appearantly take more forced than I can generate with my fingers.

[EDIT] Oh, I forgot to mention the MAG RAVE is so close to the exhaust pipe that the cap has to be put back on rotating it away from you while getting it back on. This makes it just about impossible to tell if the spring is in the cavity for it in the center of the cap and also centered on the paddle shaft/nut. Is there some trick to getting it back together with some way to tell if the spring is seated on both ends properly?

 

[racerxxx]

The cap for the water reg is larger. The mag Rave has to be disassembled to get it out while the exhaust is on. You could put a dab of grease on the rave cap (closer to the engine) to hold the spring while you put the outer cap on. You should remove the raves all together and clean them, you'll need new gaskets for the housings.

 

[jimmaki]

My first thought was to unscrew the red part all the way out but I didn't want to screw up any calibration or adjustment so I left it alone. Thanks for the tip to hold the spring in the cap.

To clean the valves do I need to take them all the way apart? I'm hoping I can just undo those two screws and pull the whole thing out and clean the paddle and put it all back with a new gasket. Or do I have to take it all the way down and remove the bellows, piston, spring, o-ring, support ring etc..?

 

[fitty650sx]

In order to get the new gasket on you have to unscrew the valve blade from the plastic piston. There are O-rings on the valve shafts too that you should replace at the same time.