My 650 is no longer auto-indexing...

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ny32182

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Not reliably at least. Usually when I start loading, it works for about 80 rounds, and then stops indexing, and I have to give the little gray plastic thing under the platform a little bump manually to make it rotate back around the ram so the shell plate will turn.

I think I need to replace the long skinny spring that is wrapped around the ram under the platform, but I don't immediately know of a good way to get to it, and was just hoping someone could confirm what I have to do and how to get to the part(s) in question.
 
When was the last time you greased/oiled your press? That, or gunk (i.e. primer cup dust), could be built up.

If cleaning and greasing/oiling does not work, I'd suggest looking in the XL650 Manual, either the physical one or online, and looking at the specific parts you think are faulting now. Give Dillon a call and have the part numbers handy! Normal wear and tear happens on these presses, especially with everything going on! Sounds to me like you actually use the press and have started to reach the limits of some of the parts.
 
Rough estimate would be 75k rounds or so loaded on it, 99% 9mm.

I've replaced several broken springs on it over time, just never this one that I think is getting weak. It is not broken yet.

I've lubed the ram a couple times, and cleaned out the primer system a few times, but that's about it... there is a good bit of lube in this area (top of the ram, under side of the platform) but it very likely does have a lot of primer dust and whatnot mixed in.
 
I would say clean up that area and put on some new grease.

Replacing the spring after 75k rounds may not be a bad idea anyways! Sounds like she has treated you well and just needs some updates to get back to working order again.

On a side note..That is a whole lot of lead down range!
 
I'm not in front of the press right now, and maybe it is obvious when you are, but how do you get under the platform? Does the platform come off the ram in order to clean/lube this area?

If you had to replace the gray plastic piece that drives the indexing, how would you get to it? Thanks,
 
And it might be closer to 70k, I just added up my 2014 shooting and it wasn't quite as much as I thought.
 
Wouldn't a call to Smurf Central (Dillon CS) be able to diagnose exactly what the issue is??
 
I'd Take off the shell plate and look for crud/FOD interferring with the plastic piece.

Dillon support is great, but odds are you could do this check before your call gets answered in the phone queue.

If the spring is broken, they'll drop a couple new ones in the mail to you after you call.
 
I'll take the shell plate off and see what I can see, but I don't recall that giving immediate access to the area I think I need... but I'll update the thread when I do. I know there must be a way to get to to it since the grey plastic piece is included in the spare parts kit...
 
Under the shell plate are a pair of screws. If you break these loose, you can take the platform off of the ram, to get to the underside. I break my press down completely and clean it every so often. Supposedly there is a tool to aid in putting the platform back on the ram, but I have always done without. Think about how you're setting it on, look that the alignment, etc., and you'll have no issues.

This is my way of doing it (and it is probably completely unnecessary)..

Every time I get ready for any extended session with my 650, I wipe off the old oil on the ram, clean up, then put new oil on (I use 10W30). Grease gets applied extremely lightly under the shell plate every extended session as well. I will grease the case insert slide and the ring indexer about every 4,000 - 5,000 rounds with a few dabs of Lucas White Lithium Grease.

After every 10,000ish rounds, I'll tear the press down entirely, scrub it all nice and good, and put it back together greasing and oiling along the way. I also put some grease into the fittings.

I know...probably overboard, but my press is always running extremely smoothly, so I've got that going for me!
 
I thoroughly clean my 650 every 30k or so. I load lead mostly and it gets pretty nasty under the shell plate.
 
Thanks all... last night I took the platform off the ram (had never done that before), and cleaned everything real well and re-lubed. I didn't actually replace any parts, but it seems to be running well now. I'll probably just do a yearly deep-cleaning from now on. I'm not sure exactly what the problem was... I'm thinking the little plastic indexer thingy just wasn't quite correctly on track in one part of it's travel. There seems to be plenty of spring tension now.
 
The two screws under the shell plate had loosened up on my Dillon and that is what was causing mine to bind. I tightened them back up and smooth sailing ever since
 
Clean, lube, replace return spring and indexer (that's the little plastic part that the spring is hooked to).
 
Just to update... a complete cleaning helped for a while but then it started up again to the point it was really annoying, at a much lower round count since the cleaning. I replaced the spring that rotates the plastic indexer ring thing around the ram. This had virtually no effect.

I eventually traced it to the metal hook under the shell plate... the little hook that rotates the shell plate had a groove cut in it by the shell plate over time. I believe this was causing the hook to bind on the shell plate. I replaced this hook, and its been perfect since. Here is a picture of the worn one... a new one is perfectly smooth on top:

026c6u3jza1qxgazg.jpg
 
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And somehow... I spoke too soon.

I am looking a little closer at it right now, and with the shell plate off, it APPEARS to me that it operates completely normally. The little hook that grabs the shell plate looks like it rotates completely free. If I hold it in place as the ram is raised (where it gets stuck at the top of the stroke) and then let it go, it snaps around to the right with force.

The only conclusion I've left with is that the little hook (now a brand new one) is somehow binding hard on the bottom of the shell plate. Even the brand new hook has a very tiny mark starting that will eventually be the groove pictured.

Do I need to lube the hook/shell plate? Take a coil off the spring that pushes the hook up? Something changed at about 70k rounds and it has probably never been right since.

Again, the grey plastic ring LOOKS to be fine from what I can see with it installed now, but maybe if it is able to cant ever so slightly with downward pressure coming from the shell plate it could cause a problem?
 
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