Well looking at the eclipse website they have tech Q&A:
My Ego7 solenoid is leaking. How can I fix it?
One cause of this problem could be: the solenoid is over pressurized. Symptom: really hard to push the bolt forward when the marker is gassed up. Solution: the LPR body o-rings are dry or damaged. First put some Eclipse oil on the o-rings and gas it up. Or change the 2 o-rings # 14X2 NBR70
I have now followed the above and now all seems (touchwood) to be okay! It appears I had an eclipse engineer who didnt get enough sleep the night before??!!
will keep you posted
thanks for all your help so far