I often see threads where members are asking how to either fix or clean their Kip Solenoids... From my past experiance, Kips don't break... at least not easy! Normally they malfunction because a small particle of material (normally that green corrosion from copper or brass in the airlines...) has lodged in the valve seat... Here is how I clean/winterize my Kips... First we remove the wire coil by taking off the nut on the top. Just hold the body and it will turn without breaking anything. You can also use this later to point those wires in the direction you want... Lift off the coil housing and coil. There is a plate under it, if it comes off too it is no big deal. Here is that plate... buch of corrosion here... The inner coil.... I normally do not mess with this coil other than to wipe off and corrosion from the housing... NO OIL! Somebody may know if it is ok to to use eletric motor cleaner spray here like HotShot.... I would think it is ok.. I have never had any issue with the coils in these Kips and they are at least 12 years old. Now we remove the piston... This is the spindle that the coil sits on. It has a screw slot on top... Best thing to do here if it is hard to turn is stick it in a vise... that slot can strip easy with small screwdrivers... using your hand to hold it while trying to loosen the thread is not a good idea as it will be hard to hold... Anyway, once it is loose turn the whole thing upside down before removing the piston housing (that spindle).. Here you see it upside down... Here is why... that little piston will fly out, drop to the floor, and roll to the hardest spot in the shop to get to.... count on it! Lay it down on the table and remove the piston... don't worry, no springs will fly off... it is all in one piece. This is the valve seat where crap will get lodged and cause the Kip to malfunction.... Check that rubber ring to make sure there is no dents... if there are, you can turn this ring over... sometimes that works, sometimes not... you can order new ones.. This is the chamber where the piston sits... the bottom of the spindle, it can have rust in here from bb's... I just use a q-tip and remove any rust ect... I also use 3 in 1 oil and oil all the parts except the coil and the spindle it sits on... I wipe the spindle clean. If the Kip is going to be used soon, I dry off all the oil I just put on... that way it is nice and lubed but not too much... Foster Breeches hate oil! If you leave oil in the piston area,,, it will end up in your gun's breech and make it darn near impossible to keep it tweeked till the oil is removed... If I am winterizing the kips, I leave the oil on the piston and chambers... I oil the housing The piston gets oil.. and the valve seat gets oil.... I may use oil to clean the spindle here, but I dry it off... and I never use oil on the coil or parts that house it. Here is the order it all goes back together... Be sure the bottom plate of the coil housing has the notch going in... Just a little torque... not much as hand tight will do... I sometimes mark the date of service so I know when it was done last... just a spuds thing... OCD Anyway, hope you get things cleaned and ready.... oh and no parts left over....
Well duh, didn't see this. I keep opening the current thread instead of the actual forum link. thanks for the info.
Another helpful hint is to replace the black rubber part with one of the Vitron seals. As the KIP gets older, the black seals tend to cup and deform until eventually the KIP will stop passing air (it'll still click though). Simply switching to a Viton seal will do away with that problem and significantly extend the life of the valve.
