Metabo HPT nailer not firing nails? Metabo HPT nailer does not fire deep enough? Metabo HPT nailer keeps on jamming?

Well, do not fret as this article is all about Metabo HPT nail gun troubleshooting… and the good thing is that some of the faults are easy enough for anyone (they’re DIY stuff).

Let us jump in.

Metabo HPT nail gun troubleshooting (how to troubleshoot the most common Metabo HPT nail gun problems)

Before getting started, let me mention that it’s very important to regularly clean and lubricate your Metabo HPT nailer…

Not properly lubricating your nailer will lead to it malfunctioning and some parts wearing out.

Keeping that in mind, we recommend you use the Hitachi pneumatic tool lubricant– it is the officially recommended lubricant by Metabo.

Let us turn to troubleshooting your nail gun..

 

Metabo HPT nail gun not shooting nails but turning on

Possible cause

Now, if you note that your Metabo HPT nail gun is working but not shooting nails, then your gun may be experiencing one of the following problems:

• The gun may have jammed.
• You are using wrong nails.
• The plastic collating for your nails may be broken.
• The feeder is dirty or rusted.

Recommended solutions

First, check the nail size that you’ve loaded to make sure that it’s the right size.

To point you in the right direction, below is a chart of the correct nails sizes to use on the Metabo HPT nailer.

Now, if you’re using the right nail size, open your magazine to check whether your plastic collating is broken.

Remember that if broken, you can manually feed the nails or remove the dislodged nails.

Next, if there’s no problem with the collating, you will want to make sure that there’s no jam.

Of course, if you note a nail jam, then you will have to clear it.

We will talk about clearing Metabo HPT nail gun jams shortly but before that, let’s talk about the solution to the final problem that might be causing your gun not to fire…

Lack of lubrication

If all of the above steps didn’t work, then you should clean and lubricate your feeder(I had already mentioned that lubrication is super important when it comes to these nailers).

To do that, follow the following steps:

• Disconnect the air hose.
• Clean and lubricate the knob sliding part using the reccommeded Hitachi pneumatic tool lubricant.
• Open the nail guide and clean dust if any-Also be sure to lubricate the feeder shaft and nose opening.
• Finally, lubricate the feeding surfaces of the nose and the nail guide after cleaning(This promotes smooth operation and prevents rusting).

How to clear Metabo HPT nail gun jam

Here is the thing: if your nail gun is frequently jamming, this might mean that the nails you are using are the wrong size for your nailer(to be sure, see the earlier nail size chart).

That said, jamming once in a long time is fine.

But how do you clear the jam?

First, you will want to disconnect the air hose to prevent any accident from occurring as you clear the jam.

Now, on the nose of the gun, take out the first two bolts furthest from the push lever as below:

You will then take out the bolt attaching the magazine to your nailer.

You can now pull out your magazine and remove the jammed nail.

Now, screw back your magazine and you are good to go.

Metabo HPT nail gun skips nails (intermittent feed)

If you note that your nail gun may be skipping nails when firing, there are quite a few reasons that may be causing this.

They are:

• Using the wrong nail size.
• Piston O-ring is heavily worn out or cut.
• Dirty / rusted feeder.

Recommended solution

Follow the below steps to fix an intermittent feed in your Metabo HPT nail gun…

To start with, check figure 1 above to make sure that you are using the recommended nail sizes for your gun.

If the nail sizes are correct, cleaning and lubricating the feeder could help-follow the steps we have just seen above.

Now, if all the above don’t work, then what you likely have is heavily worn or completely cut piston O-ring.

Regarding this, there’s no shortcut- just replace the piston O-ring– it comes with easy-to-follow replacement instructions.

Metabo HPT nail gun troubleshooting continued…

Metabo HPT nail gun has a weak drive (is slow to cycle)

Below is what may be causing this:

• You are not using the recommended air pressure.
• Your driver blade is worn.
• Your piston O-ring is damaged or worn out.

Recommended solutions

So, how do you fix the weak drive?

The first and easiest step is to always check the air pressure that you are using and increase it to the recommended pressure.

Now, the recommended air pressure is between 70 and 120 psi (5 – 8.5 kgf/cm²)-This will typically vary depending on the length of the nail you are using and the hardness of your lumber.

The correct pressure, therefore, is the lowest pressure that will drive the nail flush with the surface-using higher than required pressure will overstress the gun and eventually damage it.

However, if your air pressure is okay, then you will want to open your gun and inspect the driver blade and the piston O-ring to see which is damaged and replace accordingly.

Metabo HPT nail gun won’t drive nails all the way in

Overall, there are 2 potential causes of the issue.

They are:

• Using little air pressure.
• Using an air hose with a small diameter – this becomes a problem when driving the nails at faster speeds(where the nails are not driven flush with the wood whereas during normal operation, the gun drives the nails flush with the wood).

Recommended solution

The easiest solution here is to make sure that you are using the right air pressure as we have discussed above.

And if you are using the right pressure but still the gun does not drive the nails flush with the wood especially when firing at faster speeds, then you will want to use an air hose with a larger diameter.

Metabo HPT nail gun drives fasteners too deep

This is typically due to using too much air pressure.

Recommended fix

To solve this, all you have to do is first make sure that you are using air pressure between 70 and 120 psi.

Now, depending on the size of nails you are using and the hardness of your wood, slowly decrease the air pressure testing on a sample surface until you arrive at the correct air pressure that drives your nail to your desired depth.

Metabo HPT nail gun troubleshooting – wrapping it up

I hope that this guide on troubleshooting your Metabo HPT nailer will help you get your nailer up and running again.

Needless to say, you may want to take your gun to an authorized Metabo HPT service center for further assistance if the above fixes do not work.

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