Shock question

[brad d]

i have build alot of kits and these shocks seem odd next to my 1/8th stuff...

with no oil the piston/shaft moves easy, add oil and move it up and down and it seems fine.. but when i add the cap the shock is super firm with no spring on it.. this is my first crawler but did not think the shock were meant to be this stiff. if i force them down the oil gets past the cap..


im using the 30wt oil from the kit and the aluminum 2 hole piston..

[losichris]

sounds like you put in to much oil... The stock caps suck so if you keep having the problem get the AL upgrade

[brad d]

Originally Posted by losichris

sounds like you put in to much oil... The stock caps suck so if you keep having the problem get the AL upgrade

the odd thing is the same way i build my truggy shocks.. the caps bleed out the extra oil.

seems odd but yeah with less oil they work.. but i thought air in the shocks was a bad thing

these shocks are not the best things i have seen in the hobby thats for sure

[ynmech]

I usually fill the shock, bleed out the air and push the shock shaft up and slowly put the cap on so some oil leaks from under the bladder and they haven't leaked at all even with my mod to the plastic cap. They are different than other shocks I have built. Also don't forget the green slime on the orings.

[DickyT]

Mine are butter smooth. The way I built them was to fill the shock body to the top, slowly work the piston up and down letting the air escape. Letting the shocks rest upright for about 20 minutes to let all the little bubbles escape.

Then I push the piston in about 3/4 of the way, put the bladder on top of the shock body and pull the shock shaft down while keeping my finger on top of the bladder. This creates suction and seats the bladder into the shock body.

After the bladder is seated, I keep my finger on top of the bladder so it can not pop out and I slowly cycle the shock until all remaining air has escaped and any extra oil has been purged from the shock body.

Then I screw the cap down to the point I feel it contact the bladder but still loose enough to let any extra oil or air escape and slowly cycle the shocks with about 90% up travel a few times.

Once I am convinced I have no excess air or oil in the shock body and they are cycling smooth I tighten down the caps.

I do not know that this is the "right" way, but those that have driven my rig or seen it work will attest that my shocks are smooth and work as they should.

[Pdog7]

These are by far the hardest shocks to bleed I have built. Ditch the bladder and add o-rings instead.

[frito]

what orings do you use if not bladders?

[indiana mudcat]

This is very close to what I do also, the shocks are meant to be bled from the bottom. The early comp shocks that had the wrong o-rings and leaked like a roof shot with a 12 gauge couldn't be bled from the bottom because of Teflon and real close to this method is what worked for me, my only change is pinching the bladder as I pop it on to squeeze extra fluid and all air out. I can match em pretty good first try without any air that way, I'm sure the extra steps don't hurt though. I also find the bladder holds itself as long as you don't push in on the shaft before putting the cap on. If I ever build the kit shocks I might try bottom bleeding them.

There's no way an o-ring can work as well as the bladder. There has to be air in the shocks for them to cycle with an o-ring. The bladder is the only way to get butter smooth.

Originally Posted by DickyT

Mine are butter smooth. The way I built them was to fill the shock body to the top, slowly work the piston up and down letting the air escape. Letting the shocks rest upright for about 20 minutes to let all the little bubbles escape.

Then I push the piston in about 3/4 of the way, put the bladder on top of the shock body and pull the shock shaft down while keeping my finger on top of the bladder. This creates suction and seats the bladder into the shock body.

After the bladder is seated, I keep my finger on top of the bladder so it can not pop out and I slowly cycle the shock until all remaining air has escaped and any extra oil has been purged from the shock body.

Then I screw the cap down to the point I feel it contact the bladder but still loose enough to let any extra oil or air escape and slowly cycle the shocks with about 90% up travel a few times.

Once I am convinced I have no excess air or oil in the shock body and they are cycling smooth I tighten down the caps.

I do not know that this is the "right" way, but those that have driven my rig or seen it work will attest that my shocks are smooth and work as they should.

[Pdog7]

Originally Posted by frito

what orings do you use if not bladders?

Home depot plumbing department #7 black o-rings. They are $1.75 for ten. They work great and stop the leaking. Some have had better luck than me with getting these shocks right. Every time I tried to tighten the caps enough to stop the leaking, the bladder would slip into the shock body. I'm about to switch to some Duratrax shocks. They have been great in my berg and sportsman rig.

[DickyT]

Originally Posted by Pdog7

Home depot plumbing department #7 black o-rings. They are $1.75 for ten. They work great and stop the leaking. Some have had better luck than me with getting these shocks right. Every time I tried to tighten the caps enough to stop the leaking, the bladder would slip into the shock body. I'm about to switch to some Duratrax shocks. They have been great in my berg and sportsman rig.

I went to alu caps to stop the leaking. Today those shocks should be going the way of the parts box though. Big Bores with CO caps lighter, invertable, will NOT leak ever, and big bores are also butter smooth!