need help with a tf97 ...

[geewhiz380]

I purchased one about two months ago and it smokes much.It really gets to me cause i never had one that diseals so much its accurate and the trigger anit that bad but could use some work but its seems like it wont waste my time in trying cause by now i thought it would of calmed down.It hasnt ,so what can i do,its sad cause its an accurate shooter but the smell is awful.Any input would be helpful...jorge

[shadow]

Sound's like she's still burning off the lube in her and you might of a seal that's letting some get by. Break her down and clean out some of the excess in there bro and inspect the seal while your in there. Ed

[tjk]

Jorge, You can expect your rifle to smoke, and this is pretty normal. The reason is because it has a leather piston seal and not a synthetic seal. Being a new rifle, the seal is probably still "juicy" from the factory assembly. Just keep shooting it, and do a search on my TF-97 trigger tune. After I polished the trigger contacts, the whole rifle shot alot better,,......and yes these are surprisingly accurate BBGuns!!!! LOL's when the gun quits smoking and the velocity drops off, a drop or two of silicone in the port,....and left over night will bring it back up to top performance. I replaced the old busted spring with a Crosman G1 mainspring and a Sierra Pro top hat, and she runs just fine,....maybe a little hotter than the factory spring,....I'm not sure though!!! Good Luck,...and smoke on my Brother!!!! tjk
PS I don't know, but I think you can substitute neets foot oil for the silicone,....but I'm not %100 on that. Maybe someone else can set the record straight on that?!?!

[shadow]

Leather seal conditioning 3part's dielectric lube 1 part Neetsfoot oil. Mix up good and work it into the seal let sit for a hour then wipe of excess. Ed

[geewhiz380]

thank u very much im gonna work on it by next weekend cause i keep my airrifles at my aunts house where is legal to have ...jorge

[michael90t]

I am gonna try that mixture next! though I have had really good results with a silicone/30wt mix on my sons B3... have put about 1000-1200 rounds through her with a couple drops added around 700 rounds... but its not running as hot as a tf97 is so....

[tjk]

Jorge, I read that moly doesn't work well with leather seals, so I'd stick with heavy and clear tar in the tube. tjk

[geewhiz380]

Im glad u told me.If i need a compressor to complete the job a friend of my will open it and i will clean the excessive then put on the right stuff .Honestly its a accurate and great shooter it,s the smell and smoke that bothers me. Its my backyard airrifle being a .22 its a decent bring down airgun at 20 yds .jorge

[larspawn]

Jorge,

Is it smoking a lot or a little?

When I tuned the rifle I soaked the seal in Neatsfoot oil for three days.  I usually wipe them pretty well but it is possible it was a bit wet.  If it is still dieseling then you might try some silicone oil in the transfer port.  2 or 3 drops only.  Work the piston up and down but not to cock.  Just an inch or so to distribute the oil.  Then let it sit for a few days on its butt.  Hopefully the seal can still soak up some more oil because the silicon has a higher combustion point than Neatsfoot oil.  If it is saturated with Neatsfoot the silicone oil wil sputter out for several shots.  Then you probably do need to open it up and clean out the tube and start over.

I recommend never putting moly on a leather seal.  You want the viscous oil because the seal will soak it up and expand the seal. That's why you rough it up a bit.  If you moly it all you are doing is sealing up the leather on the surface.  None will absorb to expand the seal.  So you'll end up with a ruined seal that doesn't seal.  You'll also end up with lots of smoke and loss of velocity.

There is a possibility some moly from the piston migrated past the seal so cleaning would fix that.  But I am pretty stingy on moly on the piston and only really put it on the rear where there is metal contact to the tube so I'm hoping that wasn't the case.  To be honest with you, all my leather seal rifles diesel to some extent.  It goes with the territory.  We're all spoiled by synthetic seals.  Or so we think.  I'll bet you that a good leather seal will last the life of the rifle if maintained well.  A synthetic seal will absolutely wear out.  And since syn seals are usually on much higher compression rifles when they start to go they will go fast.  A leather seal can absorb oil almost indefinitely if maintained well.

