Brand New TAC One Lvl 10 Leak Problem

[Shadow Death]

Bought a new tac one from AGD themselves and thought that they factory tuned the lvl 10 bolt before shipping out. I even got a receipt of a factory chrono. As soon as I set up my air supply I had a very loud leak coming from the bolt area. I assumed it was in my braided steel/elbows themselves despite everything be plumber taped and screwed in very tight. So I spent my early trouble shooting days swapping those things out and re-plumber taping everything only to get the variables limited down to something internal. So then I realized they must NOT of tuned the bolt. So I proceeded with the typical carrier/shim trial and error and have tried EVERY combination of Carrier with no shims and then each carrier with 1,2,3,4,5 shims. I also tried all of my O-rings for the carriers... otherwise I don't have any other 0-rings that I can replace in the setup without buying a parts kit.

Through spending countless hours on this forum it led me to air it up and pull the trigger and hold it back and see if the leak stopped. It does when I do this.... which also said that is a carrier/shim problem.... BUT I'VE ALREADY TRIED EVERY COMBINATION!!!! Now I was able to greatly reduce the leak from what it was how the factory had set it up... where's it's at now it will start really quiet almost where you can't hear it and just get louder and louder until it is a pretty decent sssshhhhhhh..... noise if that helps you guys. I know it can also be the power tube o-ring but I don't have ANY to swap it out with currently AND this is brand new AND I closely inspected it and can't see any nicks or problems with it, it looks like a solid o-ring. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS??? I'm probably going to be buying a parts kit but I'm at the end of my sanity.

Thanks in advance,
Shadow Death

[Doobie]

First, oil the C&*$ out of it. Meaning the carrier o-ring. Then dry fire it a lot and see if it stops. Sometimes the o-ring needs to break in. Then I would call AGD and maybe a tech can talk you through it. If that does not help I would send the gun back to them for a fix. This is rare that switching the carrier or o-ring does not fix the problem. Watch the LVL10 CD-ROM again and make sure you didn't miss anything.

[Tao]

Send it back to AGD you have a (i think 45 day) waranty period beofre you would burn up stars. Just send it to them since this happened with a brand new marker. In such a case they should pay for the shipping too.

[PhoenixWolf]

Sounds to me like a bad or unlubed O-Ring, either in the On/Off or the bolt. I suspect the On/Off, because you tried everything else. Try taking that out and checking it. After refurbishing my Classic valve, it started leaking from the On/Off. I greased the new O-Rings with Hoppes #9, and the leak immediately stopped. Since the modern On/Off is fundamentally no different than the classic one, I suspect that's the problem.

[Russ]

how much air pressure do you have going into the gun? you need a minimum of about 800 PSI

[Shadow Death]

Thanks for all the suggestions thus far guys!!! I really appreciate it. I am using a HP Pure Energy 3000 PSI tank that is supposed to have a preset output of 850PSI. The main clue I think is that when I hold the trigger back the leak stops.... in that case could it still be an on/off problem or does that eliminate that from the list of suspects? Just asking b/c sometimes you find contradicting "opinions" on specific questions like that.

Thanks again everyone.

[geekwarrior]

is this the stock on/off or the ULT?

[Shadow Death]

This is the stock on/off...

[Badmovies.org]

So is it leaking down the barrel or out the vent hole on the side of the valve? Or is it leaking from another spot on the valve?

I ask, as I just had a reg pin o-ring leak on a brand new MiniTac Pro yesterday:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2340852&postcount=6

[Shadow Death]

So is it leaking down the barrel or out the vent hole on the side of the valve? Or is it leaking from another spot on the valve?

I ask, as I just had a reg pin o-ring leak on a brand new MiniTac Pro yesterday:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showp...52&postcount=6

It's really hard to tell where exactly.... I listen by putting my ear up to either the feedneck most of the time. I just know it is not external as I have done the spit test and watch for air bubbles on ALL of the external joints. I don't know if my problem could be just not broken in or what. Shot count on my marker is about 750. 500 with paint and 250 dry fires. Is there a more precise way of knowing where the leak is coming from? Should you literally be able to air up the entire bolt w/out it being assembled inside the gun?

[Badmovies.org]

The way I check for air leaks is to carefully mix some dishwashing liquid with water. Do not make any suds at all. Then, using either your finger or a small brush, carefully paint the mixture onto any point you suspect of a leak.

The most common leak is going to be down the barrel, caused by the Lvl 10. You should have solved that by using the smallest carrier and lubing it up.

Perhaps something is amiss with your assembly. Check this diagram:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=194223&highlight=x-valve+exploded

The other thing I can think of is a bad o-ring somewhere in the Lvl 10/powertube tip assembly. Unless an obstruction has gotten in there and gummed it up. Gunk and teflon tape do not mix well with the internals, but all you have to do is clean it out.

There are lots of people with more experience than myself. I am still learning the x-valve, but had a standard Automag (eventually with Lvl 10) for years. The two are similar enough that I feel pretty comfortable with them.

Oh, almost mandatory when you get one of these markers - pick up a replacement parts kit. I've usually kept one or two on hand at all times.

[MANN]

If it stops when you hold the trigger its probally an on/off problem. Pull the valve out of the gun, and put a few drops of oil in the on/off hole. Air it up, and fire it 20-30 times and it will probally stop. If this does not help send it to AGD and let be their problem.

[Shadow Death]

So I have fixed the leak rather inadvertantly. I switched back to the smallest carrier and then aired up my bolt in hand rather than in the gun. (I have a quick disconnect nipple screwed right into the bolt). I was trying to hold the on/off in place with my fingers but didn't have a good enough grip so it slid out into my hand. So I unaired it, put the on/off back in the bolt (something I've done a million times) and reassembled the bolt back into the gun and aired it up and no leak. So definately an issue with the on/off, why simply taking it out and putting it back in fixed it when I had already done that I don't know, but a victory is a victory and I'll take it.

Thanks for all your help,
Shadow

[Tunaman]

If it stops when you hold the trigger its probally an on/off problem. Pull the valve out of the gun, and put a few drops of oil in the on/off hole. Air it up, and fire it 20-30 times and it will probally stop. If this does not help send it to AGD and let be their problem.

Not true. If it doesn't leak when the trigger is held back there is nothing wrong with the on/off orings...