** Where's nailshooter Robert when you need him? I'm pretty much ready to toss this gun and get one of the gravity feed models instead...
**
Where indeed!
More importantly than where, is what has he been doing? Working on some new emergency work contracts. A few really windy storms did a lot of damage here last Friday, and I have a lot of brand new "best" friends that are looking to have their domiciles secured. We have 40% chance of thunderstorms Tuesday, Wednesday, and 30% on Thursday. I almost have more than I can deal with now. I haven't had this volume of calls in a year or more... lots of panic amongst my customers!
"Big Guy... you know what we call "crisis" in sales? (Taps his head knowingly...) OPPORTUNITY!"
Herb Tarlek, Sales Manager WKRP - Cincinnati
****************** There aren't really a lot of places for any of these little guns to go wrong. More importantly, almost all MY personal spray gun problems have come down to 1) improper cleaning 2) reaction of materials in the gun to one another causing almost invisible material clots 3) improper assembly.
It is hard to diagnose without seeing the gun in person. That aside, I am thinking that Mike probably hit this one (although it may seem improbable to you) early on. I'd be the problem is in the siphon assembly. Somewhere.
There have been good posts that address all the likely suspects, but it sounds like you have done a pretty good job on your own.
On the other hand, you may have a bad gun. Doubtful, but possible.
I am sure you are taking the gun apart correctly and putting it back together correctly as well, so I won't bother with that.
I would take the gun apart again. This shouldn't take too long, especially in the light of the fact you can probably do it blindfolded now. Re-clean the inside of the housing chamber where the packing and the retention nut for the packing go between the fluid nozzle ( #4) and the packing and nut ( #16 and #17 ).
Take a BRIGHT flashlight and see if you can peer INTO the housing and carefully inspect the needle packing area as well as well as the area for the volume adjustment. These must be spotless. Everything inside the gun housing must be spotless.
Use a gun brush to clean the inside, the threads. Use a toothpick to clean the threads to see if anything comes off. Since this gun is dead, if you find something you can't get off, try some paint stripper on your brush and brush the inside of the housing out to see if anything comes out. Don't leave it in too long as it will peel off the chrome. Put it in brush it vigorously, then rinse it out.
After yet another full inspection, and making sure you are installing all parts, reassemble. When you assemble, start at the back of the gun and put in the needle assembly, packing, nut, etc. On the needle, put a small amount of petroleum jelly on the length of needle all around it. If the packing is good, it will skim off the jelly it doesn't need and you can clean it off with a towel. This will make your trigger much smoother and easier to shoot, and seal a bit better as well.
Put the trigger on.
Assemble the volume adjustment group. It is tempting to put in the ring/washer, then the packing, then the retention nut, then the screw. Try it this way: install the screw into the retention/receiver nut. You don't have to screw it in all the way. Once you have it seated well, put the packing ring over the end of the needle, then add the washer on top, then install it all into the housing. Before final assembly of this group, put some petroleum jelly ( a bit ) all over the packing ring to make sure the needle isn't sticking to it. It is possible that a deformed packing ring (from assembly or sticking to the screw) has added to your problem, and this could help prevent it.
As a sidebar, take a look at the volume adjustment screw. Some of them are different than others. On some models, the screw is hollow to facilitate material movement. If you have a hollow screw, then make sure both ends are perfectly clean. If it feeds material through the screw, the tiniest piece of debris will foul your gun.
Now you have everything put together except the things in front of the housing. Open the volume screw about half way. Hold the gun securely in one hand, and an rubber tipped air nozzle in the other. Insert the rubber nozzle in the fluid nozzle seating area way to create a bit of a seal. **Gently** open your air and see if any air comes out the bottom of the head. If it doesn't, open the screw all the way and see if you can get any debris to come out. If that doesn't work, close down the needle, the put the air in from the underside of the gun and the flow should come through the hole where the fluid nozzle goes.
If no air comes out, try increasing the air. You have probably found the blockage.
Take a really hard look at the fluid nozzle. Run a toothpick through the nozzle until it pokes out of the fluid tube where the needle sits. DO NOT push your toothpick through from the front as you can easily leave debris that will re-clog your nozzle. If you can see unobstructed daylight (again, hit it with the flashlight) then after making sure there is nothing at all in the air ports, attach to the gun.
Finish the assembly of the head.
Last, take a look at your pickup tube. Before installing you should be able to hold it up to the light and see all the way through it, and it should be clean as a whistle. If it is, install it.
Once again, make sure you can see through the vent hole in the cup lid.
Try opening the air all the way (no more than about 20 lbs from the compressor, all the way on the gun), and the fan about half way. Try shooting some water through it.
Honestly, I would be surprised if you didn't cure it with all of that. There just isn't much to go wrong with these guns. I just sounds like a bad seal, bad seal placement, or a small piece of debris got past you when cleaning.
But knowing that the most I have paid for either of the two I have was $10, I wouldn't have my feelings hurt to go buy another or ask for a replacement.
Let us know....
Robert