Leak heard down the barrel.
1. Cock the marker, then add air - The cup seal is not setting correctly on the valve. This is due to the main spring pushing the striker on the valve pin and opeinging the valve.
2. Low pressure in the tank
There is not enough pressure to push on the cup seal to close the valve. Use a full, warm tank.
3. Not enough pressure from regulator If a regulator is used, make sure it has enough output pressure to assist in closing the valve.
4. Cup seal is loose The cup seal has started to unscrew from the valve pin and wobbles. Screw it on tighter. Use teflon tape on the valve pin threads to secure.
5. Cup seal in bad condition Replace the cup seal if the face of the cup seal is not in good condition. A ring the same size of the valve hole is OK. Multiple or scratches are not.
6. Valve pin bent If the valve pin has a slight bend, replace. Contact manufacturer of valve for a replacement.
7. Valve spring is too weak or short If using a spring kit, make sure you are using the correct size valve spring. Full size and compact size Spyders use different lenght springs. Also, spring could be old and weak.
8. Valve installed incorrectly If major overhaul of marker was done, valve could have been installed backwords. Larger hole on end of valve should be facing forward.
9. Valve o-ring Valve body o-ring is either chewed up/broken, incorrect size, or dry. Add oil first. If still leaks, replace with proper size o-ring.
10. Valve body There is a scratch on the valve body. Replace valve.


Air Fittings
1. Air coming from the trigger frame There is an exhaust hole on the bottom of the body hidden by the trigger frame. Small bursts of air escapes with every shot. Completely normal.
2. Air is coming out of the vertical adaptor The o-ring on the vertical adaptor is bad. If appears in good condition, add oil. If bad, replace with correct size.
3. Air coming from any air line connections Air is able to squeeze through threads. Add teflon tape and screw in.
4. Air coming from macro/microline fitting Macro and microline have small o-rings in the fittings. Add oil. Examine and replace as needed.
5. Air coming from macro/microline Macro and microline are made of plastic. They can crack from old age, liquid CO2, or direct hit from a paintball.

Miscellaneous Leaks
1. Quick burst of air escapes upon tank removal This is normal. The air that escapes is not from the tank. By the time you twist the tank 2 full turns, the tank valve is closed. The air rushing out is what is "stuck" between the markers valve and the tank valve/o-ring.
2. Tank o-ring breaks everytime the tank is removed Add oil to tank o-ring prior to screwing it on. Upon removal of tank, see a good procedure below to save those tank o-rings.
3. Air escapes and empties the tank from the side of the tank valve Check burst disk and replace as needed with appropriate rated burst disk.
4. Air escapes the tank Push valve pin to dislodge possible debris from tank valve; Check tank valve. If needed, replace by qualified airsmith.
5. Air is coming out of the ASA constantly Most likely the tank o-ring is bad. Examine, oil it, and/or replace as needed.
6. Air is escaping from the VA Check o-rings on the VA and LPC. Examine, oil, and/or replace as needed.
7. Air is escaping from the foregrip Check o-rings on foregrip. Examine, oil, and/or replace as needed. Make sure air line going into x-chamber has teflon tape.
8. Air is escaping from the x-chamber Check o-rings on x-chamber. Examine, oil, and/or replace as needed. Make sure air line going into x-chamber has teflon tape.
9. Air is escaping from the regulator Check o-rings on regulator. Examine, oil, and/or replace as needed. Make sure air line going into regulator has teflon tape.
10. Have lot's of blowback in the hopper Check bolt o-ring if applicable. Use a bolt with o-ring; Drill holes in vertical feed; Use a heavily ported barrel; Converting to Low Pressure



* Burping (re-cocking problems)

Ever start shooting at your target, then all of a sudden, your Spyder fails to re-cock or goes full auto? This is another common occurrence for Spyders. But can be easily fixed! The reason this happens is a number of possibilities.
1. Low pressure in the tank Make sure there is air in the tank. Fill as needed.
2. Tank valve Using a wrench, carefully press down on the tank valve. If a burst of air comes out, it may not be your tank.
3. Regulator doesn't have enough output pressure Increase the output pressure of the regulator. May need to decrease the velocity adjustor to be within the velocity limits.
4. Any leaks A leak in the marker is enough to cause burping. Locate and replace bad correct size o-rings as listed on manual.
5. Cup seal Make sure the cup seal is in good condition.
6. Incorrect assembly Valve installed incorrectly will cause burps. Large hole facing forward when installed. Make sure the striker buffer is between striker and velocity adjustor. See the assembly and disassembly article for help.
7. Springs Incorrect spring is used (from a spring kit). Worn out springs should be replaced with correct size springs.
8. General resistance Use proper lubrication on moving parts; polish internals
9. Clog An air passage may be clogged. Try to locate and remove clog.
10.Dry Firing Dry firing will not harm your marker. However, you may need to fire a paintball to excert some back pressure to assist in recocking.
11. Trigger modification Some have experienced burping after a trigger modification. May need a new trigger.

