nailgun problems

[Ken Miller]

Does anyone have experience diagnosing problmes with the bostitch 18 ga brad nailer model bt1855k. though it is over a year old it has only seen very light use. went to use it and nothing. can't pull the trigger and no the lock isn't on. turn the mode switch and you can pull the trigger but only air. any ideas?

[Lee Schierer]

Possibly a stuck valve or piston due to too much, too little or the wrong type of oil. Or stuck due to rust from too much water vapor. Careful disassembly without air pressure.

[Peter Quinn]

I had the same thing happen on a reconditioned 16ga last year. I took it out of the box, put it in the van, took it to a job, fired about 5 nails......nothing but air when I pulled the trigger after that. My solution, return it. They have a pretty good warranty, so check to see if you can get it repaired under warranty. Could be a blown seal, stuck piston. I never got into mine. The replacement has worked fine since (bought a brand new one as they were out of reconditioned).

PS, I have that 18ga gun too, its oilless so lack of oil or type is not your issue, unless you have been adding oil, then it might be having trouble getting rid of something you have added. The older bostich guns used to get real cranky if they were run dry then free up and work fine as soon as they were oiled, but these newer models, thats not a problem. I've fired thousands of nails from mine w/o a hitch.

[joe milana]

I've got a Bostitch narrow crown stapler with the same problem. Squeeze the trigger and just air. If I take the head off and move the piston a bit, then reassemble, it will work for the day. I haven't had a chance to take mine in yet. In fact, it may just end up in the trash. I've heard the problem is pretty common.

[Bill White]

I've used plumbers silicone grease on the piston "O" rings to keep 'em from sticking.
Just a thought.
Bill

[Jim Andrew]

I've had the same problem with Bostitch nailers. My thinking is they use cheap O rings, as have a couple Hitachi guns that have worked for years with no problems. You can put a O ring kit in those guns, they will last another year.

[Kevin Bourque]

Is there a nail jammed in the gun?

[Dave Lehnert]

Possible you hit another nail in the wood and bent the driver. Does not take much to do it. Did your gun come with a replacement driver? If so, try the replacement and see what happens.

[John McClanahan]

Bostitch has a troubleshooting page on their website. Mine needed a new head valve (I think thats what its called) to fix the problem.

John