OK on the extension your letting it go , so it extends on its own , correct ??
When your installing the assembly you are sure the shaft is fully extended before installing it , correct ??
When you compress it , and let it go , each time , it should extend all the way ,every time , if you do it 10 times (just compressing it to see if it extends all the way) , it should still fully extend EVERY time , no matter how many times you compress it
If it starts sucking back in , even if it only sucks in at first a little , and the more times you compress it , it sucks in a little more each time , and oil is still draining out when you tilt it with the hole down each time , then your seal is leaking , which would explain the excess oil coming out the holes when you tilt it , you will get some oil at first , which is why they tell you to tip it with the holes pointing down so it does drain off the excess from when installing the assembly , but if you keep compressing it , and you keep getting oil each time , then the seal is definitely leaking (the free Piston Seal) , which means you will have to take it apart , as shown in the pics i posted , and replace the seal
Is it doing this with both rods , or just 1 ??? And is it doing it the same length with both rods if it is , or are each extending differently ??
If they are both doing it equally then i would say its something your doing while bleeding or installing the assembly
If one ends up extending more than the other but they both keep retracting , or not extending fully and gets worse the more times you compress it , then the seals in both are bad
mossman77 wrote:OK on the extension your letting it go , so it extends on its own , correct ??
The rod extends on its own to 11-1/4" when holding it horizontally and 12" when holding it vertically. Fully extended length is 12-7/8". I can pull it the remaining inch or so and it stays extended.
Something is still amiss , as it should , no matter what , extend till it stops at the rebound piston , so either you are too low on oil while installing the assembly , or you are not bleeding it completely (i will follow up on this with one of your other comments)When your installing the assembly you are sure the shaft is fully extended before installing it , correct ??
Yep.
If the rod is fully extended when installing the assembly , then if its not after installation , then it means either not enough oil or it still has air
When you compress it , and let it go , each time , it should extend all the way ,every time , if you do it 10 times (just compressing it to see if it extends all the way) , it should still fully extend EVERY time , no matter how many times you compress it
Although it does not fully extend, it extends to the same point no matter how many times I pump it (11-1/4" and 12" depending on orientation). BTW, I am compressing the rod all the way as far as I can.
Have you tried only compressing it so there is about 3 or 4 inches of the rod left exposed , in case you are getting air by compressing it all the way if the oil is low , or there is air in the system , doing this while holding the rod verticalIf it starts sucking back in , even if it only sucks in at first a little , and the more times you compress it , it sucks in a little more each time , and oil is still draining out when you tilt it with the hole down each time , then your seal is leaking , which would explain the excess oil coming out the holes when you tilt it , you will get some oil at first , which is why they tell you to tip it with the holes pointing down so it does drain off the excess from when installing the assembly , but if you keep compressing it , and you keep getting oil each time , then the seal is definitely leaking (the free Piston Seal) , which means you will have to take it apart , as shown in the pics i posted , and replace the seal
Oil stops coming out after several pumps and no additional leakage after a 10-minute 9" compression test.
So your waiting 10 minutes , then compressing it , and it remains in the same extension as before , but still not fully extended , but also not any shorter ?Is it doing this with both rods , or just 1 ??? And is it doing it the same length with both rods if it is , or are each extending differently ??
I've only done one, but will do the other this evening to compare.
This will help confirm if there is a issue with either the install/bleed process or something elseIf they are both doing it equally then i would say its something your doing while bleeding or installing the assembly
Roger that.If one ends up extending more than the other but they both keep retracting , or not extending fully and gets worse the more times you compress it , then the seals in both are bad
The first one is not retracting and extends the same length after multiple pumps.
But its not extending till it can go no further , and that bothers me and is not right , something is causing it to not extend fully as it should
I have a novel idea, what if I used my vacuum bleeder to remove any trapped air? I could plug one of the bleed holes and attach my vacuum bleeder to the other. Or at least vacuum bleed the piston rod to ensure all the air is out of the rod and the oil before inserting the piston assembly.
You can't vacuum bleed it because because if there is air in the system it is under the valving still , so unless its bled properly it won't lose the air that is there already
Other observations:
- There is very little bubbling and no foaming of the fluid when pumping. Often times when I am pulling the rod out, it burps fluid out the top. Seems like that would mean it is fully bled, because otherwise air would come out.
If your still seeing ANY bubbles ,even if real small ones , then there is still air in the system , the oil should be absolutely bubble free , if there is 1 bubble , then there is air in the system , this part of the bleeding process is critical , there can be NO air bubbles period
If the rod is burping the oil up so it splashes , then you just added air into the system , the oil should stay down and get nowhere near bubbling up if your bleeding the cartridge properly , remember i said before , if it squirts up , then your doing it too forcefully and quickly which is most likely adding air into the system , and at no time can the rebound stack ever come out of the oil or it will just suck air in and defeat everything you just did trying to bleed the air out
-When compressing the rod fully, I can hear some faint gurgling inside the rod chamber and also coming from the bleed holes at the top of the assembly. I replaced all the o-rings and want to say one of them appeared a tad bit skinnier. Maybe I'll try putting the old one back on.
Have you tried only compressing it so there is about 3 or 4 inches of the rod left exposed , in case you are getting air by compressing it all the way if the oil is low , or there is air in the system , doing this while holding the rod vertical
So your waiting 10 minutes , then compressing it , and it remains in the same extension as before , but still not fully extended , but also not any shorter ?
OK well then you will note that it says that the rod should extend to its "maximum" , if it does not , bleed it again , so i am still thinking you have air in the system , or the oil amount is not correct (drain it into a CLEAN pan , that way you can keep reusing the oil , as it should not be contaminated , so your not just dumping/wasting fresh oil)
I know it shows to tighten the fork cap assembly in a vice laying sideways , but i prefer that you hand snug with the wrench , while holding the cartridge upright , so no air can possibly get in , then tip it and drain the excess out the weep hole , , now what i do to not have to sit there for 10 or whatever minutes , is to just take a rag and cover the area so the oil does not go everywhere and blow it out with a air nozzle
I dont give the last snug check until i have the fork in the clamp on the bike and the bottom clamp snugged , i have never felt the need , nor do i know anyone that "torques" the fork cap assembly , a good quick hand snug is plenty sufficient , as the upper clamp holds it tight as well
Again , this is after you can pump the rod and it extends FULLY every time
I am still saying something is amiss in your bleeding procedure of either the assembly , or of the cartridge itself
Again , if the seal was bad the rod would suck in farther and farther every pump and the oil would continue to drain from the bleed hole
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