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Autococker Trouble Shooting Guide
This is a list of some common, and some not so common causes of problems with Autocockers.
If you are having a problem, find the heading that matches it, and check each possible cause.
The single most common cause of problems is timing. Always check the timing first, then go on to check other causes. If you have a question about timing, read this Taking the Mystery Out of Timing an Autococker
Also,
if you have just changed something on the gun, check that first. A new
three way can cause the hammer lug to slip because of timing, a new ram
can cause it not to cock because of a pump arm that is too short, etc.
So, double check the last thing you changed before going farther than
you need to.
Problems:
Barrel Leak
Three Way Leak
Ram Leak
Velocity is too Low
Velocity is too High
Velocity Fluctuations
Gun Won't Re-cock
Trigger Sticking Back
Chopping Paint
Problem: Barrel Leak | Hammer is resting on the valve stem | When
you gas up the gun, always make sure to cock it first. When the hammer
is forward, it will push the valve slightly, and hold it open. This can
cause either a massive barrel leak if the input pressure doesn't force
the valve closed, or a brief spurt of air as the pressure closes the
valve. | Inline regulator set too low, or the tank low | By setting the line reg too low, there won’t be enough pressure to seal the valve. You will have to sweet spot the inline reg. A dead tank will give the same results. | | Bad cup seal | Your
cup seal has seen the light, and either chipped, or just plain worn
out. This can also be caused by using oils with solvents. Oil with
solvents will soften the cup seal, and destroy it over time. Also, cup
seals do wear out, so it may be plain old wear and tear. Replace the
cup seal. | | Bad valve face | The
face of your valve is nicked, and won’t seal. To fix this use 800 or
finer grit sand paper placed on glass to re-polish the valve face. Be
careful to keep the valve face perfectly flat on the sand paper, or you
will ruin the valve body. | | Bad valve body o-ring | The
o-ring that seals the valve against the body has been damaged. You will
need to replace the o-ring. Use a drop or two of oil on the valve body
o-ring to make sure it doesn’t get damaged when you re-install the
valve with the new o-ring. | | Cup seal is dried out | Over
time, the cup seal can become brittle. This is why it is important to
put a few drops of oil in the ASA after every other case or so. Remove
the barrel, put 5-6 drops of paintball gun oil in the ASA, and shoot
the gun until you can hold a paper towel over the breach, shoot, and it
stays clean. | | Weak or short valve spring | A
valve spring that is too weak won’t push the cup seal against the valve
face hard enough to make a good seal. Also, if you try to use a Nelson
style pump gun valve spring in a post 97 cocker, it will not be long
enough to put any pressure on the cup seal. Use a stiffer valve spring,
or a longer one. | Loose jam nut | If
the jam nut has become loose, the valve can shift and start to leak.
Not only is the leak annoying, but a loose jam nut can destroy the body. | | Over tightened valve set screw. | If
the vertical valve set screw is too tight, it can push the valve body,
and cause a leak. This is most likely to happen with poorly machined
bodies that have a slightly larger valve chamber than it should be. |
Problem: Three Way Leaks | Mis-timed | The three way is set too close to the point where it will seal, and leaks. You need to re-time the gun. | | Worn three-way o-ring | Over
time, everything wears out. With proper oiling, three way o-rings
should last a VERY long time, but if you run the gun dry, they don’t
last long at all. A common problem with Bomb three ways, when people
don’t lube the o-rings before putting them together. It can also be
cause by a burr on the body of the three way, so take a look down the
body while you have the shaft out. If you see anything sticking into
the center passage, replace the three-way. | | LPR set too low | If
the low pressure reg is set too low, there won’t be enough pressure to
seal the three-way. This is common on three-ways with poorly fitting,
or worn o-rings. Don’t forget, the Palmer's Quick Switch needs more
pressure to seal correctly. Turn up the LPR and start looking for new
three-way o-rings. | | Bent timing rod, or three way shaft | If
your timing rod, or three way shaft is bent, it will push to one side,
and create a leak on the other side of the three way. If the leak
started right after you removed the grip frame, this may be the cause.
