| The
Teardown
1.
Remove the cyclone feed from the marker. This is done
by loosening and removing the screw opposite the cyclone
feed. This screw is called the feeder-housing bolt.
2.
Disconnect the air supply line (cylinder hose) to the
cyclone feed. You can typically just pull on the line
and it will come loose from the barb without damaging
the hose.
3.
With a small Phillips head screwdriver remove the screw
that holds the cyclone paddles (sprockets) to the cyclone
axle. Using a small flat head screwdriver GENTLY pry
up the sprockets off the axle. The paddles come out
the top of the cyclone housing; sometimes they require
some prying to remove them.
4. With a
small Phillips head screwdriver remove the four screws
on the bottom of the cyclone feed. This will allow you
to remove the bottom cover that protects the internals
of the cyclone.
5.
Remove the spring arm that presses up against the axle
by pulling it upwards.
6.
Separate the axle, ratchet, and cycle assembly from
the cyclone feed housing. Then separate the piston rod
from the cylinder.
7.
Slide apart the ratchet and axle
8. Using
a pick or a punch remove the spring guide and spring
from inside the ratchet. DO NOT LOOSE THESE TWO LITTLE
PARTS!!
9.
Now using a pick or punch tool, punch out the
ratchet pin that holds the ratchet and cylinder piston
rod together. You will want to compress the spring and
collar to have a clear look at the pin.
You have
now taken everything apart. Now it is time to put the
loader back together.
The
REBUILD
1. The first thing we need to do is
take one of the two pins included with the kit and hammer
it into the ratchet. The ratchet is the darker colored
piece in the kit. You’ll notice that there are
two spots for pins. At one end of the ratchet there
is a hole, and on the other end there is a slot or groove.
We want to
install one of the included pins into the side with
ratchet (gray part) We will install the pin into the
side of the ratchet that has the hole that goes into
the center of the ratchet. Set the ratchet so that the
flat side is down, and carefully hammer the pin into
the ratchet (you may need to use needle nose pliers
to hold the pin in place as you begin to hammer it down.
Its important
not to hammer this pin past flush with the ratchet.
If you do, the pin will stick out the bottom and drag
against the cyclone housing once it is installed.
2.
Place the piston spring and spring collar (newer models)
back on to the piston rod.
a.
Apply a liberal amount of lubricant to the
end of the piston rod that accepts the pin and also
connects it to the ratchet. This end of the piston rod
moves in conjunction with slot of the ratchet. It is
important that there is as little friction between these
two pieces as possible. We suggest grease like Dye Lube,
or Shocker Lube to do this. Honestly, any lubricant
will work, but the slicker the lubricant, the better
your Vortex Mod will work.
Installing
one of our Lightening Rods is the ultimate reduction
in friction. Click here
for more info about the Lightening Rod.
pre-b.
In the next step we are going to CAREFULLY combine the
ratchet and piston rod making sure to line up the hole
in the end of the piston rod and the hole for the ratchet
pin (again, to do this you may need an extra set of
hands). There are two pins that we have used for combining
the vortex mod and the piston.
The one type
is a small coil pin that is exactly the same size as
the coil pin that we just hammered in to the ratchet
that holds the spring in place. The other type of pin
is a longer silver pin that is the same that we include
with the lightening rod. Either pin will work, but they
are installed differently. The shorter pin goes through
the thinner side of the slot like one in the picture
labeled pin type 1. The longer silver type pin goes
through the thicker side of the ratchet slot. The longer
pin is dipicted in the photo that is labeled pin type
2.
I like to
start the pin into the hole by gently tapping the head
of the pin into the hole. This will make the next step
easier. Be sure to start the pin on the thinner side
of the slot. Be careful not to bend this side. If you
miss the pin and hit the ratchet with the hammer you
will probably damage your ratchet. In the video we hold
the pin in the stock piston rod hole. This is a clever
way of holding the pin if you do not have needle node
pliers.
b.
So at this point you have identified what pin you have....and
we are ready to combine the piston rod and ratchet.
First take your sping and put that over the piston shaft,
and now place the black spring collar on the end of
the spring closest to the ratchet. The cupped side of
the collar goes toward the spring....and cups the spring.
