Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

[aaron-hill09]

Afternoon all,

I've always cleaned out my barrel and external parts after a skirmish.. but want to learn the best ways of cleaning out a gearbox properly without damaging it etc.

Obviously, I know the cylinder parts rely on a vacuum; so I'm a bit worried about just stripping it, cleaning it with hot soapy water, lubing it back up and putting it back together.

I have a G&P M4, so what is the correct way to strip it, clean it and re-lube it so it'll be nice, clean and bootiful! I also want to know what oils & grease you guys reccomend and where you reccomend putting it!

I'm a newbie when it comes to opening up gearboxes etc as I usually let others do it for me :P but, I want to learn now!

Any advise would be fab, or links to good advise online somewhere via PM etc.

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

[a_flea]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

I'd start on something less important like an old gearbox to check if you're capable of stripping one down...

Then just a wipe down will do no need for soap and water, clean every gearbox part with some kitchen roll (not the dusty stuff, decent stuff) until there is no grease anywhere (even between gear teeth).

Then re-lube upon rebuilding with silicon grease for metal-on-metal parts, and silicon oil for seals and plastics.

Just make sure everything goes back together properly, special care to be taken with shims (count em off, keep them in corresponding stacks, count em back on).

Have you got a mate who can sort if it fails/check it all out after?

[FlangTal1ty]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

Just search YouTube on stripping a version 2 gearbox. Keep pausing it as you take yours apart and watch it in reverse when you put it back together. Probably needs doing every 50,000 shots or so, I would just strip it anyway so you know how incase you have any serious problems. It's not as difficult as people make out, if you can use a screw driver and can keep a cool head when it all goes wrong you will be fine!

[skullfacedinfidel]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

strip it down once it breaks or doesn't work how it should, the only clean i would recommend after a days skirmish would be the inner barrel / hopunit and your mags. taking it apart when its not needed is asking for trouble. if you lube it and set everthing up perfectly within the gearbox you shouldn't have to touch it until something gives.

[John192]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

this guide should help

[aaron-hill09]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

strip it down once it breaks or doesn't work how it should, the only clean i would recommend after a days skirmish would be the inner barrel / hopunit and your mags. taking it apart when its not needed is asking for trouble. if you lube it and set everthing up perfectly within the gearbox you shouldn't have to touch it until something gives.

That sounds like good advise to me.. with mags, would you just clean all the dirt.. reassemble and put a couple of drops of silicone into it?

[brooxy]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

For magazine cleaning, the general ethos is not to use any sort of oil as it'll attract dust and dirt into the mag.

This is generally how I clean magazines:

- Disassemble magazine
- Rub some isopropyl alcohol through the mag tracks to clean
- Check the mag again for any debris, ensure all the alcohol has been removed
- Reassemble magazine
- Test
- Profit

When I did my M4 magazines, I also gave the spring a gentle tug to breath a bit more life into it (as it was showing it's age) - if you do this, DO NOT OVERSTRETCH THE SPRING. In fact, don't attempt to stretch it unless you have feeding issues on that particular mag and cleaning doesn't help / help much.

Note that my method applies to magazines that can be split in half - not sure how you would rub the alcohol through the tracks on a one-piece moulded magazine.

[crimson]

Re: Cleaning AEG Gearboxes - advise

That sounds like good advise to me.. with mags, would you just clean all the dirt.. reassemble and put a couple of drops of silicone into it?

Hob rubbers expand when they are exposed to silicone oil, they should be bone dry on the inside, the expansion often causes problems

Also Silicone spray which is not 100% silicone like ones sold in DIY shops contain petroleum which can damage some types of rubber