Fox Rp23 leaking oil out of the Rebound/Lockout shaft

[Skylark]

My Fox Rp23 is leaking oil out of rebound/lockout shaft - quite a substantial amount , the frame & RD etc below it are coated in oil.

What's happening and what can I do?

 

Appears I am having a seal failure on a tiny seal on the rebound/lockout shaft.

This thread on MTBR describes what appears to be my problem :

http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/fox-rp23-leaking-oil-behind-rebound-knob-660082.html

 

I'm in Durban so any heads up or places I can get spares or have it repaired at will need to be somewhere in that vicinity!

I am pretty good with tools so DIY solutions would be ideal - But I do know my limitations!

Thanks guys!

Edited September 19, 2011 by SkyLark

[Johan Bornman]

This isn't a DIY job. Although the part that failed is simple, replacing it is not simple since it basically requires a full damper service and bleed. Further, obtaining that O-ring from local industrial sources is impossible. Fox also doesn't sell the kit.

 

Send it to someone who understands the issue at hand.

[Skylark]

This isn't a DIY job. Although the part that failed is simple, replacing it is not simple since it basically requires a full damper service and bleed. Further, obtaining that O-ring from local industrial sources is impossible. Fox also doesn't sell the kit.

 

Send it to someone who understands the issue at hand.

 

Thanks Johan , any idea's of how much that will cost?

Could you recommend anyone in Durban that can do this job or does it need to be sent to Omnico?

[droo]

Have hit my head on this one recently - aside from the spares being unavailable to anyone except Omnico, there isn't a single how-to on the web for a complete rebuild of an RP23.

 

On a side note, when one sends a shock in to the agent for a service, is the standard R500-ish job just an air can service?

[Skylark]

Would Good-2-Go in Durban/pinetown be able to do my shocks full damper service and bleed as Johan recommends?

[Johan Bornman]

Would Good-2-Go in Durban/pinetown be able to do my shocks full damper service and bleed as Johan recommends?

If you can wait until next week I can do the job for you. Contact me offline please.

[MoreTrails]

Skylark - the exact same has happened to mine this week....big puddle of oil all over the floor.

 

I have sent mine to Omnico as they did a full service in March, and subsequent to this there has been a failure....I wait to hear back from them!

 

Will post a result when I have some news. I also chatted to JB for a while about the problem, as well as Droo and myself scratching our heads and keyboards trying to find a solution.

 

Get a pro to service, not a simple thing.

[Skylark]

If you can wait until next week I can do the job for you. Contact me offline please.

Thanks - Will Pm just now

[Skylark]

Skylark - the exact same has happened to mine this week....big puddle of oil all over the floor.

 

I have sent mine to Omnico as they did a full service in March, and subsequent to this there has been a failure....I wait to hear back from them!

 

Will post a result when I have some news. I also chatted to JB for a while about the problem, as well as Droo and myself scratching our heads and keyboards trying to find a solution.

 

Get a pro to service, not a simple thing.

Thanks Moretrails - Gona contact Johan for the service , omnico maybe chucks it to a faceless technician who really doesn't care one way or the other if the problem is sorted out once and for all or the 3rd time its sent in

[Skylark]

Is it safe to ride with the shock as is till I can afford the repair?

I know the rebound will get rather violent as the damper loses more oil

[droo]

With no oil in the damper you'll surely trash the seals, and if there's any dirt contamination you'll probably trash the shafts too. Also you'll probably go over the bars on the first square edged hit.

[Johan Bornman]

Yes, it is safe to ride the shock until you can repair it.

 

The damper oil is in a self-contained unit that has nothing to do with lubricating the wiper seal that you can see where the grey damper body goes into the air canister.

 

In fact, damper oil leaking internally will lubricate the seal.

 

The concept of the "rebouont becoming violent" needs some clarification.

 

By "rebound" on a shock we actually mean rebound damping. In other words, the higher you turn up your rebound, the more you damp the rebound action. Rebound is the shooting back of the shock after a compression. With more rebound, the shock will return slower than with less rebound. If the oil has started to leak out, the rebound will be jerky - fast at first where the piston moves in the air cavity created by the oil that leaked out - and then slow, as it enters the remaining oil. Air bubbles in a poorly bled system can be felt as just that.

 

Thus, a shock with absolutely no rebound damping at all (all the oil is gone) will simply bounce like a pogo stick. What it wont do is provide a kick, like some people expect. Such a kick can only come from compression damping. Very few shocks have compression damping. This can only be found on high-end downhill shocks, some Marzocchi marathon and of course, downhill shocks and,I believe, the newest Monarch shocks from Rock Shox.

 

Keep on riding. You may bounce a bit but it cant damage the shock.

[Skylark]

Yes, it is safe to ride the shock until you can repair it.

 

The damper oil is in a self-contained unit that has nothing to do with lubricating the wiper seal that you can see where the grey damper body goes into the air canister.

 

In fact, damper oil leaking internally will lubricate the seal.

 

The concept of the "rebouont becoming violent" needs some clarification.

 

By "rebound" on a shock we actually mean rebound damping. In other words, the higher you turn up your rebound, the more you damp the rebound action. Rebound is the shooting back of the shock after a compression. With more rebound, the shock will return slower than with less rebound. If the oil has started to leak out, the rebound will be jerky - fast at first where the piston moves in the air cavity created by the oil that leaked out - and then slow, as it enters the remaining oil. Air bubbles in a poorly bled system can be felt as just that.

 

Thus, a shock with absolutely no rebound damping at all (all the oil is gone) will simply bounce like a pogo stick. What it wont do is provide a kick, like some people expect. Such a kick can only come from compression damping. Very few shocks have compression damping. This can only be found on high-end downhill shocks, some Marzocchi marathon and of course, downhill shocks and,I believe, the newest Monarch shocks from Rock Shox.

 

Keep on riding. You may bounce a bit but it cant damage the shock.

 

Thanks Johan , you are correct there - although it is confusing becuase many people use that terminology in the reverse when referring to the rebound control system in shocks/forks - confused me more than a few times , still have to clarify often what people mean - And exactly what I myself mean