dumb rebuild shock questions
 

Just replaced the orings in the axial shocks, filled and bled out air bubbles, now when I put the cap on its like its overpressurizing the shock. as I screw the top on it extends the shock to max and they are very hard. What might i be doing wrong? Ive done them in the past on my traxxas and dont recall this problem, help! thanks!!

make sure to push the rod all the way in with the cap screwed on but loose enough where oil can come out.

then once oil is done coming out, screw the cap back on.

(if that's not the problem, then im sure someone on here knows whats up.)

sounds like you have too much oil in the shock and it is hydro locked.

do you put the little bladder thing on first then the cap? or in the cap then screw it on? The way I've done it is fill to the top ,put the bladder seal on put the cap on a couple turns, compress the shock,wait for exess to come out then screw it all the way on. It seems the last few threads when tightening overpressurize the shock. I even watched this cool dude in the vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsOvYgE6EQ . dam little shocks. Its gotta be something I'm doing because its doing it on all four shocks

forgot to add, I installed cut down pen springs under the piston, I think air may be trapped. How might I get the air out?

X2 "thumbsup"

these are the rtc shocks correct?

you put the bladder in then screw the cap on,with the piston down. the bladder won't go all the way in if there's to much fluid. the trick is to squeeze the bladder a little to push the extra fluid out as you push it on. i just got the aluminum ones and cut the bladders on the fronts trying to put them in the cap.

What you see is physics, even with a bladder rc shocks tend to become progressively firmer with compression. The reason is simply because the shock shock going in the body takes some space where oil used to be. Taking into account that fluids generally do not compress like gases then the oil slowly compreses the bladder until there is no space left.
In some shocks this effect is so severe that one can even use the shock without spring and still have good rebound.
A decent solution is to close the shock cap while the the shock shaft is in its' mid position. This way you minimize the effects both for damping and rebound.

Tried traxxas bladders, did the trick I think the clear ones swell up over time and dont fit properly causing all my problems

the traxxas bladders won't work, they leak out the top. you have to get the clear bladders to seat all the way before the cap goes on, if you try to push the shaft in before the cap is all the way on it pops the seal and causes them to leak and/or get cut also.

if the clear bladder wont seat all the way that means there's to much fluid in there, pinch the bladder to let some fluid squeeze out as you seat it. when it's right it sticks like glue.