Dillon 650: Major malfunction

[ambidextrous1]

My 12 year old Dillon 650 has stopped working. When I try to seat a primer, it's like pushing against a stone wall.

The down stroke is fully functional, and I have checked the primer transport mechanism for jams; none found. Station 1 seems okay, and the shell plate moves freely and stops exdactly where it should. I'm able to push up on the primer seating pin, with no binding there. The press has been set up for .45 ACP for the past two months, with not adjustments or changes.

Normally, I would call Dillon for help, but it's Sunday; I'd be grateful for ideas & suggestions.

Oh, don't tell me to push harder; I've tried that...

 

[ambidextrous1]

Cockpit error!

I found the problem! Some Darn Fool had placed a pair of pliers under the ram so it wouldn't lower on the back stroke. My corrective action was to move the pliers; everything works now.

The press is mounted on a Strong Mount, and the ram comes very close to the bench top on the back stroke.

I didn't discover this until I had removed the shell plate; it gets pretty grungy in there after a few thousand rounds...

 

[243winxb]

deleted, problem solved

 

[alfack]

My 550 started getting difficult to cycle. It turned out I needed to oil the swing-arm levers that keep the ram centered, during the cycle. Sorry, I don't have the technical names on hand. If you look on either side of the ram there will be a blue colored bar that has two pivot points. One where it attatches at the bottom of the handle and one where it attaches to the frame at the top. In my case it was the upper right pivot point that was causing the trouble. Flushed it out with some good oil, while working the handle up and down and now it is smooth again.

I had taken it all apart, thinking the ram was binding, but it wasn't that.

Give that a shot and see if it helps.

Never mind...........

 

[dmazur]

I have a 550B that exhibited the exact same behavior...due to a crescent wrench left in the wrong place under the strong mount.

I only spent 15 minutes looking at the various press components before I discovered the wrench.

 

[ambidextrous1]

dmazur, you're faster than I, by about two hours!!

 

[ambidextrous1]

Sorry, double post.