* Velocity Problems

Velocity is too low
Adjust the velocity adjustor The velocity adjustor is located on the back-bottom tube. Screw in (clockwise) to increase velocity. If the knob has a small set screw, unscrew the set screw first, then adjust the velocity. Screw in the velocity to lock velocity adjustor.
Low pressure Confirm you have air in your tank.
Regulator If using a regulator, increase the output pressure.
Dirt If the internals are dirty, clean it. Dirt will slow the internals down. Remove old oil with paper towel and replace with fresh sparingly.
Springs Change/replace springs using a spring kit. Use either a weak valve and/or a strong main. May use a stock spring in conjuction with a new spring in other area. ie, strong main spring and stock valve.
Incorrect valve spring Confirm you are using the correct size valve spring from spring kit. Use same length valve spring as the stock. Larger radius facing forward.
Barrel Check paint to bore match. Try a barrel with less porting. I have seen players use electrical tape and tape over the ports to keep air behind the ball.
Home modification improvements Do some home modifications. Drill out the vertical adapter or purchase a Bob Long adapter. Next, get a higher flowing bolt. Take out the venturi. If still low, you may need a higher flowing valve like any of the Turbo valves (32degrees or Taso). Do this as a last resort. Polishing the internals also helps.

Velocity Too High...
Adjust the velocity adjustor The velocity adjustor is located on the back-bottom tube. Screw out (counter-clockwise) to decrease velocity. If the knob has a small set screw, unscrew the set screw first, then adjust the velocity. Screw in the velocity to lock velocity adjustor.
Regulator If using a regulator, decrease the output pressure.
Springs Change/replace springs using a spring kit. Use either a strong valve and/or a weak main. May use a stock spring in conjuction with a new spring in other area. ie, weak main spring and stock valve.
Incorrect valve spring Confirm you are using the correct size valve spring from spring kit for your Spyder body type. Use same length valve spring as the stock. Larger radius facing forward.
Barrel Check paint to bore match. Try a barrel with less porting. I have seen players use electrical tape and tape over the ports.
Low pressure Confirm you have air in your tank.
Dirt If the internals are dirty, clean it. Dirt will slow the internals down. Remove old oil with paper towel and replace with fresh sparingly.
CO2 users You may have gotten liquid CO2 inside your marker. The liquid can be expanding in the wrong place and giving more pressure than desired. Only in extreme cases should you add an expansion chamber. I rather you save your money and invest in a Palmer Male Stabilizer or a Bob Long regulator. The Palmer doubles as a regulator and does a great job stopping liquid CO2 getting past that point. Getting a nitrogen tank will not fix this. Though, it will provide a stable gas to use in conjunction of a regulator. Also, look into getting an anti-siphon tubeinstalled. Anti-siphon tubes do a much better job than x-chambers.
Install a regulator If you do not have a regulator, add one. This will allow you to reduce the incoming pressure to your marker. Less pressure going into the marker will mean lower velocity.

Velocity not stable...
Adjust the velocity adjustor The velocity adjustor may have become loose. If worn out, replace.
Regulator If using a regulator, make sure it is lubed. Add 2-3 drops of oil in ASA, gas up your marker, and dry fire the marker with no barrel about 15-20 times.
Dirt inside marker Clean any dirt inside of the bolt or striker area. Add just enough oil to the o-rings to make them wet. Add 2-3 drops of paint in ASA, gas up your marker, and dry fire the marker with no barrel about 15-20 times.
Springs Change/replace springs using a spring kit. Springs can become worn out over time.
Incorrect valve spring Confirm you are using the correct size valve spring from spring kit for your Spyder body type. Use same length valve spring as the stock. Larger radius facing forward.
Barrel Check paint to bore match. Paint that is to large or small for the barrel will cause velocity fluctuations.
Liquid CO2 Liquid CO2 is entering into the marker. Install an anti-siphon tube to reduce the liquid from entering into the marker.
Add a regulator Adding a regulator will feed your marker with a consistent measured amount of pressure for each shot fired. If using CO2, the Palmer Stabilizer does a great job keeping most liquid CO2 out as well as regulating the gas. Or, use any of the other regulators in conjunction with an anti-siphon tube.
Switch to N2/HPA CO2 is naturally an unstable gas that is dictated by the weather. Switching to N2 or High Pressure Air (HPA) should stabilize velocity. To read more of these gases, read through my CO2 and HPA/N2 - F.A.Q. article.


