Removing rear shock

[AndreZA]

Normally there is a spacer/adapter that goes through the hole in the shock and through that you get another shaft with a bolt head on the one side and thread on the inside on the otherside. Another bolt goes in there. So you undo the (short) bolt a bit and hammer the long bolt out. As you can not hit it anymore, you undo more of the bolt and repeat. Eventually the short bolt will be removed completely and you must just try and wiggle the longer bolt out.

[Super_mil]

Mampara is right. The shock itself will have reducers that are alu spacers that sit within a DU bushing. If the spacers/reducers simply fall out of the bushing then the bushing is done and you'll have to replace that too. Then you can smile while your LBS shafts you for R80 per bushing (this was for FOX bushings) and you'll probably need 2, however the top one seems to wear a lot slower than the lower one. Alternatively take the bushing (you'll have to employ devious tactics to coax it out) and take it to Bearing Man or similar where you can pick the bushing up for around R10 or less. Also depending on the condition of the reducers you may well have to change those too, they are both shock & bike specific.

[Rydogg]

Thanks guys, I managed to get them out, just like mr Super_mil said. It was a little stuck at first, but I managed to convince them out.

 

All the bushings are fine. It's the shock that needs to be repaired (or replaced). It's a Monarch 4.2 - worst rear shock Ive ever ridden, but dirt cheap though.

 

During a race it lost all its air and I started bottoming out. A lot! Now it doesn't want to hold more than 50 psi. I hope it's still salvagable.

 

I'm busy stripping my whole bike and fixing / replacing a lot of stuff. My first time, so I am learning about all this stuff from scratch. Thanks for all your help guys.

[Rydogg]

Next question:

 

I'm guessing my linkages have a similar setup with the bearings, bushings and the shafts, but - they have these tiny little screws in holes that run towards the ends of the bolts. What are these for?

Edited May 13, 2011 by Rydogg

[Super_mil]

Will if you are stripping her down, you might as well do all the pivot bearings at the same time. I've just done mine. You can get the Enduro Bearings from Johan Bornman on the hub at a reasonable price or you can go straight to Bearing Man (BMG).

 

You'll need 6 x 608 2RS (they are essentially skateboard bearings) & 4 x 6805 2RS

(the 2 RS stand for 2 Ruber Seals). They are both common bearings and easy to source.

 

Check out Commencal Owners Club - Link 1 & Commencal Owners Club - Link 2 for some good info on the strip down. The only tough one is the main pivot (has 2 no. 8 hex bolts covering the bearings and takes 2 x 6805's on either side of the axel), since you have to remove your crank to access them. The bearings also need some Loctite removable bearing fit, which was expensive and not stocked everywhere.

 

Good luck & enjoy.

[Super_mil]

Next question:

 

I'm guessing my linkages have a similar setup with the bearings, bushings and the shafts, but - they have these tiny little screws in holes that run towards the ends of the bolts. What are these for?

 

They take a 2mm hex. It's a grub screw in there that just keeps the bearing in place. Loosen those before pounding the old bearings out, then when the new bearings are in, add some removable loctite (or similar) to the grubs and put them back in. They don't have to be super tight, just nice and snug.

[The Drongo]

Next question:

 

I'm guessing my linkages have a similar setup with the bearings, bushings and the shafts, but - they have these tiny little screws in holes that run towards the ends of the bolts. What are these for?

 

Rydogg

 

Interesting to hear about that Monarch. How long have you had it? Almost went that route. Decided on Fox RP23. Sounds like you need an airseal service kit. Prob best to get complete service kit. Phone Cape Cycle Systems before ordering from your LBS and speak to a mech there. Get the correct part numbers etc. Then go LBS.

 

In future, instead of hammering on the bolt (potential thread damage), take one bolt out entirely. Place a ball head hex tool into the reducer until it comes up against the lower end of the bolt on the other side. Choose a tool diameter that is smaller than the internal thread of the reducer. Start on the lower reducer first, support the rear triangle and tap the tool with a nylon mallet to drive the reducer out.

 

The 'screws' you refer to are often inserted in the linkages to lock the bearings/pivots in place. They need to be loosened before you undo the pivots or push out the bearings.

 

My suggestion would be to simply remove the visible dust seal from the bearing face, clean out the race (flush with Q20) until clean, repack (don't be shy) and replace dust seal. Use a really thin object to slide in and lift the seal.

[Rydogg]

The bike is about 4 years old, but the shock is only about 2 years old. First the lockout stopped working all together. Then it started getting really "sticky". Then it started leaking oil and finally it lost all it's air. I know - I should have serviced it sooner, but this all happened within a month or so. I will be stripping it and servicing it soon, so we'll see.

 

I'm not sure if I should bother with the pivot bearings. After I removed the shock, the pivots felt a little bit stiff and sticky, but I have never noticed a problem with them before.

