FX FX Crown regulator problem

[lamarkeiko]

I have an FX Crown that I purchased new in 2018. I haden't shot it for 8 months. I purchased a .22 cal. 600mm barrel last Fall, and finally today decided to install the new barrel, replacing the .25 cal 600 mm. After installing the new barrel and reinstalling the scope, I adjusted the front power wheel from .25 .30 to .177 .22. The regulator still showed 120 bar, which is what I was shooting my .25 at. I took a couple shots which were off quite a ways as expected. My tank showed also about 120 bar so I decided to fill it up. When I got to about 200 bar, I noticed the regulator also showed 200 bar, which I know is way too much. I took the air bottle off and dry fired several times until both dials were zero. Then I turned the regulator screw clockwise until it stopped. I reinstalled air bottle, and the regulator dial and air bottle dial both went up to almost 200 bar again. I removed the air bottle and emptied gun air several times till both regulator and air bottle dials were about 150 bar. The regulator dial would never be less than air bottle pressure even though the regulator screw was set fully clockwise to lowest setting, I did shoot the gun several times once the pressure was below 150 bar. both dials are about 120 bar now. The regulator is always following the air bottle pressure. I'm thinking I need a regulator rebuild or replacement, Would a new Huma air regulator be a good option?
Any help is appreciated.
Lamar

 

[jps2486]

If you are so inclined, you can rebuild your existing regulator for the cost of 5 O rings.

 

[lamarkeiko]

Would a Huma air regulator be a worthy upgrade instead of rebuilding my old 2018 Crown regulator? Would the serial number of the gun help identify the generation of the Crown?

 

[SilentSquirrel]

following with high interest.

 

[NAProf]

Hi Lamar,
My experience is that the Huma Regulator is not necessarily an improvement over the AMP 2 regulators. I found the "flat blade screwdriver" adjuster on the Huma to not be as easy to use as the Hex Head adjuster on the AMP 2. Also, when I de-gas the Crown I take the bottle off then back off about a quarter turn on the AMP 2 reg adjuster to bleed the plenum (I have had a bad experience dry firing to empty the plenum). That does not work with the Huma regulator.

The AMP regulators are easy to refurbish, as said earlier. Below is a kit available from Bagnal and Kirkwood that has everything you need plus the neat little "witches' hat" to get the two tiny NBR 90 o-rings on the adjuster screw. See the Sub12Airgunners video on the AMP regulator rebuild below.

As far as which "generation" Crown you have there is an easy tell. If it says MKII on the side, you have a MKII. If not, and you have the barrel retention screws on the top of the action (under the scope rail) you have an early Gen I and might have the smaller regulator body. If you have 2-barrel retention screws on each side of the action you have a later generation Crown Mk I which will have the newer, larger body regulator.

Cheers,
Greg

FX Regulator O-Ring Service Kit Including Witches Hat and Piston Removal Tools - Bagnall and Kirkwood Airgun Spares

Regulator service pack for FX Airguns. Includes: – 3 x regulator o-ring pack (enough to service a regulator 3 times) – Witches hat tool – to allow easier fitment of the difficult to fit o-rings onto the regulator screw – Piston removal / seating tool – one end allows the removal of the...

spares.bagnallandkirkwood.co.uk

 

[lamarkeiko]

Thanks for the reply Greg. With your information, I think I'll stick with OEM. I am pretty sure I have the early generation Crown. The barrel retention screws are on top of receiver. Need to remove scope to get at them. The service kit you showed is from UK. Would I be able to order this kit from Utah air guns or any place else in US to receive faster.

 

[Melo]

También tengo un FX Crown MK1 2018, y el mismo problema me ocurrió después de buscar información sobre la instalación del regulador, buscando mejorar el rifle, llegó a la conclusión de que optaría por la pieza de repuesto original.Dependiendo del número de serie del rifle, tendrá un modelo de regulador específico. En mi búsqueda, si no recuerdo mal, pude obtener 4 reguladores de diferentes tamaños. La solución es desmontar el regulador, tomar medidas con un calibre y tomar muchas fotos. En mi caso, el distribuidor en Europa no estaba seguro de cuál usaría mi Crown.


