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Fox shock servicing


StokedAboutSpokes

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Recently my shock started leaking oil and I had done about 2000km on the shock since I last serviced it.

 

I was looking arround on the fox website and found a video that shows you how to service you own shock so I thought I could save some bucks by servicing it my self.

 

I went to my LBS to order the part I needed which was about 200mm of suspension fluid, the 32mm dust wiper kit and  2 fox float fluid pillow packs. I went back a few days later to pick up the parts and said to them that I would pay for it with the other parts i ordered that still needed to arrive.

 

So i went to pay for the stuff the next day and they had charged me R450 for the suspension parts. Can someone tell me if this is correct because if it is, then i might as well send it in next time because it ends up being almost the same price.
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Just had Fork and shock done...R400 BUT

 

now my Fork does not want to lock out properly...where did you get the vids?

 

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Are you talking about a fork? If so, I just did my own, replaced all the o-rings, dust wipers and oil - cost me about R350. Talk to Johan Bornman - I got everything from him - excellent service smiley32.gif

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Ya R450 is a bit steep R350 for the parts sounds better, If you send your fork away that makes more sense cuz there's a labour and shipping charge involved...

 

@Coenie If the lockout doesn't work then it means the o-rings need replacement, ideally you need an axle vise to loosen all the parts of the damper assembly...
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Ya R450 is a bit steep R350 for the parts sounds better' date=' If you send your fork away that makes more sense cuz there's a labour and shipping charge involved...

 

@Coenie If the lockout doesn't work then it means the o-rings need replacement, ideally you need an axle vise to loosen all the parts of the damper assembly...
[/quote']

 

But it worked 100% before the service and now it does not ?

 

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Then they may have used the wrong oil? I have found that even using Motorex 7wt oil is not the same as the fox 7wt oil, I don't want to open a can of worms but I believe that fox oil must be used in fox products...It is also my personal experience.

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Then they may have used the wrong oil? I have found that even using Motorex 7wt oil is not the same as the fox 7wt oil' date=' I don't want to open a can of worms but I believe that fox oil must be used in fox products...It is also my personal experience.[/quote']

 

No, that doesn't make sense. If they used the wrong oil, it would have malfunctioned from day 1. A lockout that doesn't work is a compression damper that doesn't close all the way or hasn't got enough oil to reach it. Lockout will even work with water. Try it, you'll see.

 

Fox oil is just rebranded motorbike fork oil. Lefty has mentioned several times which one it is. It escapes me now, but it is not important. Any good oil of the right viscocity is fine.

 

 

 

 
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Then they may have used the wrong oil? I have found that even using Motorex 7wt oil is not the same as the fox 7wt oil' date=' I don't want to open a can of worms but I believe that fox oil must be used in fox products...It is also my personal experience.[/quote']

 

No, that doesn't make sense. If they used the wrong oil, it would have malfunctioned from day 1. A lockout that doesn't work is a compression damper that doesn't close all the way or hasn't got enough oil to reach it. Lockout will even work with water. Try it, you'll see.

 

Fox oil is just rebranded motorbike fork oil. Lefty has mentioned several times which one it is. It escapes me now, but it is not important. Any good oil of the right viscocity is fine.

 

 

This sounds like it Johan, before I took it for a service it lock earlier

each time it locked...the little blue thing would stop earlier each time, now

after the service, and immediately it does not want to lock properly....

 

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This sounds like it Johan' date=' before I took it for a service it lock earlier each time it locked...the little blue thing would stop earlier each time, now after the service, and immediately it does not want to lock properly....

[/quote']

 

Coenie, I'd love to give you an answer but your question is confusing. Are you saying that the lockout used to work erratically before the service and after the service not at all?
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Johan

 

what happend was before the service....I would turn the blue lockout and the fork would lock, with the little blue handle ending up at 6 o'clock possition, then 15 minitues later I would lock it again and now it would lock at 5 o'clock then 4 then 2 and at the end of the day it locked at 1. However it did lock every time and did not have any compression when locked.

 

I had it serviced, and it came back now when I get the loackout to 6 o'clock it "locks" but I can still compress the fork, and after about 1 min it "locks" better but it still moves about a cm before stopping.

 

does it make more sense?

 

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Johan if you read my response I said  in my personal experience, and I did have the joy of reading the thread of the various oils and how this one has a specific gravity of who cares etc. What I meant is that I have used Motorex  7wt oil in a fox fork before and the lockout refused to work and there was no rebound damping whatsoever, so I drained the oil and put the fox stuff in and hey presto everything worked perfectly, So thinking this was a fluke I tried it on the next 3 forks I did that week and all with the same results, So in my personal experience...

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Johan if you read my response I said  in my personal experience' date=' and I did have the joy of reading the thread of the various oils and how this one has a specific gravity of who cares etc. What I meant is that I have used Motorex  7wt oil in a fox fork before and the lockout refused to work and there was no rebound damping whatsoever, so I drained the oil and put the fox stuff in and hey presto everything worked perfectly, So thinking this was a fluke I tried it on the next 3 forks I did that week and all with the same results, So in my personal experience...[/quote']

 

My quest for "why" seems to offend people. Please dont take offense.

 

You say it works, fine, but I need to understand why it works. The way I see it is that lockout is a valve that closes. This prevents fluid to be pushed through the valve or conversely, the valve (and its attached piston) to move through the fluid. If the valve is closed, it is closed and no fluid can go through. The valve doesn't care whether it is moving through water or treacle.

 

Admittedly the valve is not airtight, so a very thin fluid will seep past but in the range of oils we use, that is not the case. Seepage will also be slow so a quick puch on the lockout will still feel like perfect lockout.

 

With that basic understanding in mind, if you say one type of oil provided lockout and the other didn't, I suspect other factors, not the oil.

 

I'll offer the following: send me a sample of the non-lockout oil and and I'll give it a go. If it doesn't lock out, I throw my understanding of valving out the window and start afresh.

 

 
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Johan

what happend was before the service....I would turn the blue lockout and the fork would lock' date=' with the little blue handle ending up at 6 o'clock possition, then 15 minitues later I would lock it again and now it would lock at 5 o'clock then 4 then 2 and at the end of the day it locked at 1. However it did lock every time and did not have any compression when locked.

I had it serviced, and it came back now when I get the loackout to 6 o'clock it "locks" but I can still compress the fork, and after about 1 min it "locks" better but it still moves about a cm before stopping.

does it make more sense?
[/quote']

 

It makes more sense in terms of understanding the symptoms, but none whatsoever in what causes it.

 

You don't say what would happen to the lever position if you keep on riding and locking out....does it move over to the left completely and thus eventually run out of sweep? That's not important, just thinking aloud.

 

It sounds like a mechanical problem somewhere with the rod that turns the needle valve being loose, giving erratic travel. Dunno, will have to open and look.

 

 

 

 
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You don't say what would happen to the lever position if you keep on riding and locking out....does it move over to the left completely and thus eventually run out of sweep? That's not important' date=' just thinking aloud.
[/quote']

 

Yes it did eventuall run out of sweep, but after the service it is all fixed now. However it does not lock properly now. So it has it's sweep back but even fully locked, there is still movement on the shock

 

 

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