Paintball

[Maxin]

Hey guys, i'm new to the website but i've been searching for a while on how to fix it. I've had problems since day one. Now i have a solenoid that keeps sticking after a random amount of shots, and i would have to manually force it for it to work again. Is there anything i can do to make it work again properly?

[Duzzy]

Hey,

Welcome to MCB. While I'm sure that someone here can help you; it sounds like a problem with your E-Frame so a call to Tippmann may net you faster results. I think I've only seen 2 or 3 of those on this site, and they have all been for sale.

That being said, hopefully someone can help. Good luck.

[Maxin]

Thing is, I've e-mailed, Tippmann, ICP, APE Rampage, and several forums, but no help. They were all baffled to the information themselves. So I'm at a loss.

[Smiley]

Did you get it as a complete kit or the one that uses your Egrip/board ?
Always use fresh Alkaline batteries, check the A5 owners group for the length specs on the sear tripper rod and make sure you are using the right sear spring for an E-grip.

[RealtorTommy]

Did you try the guys a ICP?....They are pretty much up on trouble shooting.

[Maxin]

well, the spring i used for the sear wasn't working because it was too weak. Though i have never had a problem shooting a case at a scenario game, it just happened a couple of days after that. and ICP forum's require parrental comfirmation which i cant really do seeing how my parrents dont trust it. I e-mailed the contact page too.... they couldnt find the answer either.

[freedom]

also post on A5og.net and undergroundmodshop.com

[Arsenal]

First of all: If the gun fires fine when vertical, but not when tilted on its side, try replacing the sear return spring with the (shorter) trigger return spring from your original A-5 trigger group. If you no longer have this spring, contact ICP for a replacement sear spring, or you can try cutting off a tiny bit of your existing spring (at your own risk!), no more than 2 turns.

For some other problems, this is a repost from the ICP Tech forum (mods, I'm only doing this because he says he can't access their site):

SOLENOID NOT FIRING:

Okay, this is something that I KNOW you can have a problem with under certain conditions...so I thought I would make a post and explain a few things about the Solenoid in an E-grip (b-5, or regular e-grip) and some fixes to try on the B-5.

At a basic level, there are a couple problems that you can run into in any e-grip...we will start with the basic symptoms and then I will place fixes below them.

1: You hear the clicking of the solenoid...but when you cock the marker, it does not fire the marker (marker stays cocked).

fix: usually this is a low battery...on the APE you can look at the LED on the side...if it is red...you have a low battery for sure...but sometimes this can happen even before the APE board says it is low.

With the B-5: are you using the Pin we supplied...it is slightly different than a standard E-grip pin (maybe not to the naked eye...but believe me...it makes all the difference in the world)...the pin we supplied should work...a regular E-grip pin might not.

With the E-grip...are you using an aftermarket pin? Believe it or not...I bought a "hardened steel pin" from another company and had this happen to me...I later discovered that their pin was just a hair longer than the standard E-grip pin...but enough to make this difference...I went back to my "stock" e-grip pin and it worked.

2: You fire the E-grip...and after a few fires (possibly after the first one), it no longer fires (you do not hear any clicking at all). When you cock your A-5...the bolt will not catch.

Fix: on both the E-grip and on the B-5: are you using the correct Sear (the metal thing that rocks back and forth within the sear assembly (the thing the trigger sits in on an egrip)...it has a spring that pushes it back)?? This was a common problem with the original e-grip sear that was supplied by tippmann, this was why they released a newer one (and a newer one again later)...the newest sear is the only one that I have found to work consistently...which is why we include one with every B-5 we are selling (with an APE in it)...just to make sure you have the right sear (it is THAT important).

2nd fix on both: are the reciever halves pushing too tightly against the sear assembly (thus making the sear "stick") You can see this by simply opening up the end-cap...is the sear stuck in the "open" position (allowing the bolt to slide over it easily)...loosen the two screws nearest the sear (on the B-5..it is the two long ones)...does it suddenly tip up? Then you had these screws too tight...I have had this happen both with a stock A-5 as well as B-5. Tippmann again changed things later and included a sear assembly that has thinner plastic on it...so this didn't happen any longer...but with older A-5's (like mine) it can happen...Like I said, Loosen the two lower rear screws (one in front of the sear assembly, one behind it) with the end-cap open...you should be able to use your finger and push on the sear and it should rock back and forth easily with the spring always pushing it back against your finger.

3rd fix on both: is the spring in there??? Or are you using the WRONG spring?? the spring for the sear is a pretty tough little sucker (again, changed several times by tippmann), I cannot remember tippmanns color for this spring (according to Tippmanns website it is blue) but they now color them (they didn't originally) so that you always got the right spring in the right place (and didn't accedentally use your trigger spring for the sear)....if the spring is missing, or not powerful enough...it won't tip the sear back into position (recocking the solenoid below it).

The solenoid cannot cock itself...it is controlled by magnetism...once the two surfaces are touching (like any two magnets), they want to stay together...something has to push them apart...that something is the Spring pushing on the Sear which rocks back pushing the Sear pin down against the solenoid...pushing the magnets apart...re-cocking it so that when you apply the electricity (turning the magnet on once again) it now closes...pushing everything the opposite way and "firing"...
*note* if you have a 98Pro with E-trigger...you will see a small magnet on the bottom of the solenoid...this is a "work around" by tippmann to pull the solenoid open...I personally find it funny...because this means they had a problem with the sear not having enough force to recock that solenoid...and obviously they must have tried a stronger spring...but then the solenoid didn't have enough force to trip the spring...so they made a "fix" without actually fixing the problem.

3: You pull the trigger....it clicks once and stops (or maybe a couple of times and stops) and you cock the marker...it it stays cocked...and pulling the trigger gives you no further "clicks" of the solenoid.

Most common fix for both....do you have the sear pin in it??? I cannot tell you how many times I forgot to put that pin back into my e-grip when I put it all together after changing the battery...with the B-5 once it is together it should stay that way...however...it is possible to knock it off its "track" when putting the B-5 together...in which case the sear pin is off to one side or another but not pushing against the sear...like I said, this shouldn't happen if the B-5 halves are together...but it is possible during the installation. So go back and re-check that the sear is in the "Grooves" that it is to fit in and then put the halves together starting at the back. Then put in at least one screw in the back of the marker (I usually start with the long one furthest back) and I hand-tighten that to keep the sear pin in the tracks while I put the rest together.

Second fix, wrong sear pin...again, make sure you are using the appropriate sear pin...when i checked Tippmann's sear pins...they are all VERY precise (+ or - .001 of an INCH!), which means they KNOW that there are lots of problems that can be caused by sear pins...aftermarket sear pins have different tolerances based on manufacturer including our own...

Third fix...well, this is not necessarily a fix, but a suggestion: If you are having this third problem and checked the fixes above and everything is correct..but still having a problem...contact the manufacturer (including us)...you may have a bad electronics board, or a bad pin. One or both will need to be replaced and the only one to do that is the manufacturer (or you can buy new ones from the manufacturers web site if you are out of warrenty). APE is nice enough to give a lifetime warrenty on their boards (including the ones in a B-5) so make sure you contact us or them if you are having this problem...