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I never had this happen but one of the 3 ball bearings on the female end of a Nelson quick connect is stuck.

I have tried soaking it in vinegar, and lubricating it with oil.

Any tricks or tips to freeing it?

female quick connect

Niall C.
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gorav
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    did you try a silicone lubricant? How about soaking in alcohol? I'd just go buy another. – stormy Apr 26 '16 at 21:43
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    Have not tried either, will do. Buying a new one has def crossed my mind :) – gorav Apr 26 '16 at 21:44
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    Is it stuck in or stuck out? – Escoce Apr 26 '16 at 21:52
  • It's stuck so I can't insert a male end. So I suppose that is "in" – gorav Apr 26 '16 at 21:55
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    supposedly WD-40 actually attracts water and I was told to always use a silicone based spray for this stuff. Buying a new one is best. I would also consider taking this one back and daring them to demand a receipt, grins! Plastic is cheap and will work for awhile. The expensive brass, well made ones cost more and supposedly last longer. They do but not that much longer to afford their cost. I get the cheap now and then and they seem to do a fine job for awhile. For instance the cheap plastic oscillating sprinklers? FAR better than any of the expensive metal ones. – stormy Apr 26 '16 at 21:56
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    Fair enough...I've had this one for abt 10 yrs so it's done its job fairly well, with light use. I'll try a silicone lubricant. Main issue I've had w plastic is not fitting well w the brass so went for all brass rather than buying all new ones. – gorav Apr 26 '16 at 21:58

2 Answers2

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Spray some WD-40 and then try to move the balls with a piece of rubber, or with your finger wearing rubber gloves. I've used this technique to free a sensor wheel from a thermal heater clogged with mud and debris.

haya
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Thank you so much for the Silicone spray. This worked on the one of three that I found was 'stuck'. It took less time to fix this at the barn than trying to get the rubber washers in the correct way! My horse was happy that he could finally have a rinse off without losing pressure. I have a Nelson brass set that is about 12 years old. The newer ones I call 'Brasstic', because they are light weight and last about a minute. I have consistently kept all the old fittings, snaps, screw eyes over the years-some of the brass snaps are 30 years old and still work. The newer ones do not last very long. Sometimes it's good to be a bit of a hoarder.

Nadasy43
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    Lead content is lower on much of the new brass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass#Lead_content It makes the stuff behave differently. Look for the CA warning label to get old-style high lead brass. – Wayfaring Stranger Aug 08 '16 at 15:32