BurgerTime Rusted Joystick Grommet Driving Me to Virtual Veganism

Samuel-IGN

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BurgerTime Rusted Joystick Grommet Driving Me to Virtual Veganism

So ready for a long weekend of scrubbing my control panel clean for a new CPO and the freaking rubber (metal-centered) grommet will NOT come off. Soaking it in WD40 right now, tried pounding it, heating it up and other caveman techniques but I am seeking more levelheaded advice.

Is this thing even supposed to slide off? Images attached of offending lever.
 

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should come right off. Pretty sure that uses the same stick as ms pac which means the grommet is readily available. After I confirmed that I would probably cut the old grommet off at the rubber and take a pair of pliers to the metal piece that contacts the shaft. Twist until you work it off. Then replace with a new grommet after the shaft is cleaned up.
 
penetrene will get in but will take some time to penetrate fully.

you could try
- a steel block with a u shaped slot same diameter as joystick shaft so steel insert in the grommet sits on the edges
- put in js shaft in steel block slot upside down (ball down)
- try some "freezeit" spray to cool the shaft top and bottom as shrinkage will help to loosen the shaft, and
- tap lightly but sharply with copper headed hammer until it starts to move
- add penetrene or wd40 and redo procedure

as shaft moves into bush sleeve you may need to use a same diameter/slightly smaller hardened flat tipped pin punch to continue driving it through the bush
 
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Don't waste your tiem with WD-40.

Use PB Blaster, its made for rust and a rust catalyst. Auto stores carrry it, probably WallMart and hardware stroes too.

I use it all the time for auto work as I'm also a mechanic.

http://blastercorporation.com/display.cfm?p=50003&pid=4


I would try twisting the grommet while holding the stick shaft though too.
 
I've had a couple pain-in-the-ass ones.....I just take my Dremel and cut them off.

Edward
 
All fantastic advice, many thanks! I'm leaning towards the rust solvent and pounding solutions for now because I do want to preserve the grommet if it's tough or impossible to find. BUT -- if it is the same as Ms. P then I definitely won't have to worry about that! Heck, I could probably buy an entire Ms. P machine for less than a rare joystick part price, I think there's a mandatory broken Ms. Pac-Man in every laundromat in San Francisco. And there are a lot of laundromats here.
 
All fantastic advice, many thanks! I'm leaning towards the rust solvent and pounding solutions for now because I do want to preserve the grommet if it's tough or impossible to find. BUT -- if it is the same as Ms. P then I definitely won't have to worry about that! Heck, I could probably buy an entire Ms. P machine for less than a rare joystick part price, I think there's a mandatory broken Ms. Pac-Man in every laundromat in San Francisco. And there are a lot of laundromats here.

The grommet on your joystick is a $10-$15 item, new.
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/joyparts.html
Half-way down the page...under Midway.

Edward
 
The grommet on my Pac-Man joystick was seized on too. I ended up using a gear puller and it worked well. It didn't even break the grommet so I was able to reinstall it when I was finished cleaning up all the parts.

Gear-Pullers-Hand-Puller-Hydraulic-Gear-Puller-SN0102C-.jpg
 
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