En esta primera imagen se pueden apreciar los diferentes tamaños del buje, mi rifle tenía el más largo.

En esta otra imagen puedes ver las diferencias.

Es una gran diferencia, y el precio de los distintos reguladores es el mismo independientemente de que sean de metal o de plástico.

 

[SilentSquirrel]

HERE IS @MELOS post translated to English (AI)

I also have a 2018 FX Crown MK1, and the same problem occurred to me after looking for information about the regulator installation, looking to improve the rifle, he came to the conclusion that I would opt for the original spare part. Depending on the serial number of the rifle, it will have a specific regulator model. In my search, if I remember correctly, I was able to get 4 regulators of different sizes. The solution is to disassemble the regulator, take measurements with a gauge and take lots of photos. In my case, the dealer in Europe wasn't sure which one my Crown would use.


In this first image you can see the different sizes of the bushing, my rifle had the longest one.

In this other image you can see the differences.

It's a big difference, and the price of the different regulators is the same regardless of whether they're metal or plastic.

 

[AZSteve]

According to the Crown schematic, the change in regulator happened at serial number 181700. Serial numbers before that have the smaller reg.

 

[Revoman]

Highly recommend using the brass piston, it just works better in my experience. (You might try polishing it, along with the washers, as well since its already out.)
Rebuilding is super easy....well except for those teensy O-Rings and the hidden O-Ring.
When removing the O-Ring that is buried inside of the block, just be VERY careful NOT to scratch anything. It'll look like there is nothing in there, but it's lurking. Use a bright flashlight and you'll see that bad boy.
Instead of trying to dig it out, simply use a very sharp pick, or pin, and GENTLY/GINGERLY pierce the protruding part so no damage/scratch to the seating surface.
Once pierced, lever it out a tad, then maybe use a non-marring pick (I use a sharpened bamboo chop stick, they don't splinter or leave debris in there) just behind the now bent-out O-Ring to remove it.
DO NOT lubricate the O-Ring when reinstalling, it's like a slippery snake, and you'll get very frustrated. Just reinstall it bare, then once in place, get some lube in there.
Be sure to clockwise the adjustment screw much of the way in. That way you'll have plenty of 'room' to adjust it higher. If it's initially too high, you'll need to degas again, and who wants to do that extra work.
You'll do fine!

Mike

 

[bchannell]

As to regulators, I've had Impacts, and still have Dreamlines and Crowns and if the mail ever gets their heads out of their arses, I'll have a Wildcat. All take the same AMP reg. I also have several of both AMPs and Humas. My Dreamline, which is likely the most accurate gun I own, has an AMP. My Crown has a Huma. I can tell no functional difference between them as both are very consistent. Neither is more likely to creep than the other. The only point in favor of the Huma if is the creep is caused by the piston seal, then the Huma is a simple replace , whereas the AMP requires a new piston. No biggie, keep and extra.
I will agree the flat blade screwdriver is more annoying to use, and does not bleen down like the AMP which I really like. That's why I have extra AMPs just in case.
Either reg is a 20 minute rebuild, so I'd keep what you got and rebuild it.
There's an oring down in the action where the reg sits that can be quite hard to replace. I'd leave it alone and rebuild the reg and see if it was the problem. If so, it's not impossible, but it does take finesse and patients. Once you do it, you'll have a better idea of how to, the next time. Be careful not to scratch the sides of the hole the reg fits in. I have found that vintage hat pins work fantastic. I even fount a couple that are brass.

 

[NAProf]

Thanks for the reply Greg. With your information, I think I'll stick with OEM. I am pretty sure I have the early generation Crown. The barrel retention screws are on top of receiver. Need to remove scope to get at them. The service kit you showed is from UK. Would I be able to order this kit from Utah air guns or any place else in US to receive faster.