With the piston spring and spring collar (newer models)
back on to the piston rod and compressing the spring
and collar on the piston, CAREFULLY combine the ratchet
and piston rod making sure you line up the hole in the
end of the piston rod and the hole for the ratchet pin.
To do this you may need an extra set of hands. The pin
that is included with the Vortex mod is designed specifically
to combine the piston rod and ratchet. AGAIN, DO NOT
USE THE STOCK RATCHET PIN.
****If you
are installing the Vortex Mod with a Lightening Rod
use the silver pin that was included with
the Lightening Rod. Do not use any other pin with the
Lightening Rod.
3.
With the ratchet and piston rod combined, its time to
combine the axle and ratchet. Before you do, take wire
cutters and cut 1 spring turns off the little (typically
red) spring that goes inside the ratchet. Cutting
the spring will make it so that there is less force
and drag between the axle and ratchet. You could try
taking off more to even further reduce friction, but
keep in mind if you cut off too much the loader will
not work. SO BE CAREFUL AND UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU GET
TOO CRAZY WITH THIS, YOU MAY NEED TO GET A NEW SPRING.
If you need to replace the spring, you may try a spring
from an ink pen. You will need to cut it to the right
length, but it will work too. If you use an ink pen
spring, cut it to the same length as the stock spring
was originally.
4. Lubricate
the axle and ratchet. Lube the end of the axle where
it goes through the ratchet. The teeth of the axle where
they touch the ratchet tooth. The top, bottom and inside
of the ratchet where the axle goes through.The better
lubricated the parts are, the easier they will install
and the better they will work. The objective is to have
as little friction as possible. We suggest grease our
Gun Sav. Its super slick but light at the same time
very light and will let the parts move freely.
TechT
Gun Sav - 1oz Tub
$9.99
Lithium grease
seems to work too. DO NOT JUST USE PAINTBALL
GUN OIL. AGAIN, DO NOT JUST USE PAINTBALL GUN OIL.
The only returns we have had are from those people that
used oil to lubricate the parts.
5.
Re-install the tiny red spring back into the
ratchet, and then the spring guide. Notice
that the spring guide has a groove in it; the groove
goes up against the axle and the two fit together. Before
you slide the axle into the ratchet Make sure that you
line up the spring guide to accept the axle
Now slide
the axle through the ratchet making sure that the groove
in the spring guide lines up with the side of the axle
When pushing the axle through the ratchet you may need
to use something to compress the spring guide a little
in order to get the axle all the way in the ratchet.
Try not to force it to much as this could damage the
spring guide. The axle and ratchet need to go together
so that the flats on the axle catch with the tooth on
the ratchet.
6.
Insert your new ratchet, axle and piston rod assembly
into the cyclone housing so that the axle shaft is sticking
back up through the cyclone housing. Re-attach the paddles
(sprockets). The skinnier sprocket goes on bottom, and
the wider sprocket goes on top. They only slide on to
the axle one way, so make sure they are correct when
you start pushing them on to the axle You may notice
that there is a tight fit when trying to install the
top axle That’s ok, just get it on as best you
can, and then install the screw that holds the paddles
in place. As you tighten the screw it will push the
paddles on the rest of the way. The screw needs to be
snug, not crazy tight. If the screw vibrates loose try
applying a little BLUE LOCTITE to the screw. That should
keep it in place.
ONLY
USE THE SCREW THAT CAME WITH THE VORTEX MOD. USING THE
STOCK SCREW WILL STRIP THE THREADS IN THE AXLE.
10.
Reinstall the spring arm back into the cyclone housing.
Make sure it is securely in place, and where is contacts
the axle is well lubricated. Again, less friction means
more performance. Over time this spring may wear a groove
on the side of the ratchet. The groove is normal wear
and should not negatively effect the performance of
the vortex mod.
11.
Inspect and lubricate the oring (lip seal) on the end
of the piston rod. This seal crucial to the performance
of your loader. If this seal is un-lubricated, worn
out, or missing, your loader will not work correctly.
If it’s missing or damaged then replace it. Either
way, make sure that it is well lubricated with plenty
of oil or Gun Sav Grease. |