Pull the three way shaft, and roll it on a piece of glass. If it
wobbles at all, replace it. Do the same thing with the timing rod while
you are at it. | | Ram piston seal is damaged | When
the ram is pressurized, the opposite side of the three way is a vent.
If the piston seal on the ram shaft is letting air passed it, the air
will vent out of the three way. To check the ram seal, pull the hose
off the side of the three way that is leaking. Put it in a small cup of
water, and watch for bubbles. If you see any, either rebuild the ram,
or replace it. | | Three way hose is ripped, or the hose barb is cracked | If
you hear a leak from one of the hoses, spray it with some goggle
cleaner. If you see bubbles at the very base of one of the barbs,
that’s where the leak is. Try a new hose first, then check the barb for
damage. If the barb is damaged, replace it. If it’s not damaged, but
the leak is coming from the base of the barb, take it off, and put a
tiny drop of Blue Loc-tite on the threads, and re-install it. | Solenoid gasket is damaged, or out of place | With
an E-Blade cocking solenoid, there is a gasket between the solenoid
body, and the manifold. If that gasket is damaged, or out of position,
it will cause a leak. |
Problem: Ram Leaks | Hose barbs cracked or loose | See Three Way Leaks: Hose ripped or barb is cracked | | Seal inside the back of the ram body is torn | There
is a small seal at the base of the ram. It seals the ram shaft and the
body. If there is air coming out of the ram around the shaft, this
o-ring has been damaged.
If you are not careful, and nick, or in any
way damage the shaft where it passes this seal, it can become damaged.
Rebuild ram if possible, and replace the ram shaft if it has been
damaged, or replace the entire ram. |
Problem: Velocity is Too Low | Inline regulator is set too high | If
the inline reg is set too high, the extra pressure in the valve will
add resistance to the valve opening, and actually close the valve
faster, and that lowers the velocity. Sweet spot the reg, and you should be OK. | | IVG isn’t in far enough | This
means the hammer isn’t hitting the valve hard enough to open it for
long, and that gives a low velocity. Make sure the velocity adjuster
has not wiggled loose, and backed out. | | Valve spring is too strong | This
causes the valve to close faster and adds more resistance to opening
the valve, and lowers the velocity. If you haven’t changed the valve
spring, this isn’t the problem. Either trim the valve spring slightly,
or use a lighter spring. If you trim too much, then it won’t seal
either. | | Main spring is too weak | The
hammer isn't being driven forward with enough force to open the valve.
If you haven’t changed the main spring, this isn’t the problem. Use a
stiffer, or longer main spring to fix this. | | Jam nut is loose | The
jam nut that holds the valve in the body became loose. This can prevent
the hammer from going all the way forward, and striking the valve
properly. This is a very serious problem. If the jam nut is left loose,
it can damage the threads that hold the valve in place, and destroy the
body. To check the jam nut, remove the grip frame, and the set screw
for the valve that is under the frame. From there, you can use
something soft, like a pencil, or tooth pick, and try to move the valve
body from side to side. If it moves, you need to tighten the jam nut.
If you play with the gun in this condition, it will ruin the threads for the jam nut, and the body of th gun will be ruined. | Timing | If
the cocking point, and the firing point at too close together, the bolt
will be coming back before the ball has left the barrel. This can cause
massive inconsistency at the chrono, blow back, and a generally low
velocity.
Learn how to time your gun here. |
Problem: Velocity is Too High | Main spring is too strong | If you have been playing with the spring balance, try a softer main spring, and sweet spot the reg again. | | Valve spring is too weak | A
overly soft valve spring used with an overly stiff main spring can
cause uncontrollably high velocities. Change the valve spring, or try a
lighter main spring andsweet spot the reg. |
Problem: Velocity Fluctuations | Bad paint | Don’t
think the $30 case of seconds you just picked up is going to shoot like
tournament paint. It won’t. You get what you pay for, you are better
off paying for good paint and getting the performance that goes with it. | | Bad paint to barrel match | A
poor paint to barrel match can do weird things with a cocker. If the
paint is too small, the ball will roll part way down the barrel, and
the first shot will be at a low velocity, while the next one is normal.
