WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

[Seaborgium]

Hi

I've got a weird problem with my WE L85A2, completely unmodded, only been to two skirmishes. At first, with a full tank of Nuprol 3 (from a brand new can), firing would eject a big cloud of gas from the muzzle. It wasn't a mag vent - just a big visible cloud was ejected with each shot. After a couple of shots, there wasn't enough gas in the magazine left to cycle the gun fully.

I took the thing apart and lubed up the valve inside the nozzle, thinking that some stiffness in the spring was causing the valve to close too slowly and too much gas left through the front. I fiddled with the spring a bit and the valve now closes much more smoothly.

Where we are now: On a full tank of Nuprol 3, the first 5-10 shots are perfect with no issues. After this, the gun immediately begins to eject a plume of gas from the end and the bolt only comes back about half way - not far enough for the nozzle to disengage from the bitey thing on the barrel and load the next shot. Upon heating the magazine up again, I get another few shots out before the issue repeats. This happens with all three of my magazines, two of which are brand new. There is no visible damage on the firing mechanism, nozzle or bolt, with the exception of the WE L85 bolt deformation beginning to occur. I have washers available to counter the deformation but this is independent of the gas vent problem as several people have the deformation but I can't find anyone with my problem.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[Heinz]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Is this happening on semi auto or full auto?

[StargateP90]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

I would try some different gas before anything else.


on my phone, my spelling will suck

[Seaborgium]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Is this happening on semi auto or full auto?

Happens on both, but it seems to get there faster on full auto.

I would try some different gas before anything else.

Need to do this. I suspect the red nuprol is making the whole thing cold too fast. I'be tried it with a (almost depleted) can of 144a and this is so weak the bolt only comes back halfway immediately. Don't have any green gas to hand but heading to The Mall tomorrow so I'll get some then.
Any other ideas as to what it may be? Don't wanna get to Mall and it turns out not to be gas and I'm left without a main

[Heinz]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

The problem most likely can be traced to the gas. OK, you'll have to follow me on this...

When you pull the trigger the valve on the magazine is depressed and locked open until the bolt has cycled, whereupon it trips the valve lock allowing it to close. The higher the pressure of the gas used, the more will escape when the valve is open. There are two ways to deal with this. The first is to drop to Nuprol 2 (lower pressure than Nuprol 3- Red), or increase the strength of the recoil spring which will force the bolt back into battery quicker (not that i've ever seen any of these for sale, though I manufactured a custom one a while ago), reducing the amount of time that the valve is locked open for.

TL/DR

Swap to Nuprol 2.0 and give that a try.

[Seaborgium]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Just got back from The Mall with the results of trying Nuprol 2.0.

For the first three shots, the gun chrono'd at 450-470fps. During these shots, the bolt did not travel back very far. After this the mag vented.
Tried a second magazine with 144a. Mag vented on first shot, not sure if anything left the barrel. Mag is brand new.
3rd magazine was the one that came with the gun. Tested with Nuprol 2.0 again, with less gas in the tank. Chrono'd at 410-420 fps for two shots with the bolt not travelling back far, before we decided that the gun did NOT fall under the 328 fps limit.
Note that in all incidents where the gun fired, the bolt did not travel back far enough to hit the two springs on guide rails at the back of the gun.

I'm going to bring it in to my local shop tomorrow and see what they can do. It'll be a real shame if it needs major expensive repairs and replacement parts, as it's only been on two games (this was the third time I brought it out). It worked perfectly for its first game, shoddily on the second, and the third didn't even happen. Honestly tempted to get rid of it after this performance and it's given me a bad overall impression of GBBRs.

[call of legend]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

There is always a few bad lemons when it comes to all guns.

This maybe a stupid question but how are you filling your mags?

[Seaborgium]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Mag upside-down, so the liquid-sounding-stuff in the gas bottle is at the valve end - the proper way. Hold it there for about 4-5 seconds, not until I can't hear anything, but about 3/4 of the way there.

[dave38x]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Try holding it till you cant hear anything, and then a bit longer - a lot of gas smg/rifle mags take 20+ seconds to fill properly (depending on the bottle it is filled from, temperature etc)

[Seaborgium]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

I've now booked the rifle in for repairs at my local shop. See if the guy there can work his magic fingers with it. Honestly expecting to have to shell out £100 for replacement parts, which is kinda shitty given its had less than 200rds through it. Will update this thread for others sake when I hear anything new

[Heinz]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

If you bought it recently then stuff paying for it, send it back to the supplier (assuming it's a UK supplier) we've got lots of consumer protection legislation in the UK, so you might as well use it

[chaz_r33_gtr]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Sounds like a fractured or cracked loading nozzle to me given the blowback is poor. Difficult to detect by eye but I suspect it's putting the correct amount of gas down the barrel to fire a bb but the gas it needs to use for recoil is escaping through a cracked nozzle..and not blowing the bolt back far enough means it won't reset the valve knocker which means it will just vent all the gas.

Or could be something mechanical that's jamming the bolt or stopping it moving freely but doesn't sound like that from what u describe

[call of legend]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Sounds like a fractured or cracked loading nozzle to me given the blowback is poor. Difficult to detect by eye but I suspect it's putting the correct amount of gas down the barrel to fire a bb but the gas it needs to use for recoil is escaping through a cracked nozzle..and not blowing the bolt back far enough means it won't reset the valve knocker which means it will just vent all the gas.

Or could be something mechanical that's jamming the bolt or stopping it moving freely but doesn't sound like that from what u describe

That or the nozzle isn't returning fully.

[Seaborgium]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

If you bought it recently then stuff paying for it, send it back to the supplier (assuming it's a UK supplier) we've got lots of consumer protection legislation in the UK, so you might as well use it

Yeah, I bought it about 10 months ago but I've opened it up and lost a couple of pieces (nothing internal) so I think any chance of a refund is out of the window by now. I've taken it to the shop I bought it and they know me there, hopefully that'll mean something.

Sounds like a fractured or cracked loading nozzle to me given the blowback is poor. Difficult to detect by eye but I suspect it's putting the correct amount of gas down the barrel to fire a bb but the gas it needs to use for recoil is escaping through a cracked nozzle..and not blowing the bolt back far enough means it won't reset the valve knocker which means it will just vent all the gas.

Or could be something mechanical that's jamming the bolt or stopping it moving freely but doesn't sound like that from what u describe

When I handled the nozzle earlier it seemed to be in fine condition, doubt anything substantial could be getting out. It looks to me like too much gas is going forward and not enough backward - 470fps is insane for that gun with Nuprol 2.0, it should be around 350 tops, ideally 328-340 for my sites rules. The gun does also throw BB's around inside quite a lot - I've pulled out several smashed BB's that were so beaten up by the bolt that they don't even look like BB's any more. I suspect this is all related to the issue at hand.

That or the nozzle isn't returning fully.

I think this definitely plays a part. The nozzle kind of moves freely within the bolt, but often gets stuck when its fully extended. The guide rails are very tight and I need to loosen the screws there as well as lubricate or things go horribly wrong. I think the O-ring is slightly too big and so causes too much friction between the two pieces.

[chaz_r33_gtr]

Re: WE L85A2 Pressure Issue

Yeah good point fps is pretty high....maybe nozzle is cracked more at the front and despite the rocket valve moving forward it's not sealing and allowing too much gas down the barrel. Sounds likely if there has been lots of smashed bbs going on.