[Super_mil]

You will notice a difference when you change them & it is worth doing. It's not that much effort & I see your cranks are already off.

 

One last thing... Check that each of the bolts is still perfectly straight, in particular the one that runs through the lower shock mount. I've bent that one a couple of times after bottoming out, so just roll in on a piece of glass (or any flat surface really) to make sure it's still 100%. If not, contact the guys at Absolut Biking, they have always been really helpful.

[The Drongo]

The bike is about 4 years old, but the shock is only about 2 years old. First the lockout stopped working all together. Then it started getting really "sticky". Then it started leaking oil and finally it lost all it's air. I know - I should have serviced it sooner, but this all happened within a month or so. I will be stripping it and servicing it soon, so we'll see.

 

I'm not sure if I should bother with the pivot bearings. After I removed the shock, the pivots felt a little bit stiff and sticky, but I have never noticed a problem with them before.

 

Try the cleaning and repacking route first. You will soon see the state of the bearings when you lift the seals.

It will be worth it.

[Rydogg]

Ok, new questions:

 

I've removed my rear shock and all the linkages (semi successfully).

 

As super_mil said, my bottom shock shaft and the bushings are overs!!! There are deep scrathes in the center of the shaft and the bushings are rusting???

 

Where can I get new ones from?

[Super_mil]

The bushing do have an orange coating to them so it may not be rust. The scratching to the lower pivot could well be due to it being slightly bowed. If it is, contact Absolut Biking to get a replacement.

 

The DU bush (that sits in the shock eyelet) can be obtained from either your LBS (I paid around R80 each about 2 years ago) or BMG or any other bearing supplier I guess. You'll have to drive the old bush out with an appropriately sized socket or if you go the LBS route you can have them do it. In the end I bought a tool for this specific job from a guy on MTBR forum and got the tool and a set of DU bushes plus shipping for $30.00 (extra DU bushes were $2.50 each, with no additional shipping fees). The tool is really well made and makes inserting and removing the bush a no brainer.

 

The reducers are a shock/frame specific part and you'll have to source those from the local agent, you LBS or have a friend who's handy with a lathe. The part number is: 213-29-00D (both top & bottom are the same).

 

If I were you, I'd still do the main pivot, while you have the bike in pieces...

[Rydogg]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

 

I'll go to the Bearing Man and see what he can do for me. The bushings in the shock are really worn, so I'll definately be replacing them. There are no signs of any coating on the removable bushings, so I'll see if I can get replacements.

 

The pins are still straight. I think I'll just machine them to get rid of all the burrs and scratches. I can't really see a down side of them being SLIGHTLY smaller than origional.

 

I will definately get to the main pivot as well. I'm still busy trying to figure out how to remove the bearings from my "wishbone" part. There is a funny sleeve in the middle that is preventing me from getting to the back of the bearings...

Edited May 20, 2011 by Rydogg

[Super_mil]

Get a punch (5mm I think) and place the wish bone on a block of wood. The punch goes through the one side of the wish bone/bearing and set it on the inside race of the other bearing and beat it Just work your way around the inner bearing race and work it out. Once you have the first one out the second one is a breeze. There is a spacer between the two bearingins so expect to see that fall out when you succeed

[The Drongo]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

 

I'll go to the Bearing Man and see what he can do for me. The bushings in the shock are really worn, so I'll definately be replacing them. There are no signs of any coating on the removable bushings, so I'll see if I can get replacements.

 

The pins are still straight. I think I'll just machine them to get rid of all the burrs and scratches. I can't really see a down side of them being SLIGHTLY smaller than origional.

 

I will definately get to the main pivot as well. I'm still busy trying to figure out how to remove the bearings from my "wishbone" part. There is a funny sleeve in the middle that is preventing me from getting to the back of the bearings...

 

Dude. The downside is you are going to then have pivots that are a smaller diameter than the reducer bushing ID. Which will mean an unacceptable tolerance, which will mean it will be loose, which will lead to damage of your new shock.

You are going to need new pivots from the Commencal agent. New reducer bushings (alu) and new DU bushings. The DU bushings are imperial sizes, so BMG do not stock.

I have managed to find a supplier in Durbs who stocks them. Not sure about CT.

Your reducer bushings have 3 dimensions that are critical: OD of reducer where it pushes into DU bushing. Length of reducer bushing. ID of reducer bushing. Tolerance is critical.

 

Edit: Have you pulled the dust seal off the exposed side of the bearing yet to see if you need to actually remove the bearings?

Edited May 20, 2011 by The Drongo

[Rydogg]

But the pins basically only hold the bearings / bushings in place. They are not supposed to move around. I am just going to remove all the burrs and scratches that are causing the OD to be bigger in certain spots. I am not reducing the majority of the pins' OD. I think they will be fine!

 

Most of the bearings look fine, but when I move the linkages they almost "click" along and move in steps. Typical sign of impact damage to bearing races. I will replace them all!