Hello,

I had a lot of problems getting mine to open, too.

First, after trying to push the supplied tube in failed, I removed the valve from the mounting bracket. Fortunately, I didn't have much coolant
in the reservoir. Then, like you, I used a small metal rod to push open the valve and then blew into it from the other end to confirm that
I could blow some air thru it. Then I put a very small amount of dry lube into the input-side of the valve ( no oil-based lubricants ). I then
pushed the valve open/closed 20-30 times to try to get it to open a bit easier. Then I tried to push the supplied tube in and blow again.
After experimenting a lot I found I could get the valve to open with the tube by 1) first pushing hard until it became snug against the valve;
then 2) push again, harder. I also had to use a pair of pliers to grip the end of the tube at the entrance to the valve to get a better grip.
Fortunately, that really helped. And to my surprise the tube mostly sprung back and was still usable.

So I reassembled everything, hooked up the tube and coolant and turned on the Leakshield fill function. It worked, but slowly.

That then left me with another problem. The tube was stuck in the valve port. I had to both push in the blue release button and use
the pliers again to get the tube to come out.

I've had to drain my loop since then. On my last fill I didn't need to use the pliers to insert the tube and fill. But I still had to use the
pliers and blue release button to get the tube out.

Maybe someone else will have better ideas.

Good luck !

You can use your regular drainport to fill the System with the LEAKSHIELD, as long as it has a valve, you can use any hose for this.

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To cut a long story short, peace of mind