So I know that nobody likes a "smoking gun" I personally deal with it as part of the character of air rifles.  Yeah, I also like carbs over fuel injection and love riding on my stinky tractor with the marginal rings!

The 97 is easy to work on.  Just be sure when you take the action out that you don't immediately turn the rifle sideways because the three trigger pins rely on the stock to hold them in.  They will fall out.  Also be careful with the two springs that activate the bear trap when removing.  They are about as mischievous as the stinker spring and ball bearing in a Crosman safety.

Good luck and feel free to give me a shout out when you take it apart.

Sorry its bugging you.  I feel badly.

Andy Wong aka larspawn

[geewhiz380]

Andy, please dont worry, u did me a favor but i havent done anything to it and when i shot, it was  outside so i didnt notice in the begining but the otherday it was shot inside so i quickly notice the smoke but its no big thing i will follow instructions before opening it .i thank everyone for a quick response .Andy its ok and im sorry for the headaches im giving u ..God bless us all ...jorge

[larspawn]

Jorge,

No worries.  No hassles for me.  I just want to make sure you are okay with it.  What I loved about that rifle was the solid substantial feel and due to exellent balance it shot so accurate for me.  It was also a rifle you can shoot all day long and not get all rubbery armed!  It didn't have a 2 oz trigger but then I probably wouldn't like it if it did.  I'll give up a little pull weight for consistency and while it isn't a two stage it was pretty consistent.  We all know that a consistent trigger is pretty darn important for accuracy.

I encourage you to open it up.  You won't do any harm and it will be a great experience.  IIRC it there was nothing really tricky about it.  I actually put some painter's tape around the trigger the first time I opened it so the pins wouldn't end up on the tabe!  You can make a compressor for about 5 bucks.  While you're at it you should try to find a couple nice punches that are the right size.  I once bought a whole tray of nail sets, punches, awls, an old Yankee drill and auger for $5.  One of my best garage sale finds.  In there was a punch that is like gold to me.  Fits plug pins perfectly.  Maybe you can find one at the hardwares store.

Anyhoo if you run into any issues give a shout out to the guys here.  I know several have worked on their 97s.  And remember if you ever want to sell it back I'll take it.  (I did get another identical bugbuster to put on my C1!  I love those scopes.)

Andy

[larspawn]

Jorge,

Did you ever get the dieseling to calm down?  Have you opened her up?

I stumbled across an old picture from when I opened it up.  Here is a pic of the three pins you need to be careful of.  They will slide right out because the only thing holding them in is the stock walls.  Also be careful with the spring above.  It actuates the ABTM.



IIRC the piston is a formed tube but it has a slot in it that runs the length up to the seal.  If I put too much lube inside the piston on the spring top it may have migrated up to the seal and may be the source of additional dieseling.  Less is more but some times I get carried away and put too much.  You might just try wiping everything down if it looks too lubed and shoot it some more.  I only used Macarri lubes in that rifle so they should be good for many many years.

Let me know if you are still having issues with the rifle.

Your bud,

Andy

[geewhiz380]

yes it was full of gump but its calming down awhole lot ,its smokin very little .All it need was a wipe down but i thank u for asking,and u did give me a good airrifle for a great price which will never go unseen by me ,i cleaned out the barrel so im starting to season it again and so far its behaving right.It hasnt lost its accuratecy if anything its a little much lower as far as the level of noise ...God bless u and your family and everyone in this forum ..jorge lopez

[tjk]

Jorge, did you get the trigger smoothed out any? That makes shooting them even more enjoyable.  Neat little "BB Gunz" ain't they!!!! tjk

[geewhiz380]

Im so sorry for a late response but yes my friend taught me how to clean the rifle and he did the trigger so it worked out for the best .Trek they r very good to shoot out to 40yds and groups very well at a quarter size should be less but its me getting use to this airrifle plus i put another scope instead of leaving the one andy sent with it which was the bugbuster that i liked very much and want another its the 3-9x50 but i want the 6x32 for the tf97 also i like the bi-directional mount .Thanks for your response......Jorge