Penny Higgins wrote:

> The problem we're having now is that the lower needle guide is not 
> moving freely, [...]

> Also (and I don't know if this is related or not), the little rubberized 
> cord that sits to the left of the needle holder is basically acid-eaten 
> and frayed on our PAL. What does this cord do? Does it matter?

Hi Penny,
we had a similar problem with the PAL. It turned out that after a couple 
of years (10 or so) the two rubber bands inside the arm were worn out 
and had to be replaced. You can order them separately (were about 100 
USD). There is also a "maintenance kit" available for the CTC but you 
probably won't need it (the main difference is, that the "kit" contains 
additional 10 waste line vials). You can do the replacement easily by 
yourself.

In case the bands are not available in the states: We ordered the rubber 
bands from:
<http://www.axelsemrau.de/en/Home.html>
<http://www.axelsemrau.de/Combi_PAL_Autosampler.html>

greetings,
Robert

-- 
Dr. Robert van Geldern
Section 3: Geochronology and Isotope Hydrology
Leibniz Institute for Applied Geosciences (GGA-Institute)

GEOZENTRUM HANNOVER
Stilleweg 2
30655 Hannover, Germany

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