CG-4 LAT screw bent - HELP

[go83ss]

 Picked up a CG-4 mount and somehow managed to bend the rear latitude adjustment screw, so that it is now impossible to back out.  I removed the front az adjustment piece to see if I could see what the problem was and see the screw is bent and hitting against the side of the housing.  I assume (but shouldn't) that I can remove the latitude scale and logo covers on either side and find a pivot bolt inside that can be removed to lift the entire unit out so I can then struggle with the bent screw.  Am I warm?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Minimalist__]

You shouldn't have to remove anything like the logo panels or anything. Remove the mount from the tripod by unscrewing the central rod. If you're lucky, you might be able to put needle-nose pliers up there and turn the bolt so that it is bent downwards. Pushing against the bolt this way through the hole the central rod goes into, you might be able to bend it back straight enough that it can be removed.

I don't know what lies under the covers, so can't comment on whether that would be easier or not.

These bolts are notorious for being soft (some say it's to stop the mount from being damaged from being too harsh, others say it's just cheap materials). When you do get it out, replacing it with something stronger is well advised! This happened to me too and I'm still trying to figure out how to get the bendy bolt out - I can't remove the mount from my tripod as the central rod is also stuck in the thread! Nightmare!

Maybe others will be able to offer other methods of removing it other than going up through the central rod hole in the bottom and straightening it out.

[go83ss]

Not sure that will work.  There's not enough room in there to get a needle nose on it.  I think I need to remove the entire upper unit.   Thanks though.

[Minimalist__]

Just had a go at removing the side latitude scale and logo from the CG-4. The plastic latitude scale came off by prying it with a Stanley knife. Had to find a spot that looks like it was 'giving' a little bit and then lever it and it popped off. The metal CG-4 logo was a bit harder, had to use a small screwdriver to dig into the gap and then lever it upwards. Once it started to give I could use the Stanley knife to get inside and lever, and again it popped off. It has left some marks around the mount where I stuck the screwdriver in, but nothing too bad. To put them back on will require super-glue, and if you want the latitude scale perfectly level then a spirit meter would help.

Underneath there is a nut and bolt going through the mount. I need to go down to my car and get my socket drive set as I don't have any sockets big enough to remove the bolt in my house. Will update later if I can get the bent bolt straightened by removing this pivot bolt and lifting off the mount.

[go83ss]

You should be able to get at the bent screw if you lift out the lat pivot bolt.

[Minimalist__]

Yup, that did it. Was able to reach the bent screw with ease once the mount was raised off its base. Bent it back as straight as I could and then unscrewed it out. Was a bit worried about stripping the thread in the mount as I couldn't get it perfectly straight, but I put the new (hopefully less bendy) bolts in and they screwed in no problem. If I had a hacksaw, I probably would have sawn the head off and screwed it through the mount to remove it.

Ah well, mines is fixed now. Just got to put it all back together. Have you disassembled yours and got the bent bolts out? 

[go83ss]

Not yet, but I am going to try tonight.  Thanks for verifying what I suspected.   And thanks for sharing.  Will let you know.

[go83ss]

Fixed.  Chewed up the lat plate a little more than I'd have liked, but maybe I can get a replacement.  I could live with it.  Thanks for going through the exercise with me.

[Minimalist__]

Fixed.  Chewed up the lat plate a little more than I'd have liked, but maybe I can get a replacement.  I could live with it.  Thanks for going through the exercise with me.

Yeah, it's a pain when you ruin some of the aesthetics from having to take things apart, but at least now the mount is functioning! I don't use my latitude scale so I'm not fussed about putting it back on straight.

Glad you got it sorted. I bought a bolt that's too short for the rear side, other than that I'm sorted now too. Proof that these bolts are so commonly busted that at any point someone bends theirs another person is in the same predicament.

[Neo Mithrandil]

Just did the same fix to my CG4 today. Thanks for these reports, I wouldn't have dared to remove those plastic covers if I hadn't seen your success stories.