Alright I got a new piston thanks to -Trooper- and everything seems to be in working order
I sure feel dumb since it took me so long / many attempts to figure it out
so I realized with he original Ares 2 stage design, the 2nd position was not how I had it with ghetto wooden block ( don't know what the hell I was thinking when I Dremeled out that wooden block)
a simple check as per ThunderCactus diagram would have saved me a lot of pistons
why didn't i do this check in the first place!! so easy to tell that there is pretty much zero room between the piston and spring guide during compression. Dam it.... I'm.... slow.... hah
modified the wooden block so the slot / spring guide sits flush with the gear box.
I didn't like how it was sitting in the gear box. There wasn't enough contact and would most likely slip out due to vibration. so I dropped in nut a bolt instead.
The spring guide does not sit flush to the gear box, but it's where
the 2nd position would be with the original ares 2 step spring guide. there is still plenty of room between the spring guide and piston during compression so it isn't over compressing like before.
Don't know why I didn't think of using a nut and bolt in the first place either :banghead:
I've cycled the mech box about 350 - 400rnds and everything seems fine. real test will be when i game it, but I'm quite confident that its fixed now.
So Thanks ThunderCactus & Co. for the advice / explanations!!
