Installing an Upgraded Spring
 

Which end of this spring would the spring guide go into, the left side or the right side?

I'm going to take guess and say the left side because it's less coiled and probably would spring out harder than the other side. But please correct me if I'm wrong.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9228/photoph2.jpg

I believe the irregular side goes on the spring guide.

So left side or right side on the pic? I don't know what you mean by irregular.

Tighter coils to the spring guide.

Cool, thanks! :)

when you're closing it up...don't have the spring guide end of the mechbox pointed at anything that won't take a good shot (i.e. TV, your face, coffee cup...etc...) if you slip.

Just saying...:D

from experience? :p

Yeah...I shot a M120 powered bearing spring guide out once...knocked over my coffee all over my workbench and smacked into my workshop TV (about 2 feet away). Surprisingly it didn't break the tube...but I thought for sure it did by the sound of the impact.

Another darwin move is putting one together with the spring guide facing your chest if you're up close to the table...not that the spring guide hitting you in the chest hurts...but it'll shoot the half open mechbox away from you across the workbench and scatter all the pieces, definitely ruining your shimming...:D

I learn from failure....and it seems as though I learn something new everyday :D

So true!

So can I ask you something? Why is it everytime I when I try close the gearbox back up somehow the top right corner where the cylinder head and air seal nozzle is, it just won't close up completely? I always have a hard time closing up the gearbox because of that and I just can't figure out what it could be.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7325/1001299yz5.jpg

It just won't close up.

I've had experiences like that. Not so epic though...just that the wall took a beating once or twice.

Nevermind, I just figured out what was causing it to be stuck open. It was the peg that's supposed to go into the hole on the side of the cylinder head. Stupid stock TM rubber cylinder heads! If I had an aluminum cylinder head I probably wouldn't have that issue.

I think that the nub on the inside of the right half of the mechbox shell isn't getting into the hole in the cylinder head.

The cylinder/cylinder head is being "lifted" at the back end by the spring tension (which is bowing the spring). That puts the head on an angle.

If you use a finger to push the cylinder down flat as you're closing it up...it might just pop into place (the satisfying "clunk" when the mechbox shell closes and everything is in place).

It could also be from the tappet plate edge, which rides in a track on both mechbox halves, not slipping into place.

You just end up getting a knack for doing it after a while...it's something I find very hard to describe in words...but easy to demonstrate in person.

That's a version 3 right? I've sometimes found that the switch assembly "housing" gets out of place. It's kind of loose/flimsy..but stays in place when the mechbox is closed. See how the wires are under the mechbox...as you're pushing down, the wiring is pushing the switch assembly up. Might not be the cause...but it ain't helping.

Best of luck...when you hit max frustration, take a break (release spring tension!) and come back to it later...

Tys

Naw, I got it, thanks! I just finished closing the gearbox back up with the new upgraded spring. I've never had a issue installing springs, it's when I try and close up the gearbox. But I finally figured it out and I'll know next time what to do when it happens again. Thanks! :)

When that happens, you probably just have to pull the top half of the gearbox forward while pushing down, and it'll snap into place.

What brand of gearbox is it? I recently went through the same issue while trying to assemble a King Arms version 3 7mm bearing gearbox. The cylinder head area of the gearbox was somehow defective, and the two halves would not close.

It's a HurricanE 7mm Reinforced Version 3 Gearbox. I found out what was causing it, it was the peg that goes into the hold on the side of the cylinder head. I just used a small flat head screwdriver and was able to wedge the peg in, and then I was able to completely close the gearbox.

Your King Arms gearbox probably isn't defective, when you received it, wasn't it closed up in the package or were the 2 halves separate?

It came closed up in the package. It did somewhat close together with the cylinder head installed, but it did not close properly. It actually rotated the cylinder head forward, causing the tappet plate to jam and the cylinder to sit improperly in the gearbox. I returned it and got a G&P, which had other issues, but were fixable.

Especially when you're working with a hot and cocked mechbox. Those are always fun.....

gotta love the modify modular gearset. comes with a slotted anti reverse latch that you can release it with. :p

Use a long allen key or screw driver shoved into the hole in the spring guide, use that to hold the compressed spring while closing the mechbox, and angle it down to seat the tabs on the guide into the mechbox shells. Line up the gears and bushings (I always, where possible, put the bushings on the gears beforehand, much easier to line up with the mechbox holes). In order to fully seal the two halves together I'll press the nozzle a couple times, often I'll find the tappet or cylinder head is holding it open a bit, this usually lines things up perfectly (I find this especially useful on V3 mechboxes) as well as makes sure the tappet and nozzle are working properly too.