* Ball Chopping...

There are several things that can cause ball breaks. Here is a few points to consider.
Fresh paint Old paiont will break more easily than fresh. Or, storage of the paint was poor. Fresh paint is about 3-5 months old.
Ball feeding Simply put, you are out shooting your hopper. Invest in an agitating ball hopper like a Revolution, Egg, or a Richochete.
Ball detent You may experience double feeding or paintballs rolling out of the barrel. Check the ball detent and replace if needed. Also, for those that have the power feed markers, make sure the plug is positioned correctly. The plug needs to be straight up and down, not sideways.
Air pressure from tank A tank that is almost empty will cause the marker to not recock fully. The bolt will go partially back and not be caught by the sear.
Bolt face Sand the inside lip of the bolt to cup the ball better. Polishing the internals may help reduse ball breakage.
Velocity Your velocity may be too high. Some paintballs are more brittle than others and require either a consistant pressure or a lower pressure to propel it down the barrel.
Barrel Check the inside of the barrel. Should be a mirror finish. No scratches or burs. An improper paint to bore match can cause breaks. Also, make sure the barrel is screwed on fully.
Internal of the body Check inside the body. Some scoring around the feed tube is normal. However, if large burs exist, carefully sand them down.
Dirt Clean inside of the marker. And oil lightly where needed.
Consider converting to Low Pressure.


* Miscellaneous Trouble Shooting

No Diagram - You bought a new/used Spyder and there is no manual. Well, the manual that came with my Spyders back in mid 1990 are not that great. And I know that there is not much more of an improvement between then and now. So, your not missing anything major. The only useful thing about the manual is the diagram of an exploded view of your marker showing where the parts go. This diagram is very useful when you do take your marker apart by showing what the parts look like and how they are put together. Kingman was nice enough to provide diagrams to some of there markers on there site located in there support page. Most all are in PDF format. If you do not see your marker, find another Spyder that is similar in design and use that diagram. All of the Spyders use practically the same parts and are put together and taken apart the same way. For written instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble, look at my Upkeep - F.A.Q. for assistance.


Gas leaks when I take off my tank. - For many of the new users for paintball markers, you may find a burst of gas escape from the tank when you unscrew it. Don't worry. This is normal. It really is not coming from the tank. By the time you unscrew your tank 1 1/2 to 2 turns, the tank valve is closed. The air that is rushing out is what is "resting" between the valve and the tank. Since this air is under pressure, it is constantly trying to find a way out. As you unscrew the tank, your giving it a way out. Thus, it rushes out as you unscrew the tank. For those that have CO2, this rush of air will cool the o-ring. Sometimes damaging it.

There are two solutions. The first one is to by a one-way valve (or check valve). This let's air travel in one direction. In this case, from the tank to the valve. This works well, but may be restrictive to some markers. This should only be considered if you have small tanks or have long games. This will enable you to fully unscrew your tank and replace it with a new one. The best way to save those tank o-rings is to hold your marker upsidedown and make sure there are no paintballs in the breech. Rotate the power feed plug to stop the flow of paintballs and to avoid accidental feeding. Turn the tank about 1/2 to 1 full turn, just before the gas exits. Shoot the marker until it starts to sputters and doesn't recock. Dry fire, do not shoot paintballs and point in a safe direction as there may be a paintball in the breech or barrel. Cock it once more and fire it to make sure it doesn't re-cock or sputter. If it still sputters some, twist the tank off 1/4 turn and repeat the dry fire. This will empty the air that may be "stuck" inside. Take off the tank.


Bolt Jams - This is kind of a common thing that happens to new Spyders. Sometimes old markers. This happens when a ball breaks in the receiver and a shell of a paintball wedges the bolt in place. De-gas your marker. Take off your ball hopper and barrel. Take out your bolt cap and velocity adjuster. Run some water into the barrel section while holding the barrel upside-down. This will soften the shell. Careful not to flood the inside. Take out the bolt and striker. Clean the bolt and inside of the receiver. Dry everything and lubricate your o-rings. Sometimes, an o-ring will break and wedge itself between the bolt and receiver wall. You can try and force the bolt forwards (or backwards).

Some new markers come from the factory dry. Lubricate the internals. Polishing the internals and keeping it well lubed will minimize this from happening. If possible, do a thorough cleaning after a ball breaks. Get all that paint shell out.