Titan's Maxum II manual ties each gun symptom to a short cause: dried paint in the fluid nozzle for little or no flow, a packing nut that is too tight or a faulty air tube valve for spitting, loose or damaged packing or clogged air cap holes for pulsing. Clean first, adjust the packing nut as the manual shows, then buy parts.
Gun problems on a CapSpray feel like turbine problems because the spray gets worse, but the gun is where most of them start. Titan's Maxum II manual gives a short list of causes for each symptom, and the fixes are mostly cleaning and adjustment. This guide follows that list, adds the gun parts to look up if a cause is confirmed, and tells you which cheap checks to run before you replace anything. The cause list comes from the Maxum II manual. If you have the Maxum Elite, check its manual for the same symptoms.
Gun symptoms at a glance
| Symptom | Cause in the manual | Part to look up |
|---|---|---|
| Little or no paint flow | Dried paint in the fluid nozzle | None to start: disassemble and clean it |
| Spitting | Packing nut too tight, or a faulty valve in the air tube | Air tube valve assembly, per your manual |
| Leaking around the packing nut | Packing nut needs adjusting | Needle packing nut, 0275519 or 0524485 |
| Pulsating spray | Clogged air cap holes, or loose or damaged packing | Packing, per your manual |
These are Titan's causes for the Maxum II. Order any part by your gun's name, and call (713) 931-0006 if the name or the callout is unclear.
Start with the gun, not the turbine
If air comes out of the gun at a steady rate, the turbine is doing its job and the problem is further down the line. That saves you a lot of time. The turbine-side checks, the filter light and the breaker belong to a separate guide; here you are looking at the check valve, the air cap and the fluid nozzle.
Titan's cleaning rules apply to every symptom below. Empty the cup, run solvent through the gun until it comes out clear, wipe the outside, and keep the air holes and passages clean. Never use metal tools on the air cap or the nozzle. The manuals say to clean the check valve too, and that hoses on the check valve should not be soaked in hot solvent. An uncleaned check valve causes trouble the next time you spray, so a gun that spits at the start of the day may simply not have been cleaned properly at the end of the last one.
No paint or very little paint
The Maxum II manual gives one cause for little or no paint flow: dried paint in the fluid nozzle. The remedy is to disassemble the gun and clean the nozzle. No part is needed for that, and it is the simplest place to start.
The other thing to check is the coating itself, because a coating that is too thick for the set in the gun flows badly. The 0153165 viscosity cup is on the 95, 105 and 115 Main Assembly pages, for example the CapSpray 115. Dip it, time the drain and compare the result with the chart in your manual. We are not quoting seconds, because the chart is the authority. Strain and stir the coating, and thin it only as the coating maker allows.
Spitting
The manual gives two causes. The first is a packing nut that is too tight. The second is a faulty valve in the air tube, and the manual's answer is to replace the valve assembly. Spitting after a good clean points at one of these. If the packing nut is over-tightened, the answer is a manual adjustment, not a part. If you think the air tube valve is the cause, call us with your gun's name, because we need to identify which valve assembly applies to it.
Titan says to lubricate the gun threads with petroleum jelly when you reassemble the gun. Do that once, as part of your normal reassembly, and not as a fix for spitting.
Leaking at the packing nut
The manual's remedy for a leak around the packing nut is to adjust the nut. Because a nut that is too tight causes spitting and a loose one allows a leak, the nut has a right setting between the two. Follow your manual's adjustment instructions. We are not giving a torque or a wrench size, because the research we have does not include one.
If adjustment does not stop the leak, the packing is the next suspect, and the nut is the part to look up. The 0524485 needle packing adjustment nut is listed for the Maxum Elite. The 0275519 needle packing nut is listed for HVLP guns including Capspray guns. Check fitment by phone, since the catalog wording is broad. For the Elite's body seal, the 0524618 gun body O-ring is the Maxum Elite part.
Pulsating spray
Two causes are listed in the manual: clogged air cap holes, and loose or damaged packing. The air cap is the free one to check, so look there first. Hold the cap to the light and check that every hole is clear. Clear it without metal tools, since the manuals say never to use them on the air cap or nozzle.
If the air cap is clear, loose or damaged packing is the cause left. The packing is held by the needle packing nut above, so the checks are the same as for a leak. The catalog also lists the 0275498 snap ring and 0275501 rear air valve seal for HVLP guns including Capspray. The manual does not tie either of them to pulsing, so do not buy them to cure it. They are there for when you are rebuilding the air valve and need the number.
Pattern problems that are technique
Not every rough finish is a fault. Hold the gun square to the surface, keep a steady distance, start moving before you pull the trigger and release it before you stop, and overlap each pass by about half the fan. A streaky or coarse pattern also comes from the nozzle size and the settings. Titan's guns have an air knob and a fluid knob, and the pencil and fan patterns suit different jobs. Spray a test board and adjust one control at a time.
The needle, nozzle and air cap set must also suit how thick the coating is. A set that is too small for a thick coating will not deliver it well, which looks like a gun fault but is not. The 0524293 #2 and 0524295 #4 Maxum Elite sets are on the site, and the manuals page has your gun's chart at our manuals page. For other parts, open Accessories or the CapSpray 105 Main Assembly.
Gun parts and the viscosity cup named in this guide:
The Short Version
Clean the fluid nozzle, the air cap holes and the check valve first. Adjust the packing nut as your manual shows. Buy a part only when a cause is confirmed, and call (713) 931-0006 with your gun's name for the air tube valve.
Not sure which gun part you need?
Call (713) 931-0006 with the gun's name and the symptom and our parts team will point you to the right part before you order.
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