Maverick Gauge Replacement
- Thread starter Zeringue
- Start date
It's amazing how FX Airguns (with their truly awesome and cutting edge products) decided that a $2000+ setup does not warrant a 2ea x $50 quality gauge configuration. And the $50 per gauge is the retail price for the WIKA et al, FX Airguns would pay probably $25ea wholesale in larger quantities.
It's almost a given that any self-respecting airgunner will trash their factory FX gauges after a purchase and replace them with something of better quality. And one would assume that any self-respecting airgun-maker and leader in the industry will not ship their products with inferior-quality gauges.
It's almost a given that any self-respecting airgunner will trash their factory FX gauges after a purchase and replace them with something of better quality. And one would assume that any self-respecting airgun-maker and leader in the industry will not ship their products with inferior-quality gauges.
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My FX gauges were about 20 bar off as well! I "cheaped out" and went with the Huma gauges, but they are spot on. I may upgrade to the larger Wika gauges, just because my eyes aren't what they once were...
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I have done the same in changing out the Maverick gauges and have had similar results as well.
Patrick
Patrick
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I also changed the pressure gauge on the regulator of my Dreamline tact-compact a few days ago and it read 15 bar less. Guns of more than 1000 $ and low quality and small gauges do not seem right to me.
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Forget to mention that I replaced it with a 23mm Huma. Where can you get these Wika pressure gauges at a good price in Europe?
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My Mav .22 arrived yesterday from Ken with an updated 28mm guage by the bottle, but the old style for the reg. I replaced the reg guage with a Wika.
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I totally agree. A gun like this should come with a better gauge. I want to say I paid $42 from My High Pressure Air in Michigan. They had the best price and had all gauges and covers in stock. That’s the one thing I have always complained about FX is the quality and accuracy of their gauges.
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I added a sekhmet gauge on the bottle and a wika on the back. Very happy with the new gauges.
I'm happy to see FX finally using wika on the new M3.
why using these cheap gauges on these high end guns is beyond my knowledge...
I'm happy to see FX finally using wika on the new M3.
why using these cheap gauges on these high end guns is beyond my knowledge...
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I almost bought the new digital gauge directly from huma. It only displays pressure but it is cheaper than than the Sekhmet. But shipping would have cost an arm and leg directly from huma. I settled for these 2 and very satisfied.
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The Sekhmet is awesome, price is fair, it gives you a lot of info, I'm testing the accuracy of the data. You can get it from Ken at SPAW, that's a plus too.
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Well 
… I’ll give it another go before trying to wrench them out. Hopefully the new 28mm Wika Gauges go in smoother than the existing ones come out.
… I’ll give it another go before trying to wrench them out. Hopefully the new 28mm Wika Gauges go in smoother than the existing ones come out.Upvote 0
When I replaced the crap fx gauges on my maverick, fx had cranked them in so hard that the x-rings were unrecognizable and came out in little bits. I remember having to use a fricking cresent wrench or pliers or something to get the crap gauges off. In order to avoid the little bits falling back into the gun, try to do this with the gauge facing the floor. Then pick the little bits out with a bamboo shishkabob (spelling?) skewer or something that won't scratch. Once both guages are out and the holes are clear of debris, you can set the gun in a normal position for installing the new gauges. You'll need the proper x-rings as specified in the maverick schematic. The gauges don't use o-rings, they use x-rings. So just push the x-ring to the bottom of the hole and then screw the new 28mm wika guage on until you feel a slight bit of resistance -- this tells you that you've made contact and you really don't need to screw them on any tighter than that. I guess you could add 1/8 additional turn if you want, but that's it. That's all it needs. Once there is air pressure in the gun, the x-rings will lock hard against the gauge. My major point here is that a lot of guys will screw the gauge on until they feel a LOT of resistance and THEN keep screwing it on further to make the top of the guage be in line with the top of the gun. Don't do that. Don't worry about the top of the gauge being lined up with the top of the gun -- you will easily get used to reading these wika dial gauges in any orientation. And don't ever force the guages to turn while the gun is pressurized -- that's obviously not good for the x-ring.Well
That's my advice. It's not gospel. Plenty of guys have cranked 'em on hard and not had any problems.
stovepipe
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You strike again @stovepipe!! Interesting what you mention about the x-rings, since the instructions with the new gauges says to remove what’s underneath and use the supplied o-ring when installing… I’m hopeful that works (or the existing x-rings are salvageable, otherwise I’ve got to wait around for new ones. Granted, I think I could justify adding a few more items to justify any and all shipping charges.
I found that they’re on so tight because FX used a “bonded seal”. If that’s the case, I know why they’ve been such trouble. I’m already ahead of you on the skewers. My first set of picks, pokers, etc. were some wooden & plastic / nylon chopsticks I fashioned for the reseal (only the o-ring at the bottom of the regulator housing was something I needed to get the brass picks for.
My plan was to attack the old ones with some vice grips (I’ve got a strip to wrap around in the event I can’t get traction). If not, gotta love a trip to the hardware store!
I found that they’re on so
tight because FX used a “bonded seal”. If that’s the case, I know why they’ve been such trouble. I’m already ahead of you on the skewers. My first set of picks, pokers, etc. were some wooden & plastic / nylon chopsticks I fashioned for the reseal (only the o-ring at the bottom of the regulator housing was something I needed to get the brass picks for. My plan was to attack the old ones with some vice grips (I’ve got a strip to wrap around in the event I can’t get traction). If not, gotta love a trip to the hardware store!
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Howdy again jakob8572. We keep running into each other because it's maverick related I guess and it's the only pcp rifle I own. So if you don't have the x-rings specified in the mav schematic, I don't see any harm in using the supplied o-ring. It's not going to hurt the wika gauge or the rifle. The only thing that can go wrong is that it leaks, and I don't think it will leak. Just screw the wika gauge on until you feel contact with the o-ring and then not much more. I don't know how thick the o-ring is so I can't say for sure how much more. Somewhere in the 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn. Once there is pressure in the rifle I think it will seal the edges OK. What is a "bonded seal"?
stovepipe
stovepipe
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My initial guess is either a thread sealant or gasket maker (I used the first on my compressor hoses and the latter when installing a short shifter in my truck. Only other idea is that it’s a washer that acts like a lock nut. Either way, I’ll let you know what I find.
The .25 Mav is my first and only
The .25 Mav is my first and only
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I think a "bonded seal" is another name for a Dowdy Washer. It's like a flat washer, but has Nitrile flaps bonded to it. They work really well. The maverick uses a Dowdy washer between the air tank and the fill adapter I think, maybe on the fill port also (I've never taken that off). I didn't know they used them on the air gauges -- mine didn't use them there.
stovepipe
stovepipe
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