Hi Lamar,
UA likely has all the parts and also whole new regulators. But only B&K sell the kit with the "witches' hat" and the puller tool. The response time from B&K is really good and I know they sell the old regulators. You can email them and they are great about replying.

Europe Airguns (europeairguns.com) in Spain has recently become a parts distributor for FX and has all the parts. They also will communicate via email and ship quickly. I think that is the site mentioned by Melo (and translated by Silent Squirrel) above.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[Gr8Recreation]

Gotta say, some 1st class members to the rescue.

 

[steve-l]

It is NOT so easy to fix a reg problem on any FX rifle. It just isn't isn't! Furthermore, the sealing surfaces of the piston and its mating surface is critical. They must be ultra smooth. To my knowledge, only 3M makes the correct micro polishing cloths. I find acheiving the correct finish is very difficult indeed. If you find you have this issue, buy new parts and save the grief . As a rule, never make a reg pressure adjustment under air pressure. That is what trashes the mating surfaces.

 

[Trucker3573]

I agree that the huma really isn’t necessary. The amp being easy to service well that is dependent on the person I suppose. Many have no problem. I personally found it an amazing PIA. Could be particularly true if you have never done it before which was my case. Yes there are only like 5 or 6 orings but the tiny one in the very bottom of the reg I found a nightmare to get back in its correct spot. There is a small opening under which is a larger oring groove. Trick is to squeeze that oring through the smaller opening and get it to pop into that groove. It sucked. Then there is one down at the bottom of the threads the reg screws into in the gun. That one sucks just as much. Be super careful when removing that one as to not scratch the surface it sits in or you will forever have a leak. Biggest downside to fx by far to me. The amp regs aren’t great (my opinion) and they are by far the worst to service of any other gun I’ve had. I still have a wildcat bt so I will inevitably get to find out again. lol.

Don’t waste any money on the stupid puller tool. Google search and there are all kinds of tricks like using a pen body or cap or something. I forget. The tool is an overpriced waste.

 

[SilentSquirrel]

I am about to take a look at the regulator in my Crown MK II
The reg pressure follows the gauge pressure down.
No matter whether I rebuild or replace the regulator the question is:
Does the tiny O-ring in the block need to be replaced either way?

Thanks
Edward

 

[Melo]

Don't trust the rifle's serial number; FX makes a lot of mistakes. The best thing to do is disassemble the regulator. It takes five minutes. Measure the piston. If it's the short one, it'll measure 14 mm; if it's the long one, it'll measure 16 mm.

FX continues to supply short and long pistons (short less Bellaville, long more Bellaville) in plastic or metal. These are first-generation regulators.

Then you have the same regulators, only in metal. FX, I believe, calls them AMP MK2, which have advantages over previous models.

Old pistons

Old kits, same size, different material.

This is the new AMP MK2 regulator that I installed in my FX Crown mk1, you can see the part number.

If you're installing the new regulator, you'll only need one O-ring. This fits into the rifle's body and is very easy to install. You pierce the old one with a long pin and install the new one with a cotton swab—it couldn't be simpler.

 

[lamarkeiko]

I truly appreciate all the replies from everyone. Today I'm going to remove my regulator to properly identify which one I have. Rebuilding the one I have looks like the way I'll go. I've already ordered a set of brass picks from Amazon to help in removing O rings and prevent scratching. My sn is 181098, which according to AZSteve should be the small reg. Is the O ring rebuild kit the same for the small reg and the bigger reg?

 

[Melo]

If the gaskets are the same for both, buy some extra small gaskets, as they usually break when installed.

 

[lamarkeiko]

Got my regulator out. Right off the bat. the adjustment screw O ring on the end fell apart like it was brittle. Got some good photos of washer stacking on piston. I looked at end of piston under magnifying lamp and couldn't see any deformity. The piston is 16 mm long and plastic. besides replacing all O rings, should I get the newer brass piston? I'll check with Utah air guns to see what's available.