Point the gun down, and give it a good shake. If the ball rolls out of
the barrel, the paint is too small for that barrel.
If the paint is too big for the barrel, you can get blow back, and barrel breaks.
Take
the barrel off, and put a ball in the end. If you can blow the ball out
of the barrel with a little puff of air, it’s fine. If it rolls, it’s
too small, if it gets stuck, the paint is too big. | | Mis-timed | If
the cocking point, and firing point of the trigger are too close, the
back block will catch the hammer before it has opened the valve all the
way. Slowly pull the trigger, and if the back block moves before the
hammer falls, and comes to rest, then you need more room between the
cocking and firing point. Re-time the gun. | | Shoot down | Some
where in your air system, there is a problem. It can be anything from a
kinked hose, to a gummed up regulator. Clean your regs, check the
lines, and then sweet spot the inline reg. | | Velocity starts low, climbs, then levels off | Your
reg is letting too much pressure bleed into the valve chamber. This
adds resistance to the valve opening (that lowers the velocity) then as
the pressure is bled off, the velocity climbs. Rebuild your inline reg,
and your problem should be fixed. | | Velocity slowly drops | Check
the o-ring on the IVG. If the o-ring is worn, the IVG can wiggle back
as the gun is fired. Replace it with a normal tank o-ring if you do not
have the correct one. | | Loose jam nut: | The
jam nut that holds the valve in the body has come completely out of
it's threads. This can prevent to hammer from going all the way
forward, and striking the valve properly. This is a very serious
problem.
If the jam nut is left loose, it can damage the threads
that hold the valve in place, and destroy the body. To check the jam
nut, remove the grip frame, and the set screw for the valve that is
under the frame. From there, you can use something soft, like a pencil,
or tooth pick, and try to move the valve body from side to side. If it
moves, you need to tighten the jam nut.
If you play with the gun, it will ruin the threads for the jam nut, and the body will be ruined. | | Inline regulator set too low | Sweet Spot the reg if
you see your velocity drop when you start shooting quickly. If the
inline reg is set too low, it will cause your gun to be a gas hog, and
can also destroy your consistency over the chrono. |
Problem: Gun Won't Recock | IVG is turned in too far | This
can limit how far back the hammer can travel, and cause the gun not to
cock. If you can’t get the velocity you need from the main spring
without cranking the IVG all the way in, sweet spot the reg, and try a slightly stiffer main spring. | | Mis-timed | In
this case it can be a couple of things. If the hammer lug is set too
high, there won’t be enough surface to catch the sear, and the hammer
lug will skip over the sear. If the three way is set to close to the
cocking point, the sear won’t be far enough up to catch the sear as it
passes. Retime the gun. | | Sear spring is too weak, or out of place | This
can let the hammer lug skip over the sear no matter how far down the
lug is turned. If you just had a trigger job done, try a stiffer sear
spring, or a softer main spring. Also, make sure the sear spring is in
the frame correctly. | | Cocking rod too long, or is loose | With
the cocking rod set too long, the hammer won’t be pulled back far
enough to catch the sear. If you can cock it manually, but it will not
cock when pulling the trigger, check the low pressure regulator, and
the cocking rod length. | | LPR is set too low | With
the low pressure regulator set too low, the ram will not push the back
block far enough back to catch the hammer lug on the sear. If you have
an adjustable LP reg, check this first. If you are using a stock LP
reg, and you haven’t changed the factory setting, then this shouldn’t
be the cause. | Pump arm is too short | If
the pump arm doesn't push the back block far enough back to recock the
gun. Remove the cocking rod, and pull on the back block. If the bolt
completely clears the feed tube, and goes past it, then the pump arm is
long enough. |
Problem: Gun Won't Fire | Hammer lug is set too low | If
the hammer lug is set too low, the sear will not drop far enough to
release it when the trigger is pulled. Remove the frame, un-screw the
hammer lug until it is almost flush with the hammer, and re-install the
frame. Now set the lug to where it should be. For more information on
timing, please read the Taking the Mystery Out of Timing an Autococker article. | | Dead battery | If
you have an electro cocker, and the battery is low, there may not be
enough power to drop the sear with each and every trigger pull. This
can be compounded by the hammer lug being set too low. | | Timing | If the cocking point is before the firing point in the trigger pull, then the hammer never has a chance to open the valve. |
Problem: Trigger Sticking Back | LPR set too high | If
the low pressure reg is set too high, it adds drag in the three way,
and can cause the trigger to stick back. If you don’t have an
adjustable LP reg, and haven’t messed with the stock reg, then this
isn’t the problem.
