Advice: rebuilding ergo 2 levers

[Robbos]

The time has come to service my 9 speed ergo 2 Centaur levers as the shifting has become far too light. I think the g springs need replacing, so now I'm just summing up the courage to dive in and disassemble them. Thing is, I've searched all over the interweb with little concrete advice about what is the appropriate lube for rebuilding them. I've heard light grease, aerosol silicon, oil for the shifter ratchets...
I've got some of this:
http://www.slickoleum.com/specifications.html
I'm thinking about running between the various moving parts and a few drops of oil on the shifter ratchets.
Thoughts?

[weisan]

Calling 1-800-old-potatoe :banana:

[lhuerta]

...you are over thinking it. Just use light amount of grease on the springs/ratchet interface, and a bit on the washer that sets on top of the carrier. I use Campy original grease, but a light lithium will work fine too.

[fogrider]

you mush get your hands on white campy grease!!!

[oldpotatoe]

The time has come to service my 9 speed ergo 2 Centaur levers as the shifting has become far too light. I think the g springs need replacing, so now I'm just summing up the courage to dive in and disassemble them. Thing is, I've searched all over the interweb with little concrete advice about what is the appropriate lube for rebuilding them. I've heard light grease, aerosol silicon, oil for the shifter ratchets...
I've got some of this:
http://www.slickoleum.com/specifications.html
I'm thinking about running between the various moving parts and a few drops of oil on the shifter ratchets.
Thoughts?

I oil the thumb button hinge and shifter lever 'guts', I use lithium grease on springs(where they enter the spring carrier), and grease around the brass bushing, on back side of thumb button. Can't go wrong with a wee bit of just grease.

Putting them back together isn't hard but can be difficult. particularly the watch spring on the back. Use a 'ultra' spring carrier(fiber/plastic/carbon-with springs about $15)..doesn't split and the post doesn't break. Dremel a hole in the back cap for the thru bolt head and around the back cap where the post is. If this sounds daunting-send to me..$25 per for a front to back take apart, clean and lube..plus parts.

[Robbos]

Old Potatoe, the 'ultra' spring carrier of which you speak I cannot seem to find in Campy parts catalogues. Is it an aftermarket part?
Thanks for all of the advice. I've heard some say the whole process is generally easy, others that had a terrible time. But everyone agrees that winding up the spring is a PITA. Maybe I can rope my wife into lending me a second pair of hands!
Thanks for the rebuild offer Old Potatoe, but I'm north of the border so the shipping would make it horrendously expensive. We've got a great campy expert (hint hint fellow canuks) in Raoul who works at Marinoni and has serviced Campy bits for 25 years.
But I want to do this myself, some sort of right of passage thing, blah blah blah.

[FlashUNC]

Needle nose pliers are your friend.

And when you're getting tension on the spring, don't, say, have it slip and shoot across the garage so you're searching behind the tool bench for the damn thing on your hands and knees.

[Robbos]

Needle nose pliers are your friend.

And when you're getting tension on the spring, don't, say, have it slip and shoot across the garage so you're searching behind the tool bench for the damn thing on your hands and knees.

Ha! I'm Irish (thus affected by Murphys Law) and I have slipper digits, so countless is the times I've lost that one crucial bit to the black hole of my workshop floor. For this rebuild, I'm thinking I'll do it inside the house, with lots of light, and perhaps in a tray. No interest in loosing that one crucial piece!

[k-mac]

Scroll down to Part #9.

http://branfordbike.com/articles/campagnolo-ergo-lever-parts-1998-2008-pg71.htm

[Robbos]

Thanks, I'll see if my supplier has them in stock. Don't want to invest too heavily in these, they're my Centaur 9 speeds. If I had long term plans for them I'd get the carbon holder but also upgrade them to ten to run Shigmolo without the JTEK adapter.