Annoying Cimex problem

[Shorty]

My most cherished object in life (after Delia), is giving me a small pain.

My trusty Big Yella, or 'Mex;, is giving a slight scraping sound every so often.

It appears that the yellow top plate that holds the bumper, is sometimes scraping on the blue bowl.

It only happens momentarily, and it seems to be where the lifting fork pivots.

I have read of others with this problem, their fix being to stand on the front of the yellow top plate and their weight "bends" the plate back into position.

Personally, I don't favour this idea, but I am willing to "bend" to experience if this is the only option.

Looking forward to a panacea for my loved one.

Shorty down under.

[encapman]

When that occurs it's because the yellow shroud has become deformed. This occurs over time as the blue fork exerts pressure on the left and right sides of the shroud. By gently stepping on the front of the shroud you can bend the shroud back into shape. As the front of the shroud is bent downward, the rear portion that's now scraping will be lifted. This is a simple way to correct the scraping that you're hearing.

Another way to correct the condition is to remove the bolts from the the right and left pivot brackets. Remove the pivot brackets from the fork. Without reattaching the pivot brackets to the fork - reinstall the the pivot brackets. Now, with the help of the attached pivot brackets as your guide, carefully straighten and reform the shroud. Once it looks to be as symmetrical as possible, reassemble the pivot bracket back to the fork.

I hope that all makes sense. The first option is clearly the simpler approach. However the second option is more precise and has the potential to correct the bending more accurately. The second option also has the potential to correct the misalignment of the pivot brackets. And using the Cimex with misaligned pivot brackets can destroy the pivot bracket bearings. So if the shroud has become deformed, straightening it out is a good idea - not just to avoid the annoying scraping sound, but also to prevent damage to the pivot bracket bearings.