If
you have an adjustable LP reg, turn it all the way down, then slowly
bring the pressure up until the gun cocks every time, then give it
another 1/8th of a turn, and you should be all set.
If you can’t
turn down the LP reg and still get the gun to cock (because the ram
will have a weaker throw) oil the gun, and three way, and try again. If
it still doesn’t work, your ram may need to be rebuilt, or a stiffer
trigger return spring is needed. | | Trigger return spring is too weak | A
common effect of poorly done trigger jobs. If you just had a trigger
job done, or did one yourself, try a stiffer trigger return spring. If
not, a stiffer spring will most likely fix your problem, but not fix
the cause of the problem. | | Damaged o-ring in the three way | If
the o-rings on the three way shaft are damaged, they can cause extra
drag in the three way. Pull the three way shaft out, and give the
o-rings a good look. If they have any damage, replace them. | | Trigger guide screws are set too tight | Sometimes,
the guide screws on the bottom of the trigger frame can wiggle up, and
cause a trigger to stick. You want at least a tiny amount of vertical
play in the trigger. Pull it slowly back, and see if you can feel
anything dragging on it.
If so, reset the vertical guide screws. | | Trigger shoe is dragging on the trigger frame | Trigger
shoes can slip over time, or can be incorrectly. If you don’t pay
attention when you put the trigger shoe on, it can catch the bottom of
the trigger frame at the back of the pull, or the grip frame screw at
the front of the pull. Check it just in case. | | Timing rod is catching on the ASA | If
the coupler on the timing rod is hitting the ASA, it can cause the
trigger to stick. This is only a problem with sliding frames. |
Problem: Chopping Paint | Loader is not feeding fast enough | Check the batteries in your loader, and if you don't have a motorized loader, get one. | | Short stroking | If
you don’t pull the trigger completely back, and let it return
completely forward, you can get all kinds of fun things happening with
a cocker. Such as: Double feeds, skipped shots, pinched or chopped
paint. If you are new to cockers, worry about pulling the trigger
correctly, not quickly. Speed comes over time. | | Mis-timed | The
cocking point and firing point are too close to the back of the pull.
This means the three way isn’t opening all the way, and forcing the ram
to the back of it’s travel. That catches the ball with the bolt, and
can make a mess. Retime the gun correctly. | | Pump arm is too Short | If
the back block is threaded too far onto the pump arm, the bolt won’t
clear the feed tube, and that can butcher paint. There should be a
small gap between the back block and the body when the gun is gassed
up, and the bolt should completely clear the feed tube when the trigger
is held back. The pump arm can twist over time, so you should check it
before each game. Just a quick glance, if it’s not laying in the groove
in the body, just flip it over until it sits correctly, or loc-tite the
pump arm into the back block with Blue loc-tite, and don't worry about
it. | | Cocking sod is too short | If
the cocking rod is too short, it will limit how far back the back block
can travel. That in turn limits the travel of the bolt, and you get
chopped paint. | | Incorrect eye setting | If
you own an e-blade, you have to set the eye sensitivity correctly to
get the most out of the frame. Follow the directions in the manual to
the letter. |
©2003 |
