|   Mystery solved...sort of. | Matno
Feb 18, 2002 1:11 PM | | This is for someone with bike mechanic experience...
Okay, so I'm an idiot. I just realized that all the time I've wasted trying to figure out my wife's '99 Judy XLC was confusing the heck out of me because it's NOT a '99 fork!!! It's a 98 fork. (No thanks to the guy who sold it to me, who said it was a 99...) Therefore, some of the dumb questions I've posted previously are not relevant. Now I have new questions.
I'm glad I noticed this before I started doing anything since the '99 fork requires 130cc's of extra light fork oil in each leg while the '98 fork requires 10cc's of 15wt oil! Also, rather than pouring the oil in through the top, I have to pour it through the shaft bolt holes in the bottom of each leg! BIG DIFFERENCE.
Back to my original problem: the fork bottoms out halfway through its travel. The 99 manual says this is because of too much oil. The 98 manual makes no mention of it. Could this still be an oil level issue? It will go all the way down if I remove the spring stacks from the upper tubes.
Another question: what are the crush washers that are supposed to go on the shaft bolts? According to the manual, they have to be replaced. I don't think RockShox has parts for older forks any more. Where can I get a set of replacement crush washers? Would I be stupid to try to reuse the existing ones? Should I just take it to an LBS?
I think that's all for now... |
| re: Mystery solved...sort of. | sledneck
Feb 19, 2002 3:46 AM | | Yeah, there is a big difference between the 98 and 99 Rockshox line. The 99ers use open oilbath for damping and lubrication, whereas the 98ers were only recommended the oil for splash-type lubrication, I don't think it really matters how you get it in there, there's enough spaces that it will work its way to the bottom at some stage.
I've no idea why it's bottoming out halfway, was that before or after you disassembled it? Empty out any existing oil from the lowers if you put extra in, are the internals arranged correctly? I can only say follow the destructions until it fits and works properly. The crush washers were integral to the 99ers, but I can't really see the great importance of them for 98 forks, just make sure that the bolts torque up ok and stay there. Don't locktight them. Good luck.
PS Never take a suspension fork to an LBS if you even think you can do it. Chances are they don't know half as much as you about the forks and are just as likely to mess it up at your expense. |
| It gets even weirder... | Matno
Feb 19, 2002 4:56 AM | | I'm slowly learning more about this fork. I just took out the springs last night and realized that they are a full 2 inches shorter than stock! AAAHHH!!! This is way to confusing. I'm assuming that since they still fit snugly and seem to work passably well that they may be part of an aftermarket upgrade with a longer damping assembly. Hmmm. I'm never buying a used fork again! (JK - I probably will...)
AFTER disassembly (of just the spring stacks), the travel seems to have improved quite a bit. It is now a full 80mm and seems much smoother(which leads me to think that maybe - but only maybe - the fork has an 80mm kit installed, although why anyone would want an 80mm dual crown fork is beyond my ability to comprehend). However, the springs easily have enough space in them to achieve a full 100mm of travel before binding.
I'm not really clear on how the damping works in this fork (10cc's of oil doesn't seem like much - is there another source of damping?) Mine (rebound at least) seems to be kind of inconsistent. Most of the time, it's pretty bouncy, but occasionally it will rebound a little more slowly. Barely noticeable, but still noticeable.
You're right, I'm not even going to think about taking this to an LBS! |
| It gets even weirder... | sledneck
Feb 19, 2002 5:28 PM | | I'm not even sure if there were 80mm judy xls, oh well. Damping should be by a sealed cartridge, but if you're damping is inconsistent and you're finding amounts of oil in the lowers, then maybe it's toast. The manual also outlines a method for refilling the cartridge if it has only lost minor amounts of oil..maybe check it out. Too little spring material will also mean that the spring wil bind before the fork is completely compressed. I don't know, 2nd hand forks are always dodgy, someone's frankenfork project gone bad, you never know. I had a judy xl with 100mm englind air cartridges for a 3.6pound DTC, but the way the whole thing was designed meant I had at best 80mm of positive travel, and I couldn't handle all the bother for just 80mm so I sold it. I still recommend you pull the whole shebang apart and match the parts to that of the destruction manual just to ensure you have everything you're supposed to. |
| Hmmm.... | Matno
Feb 19, 2002 7:54 PM | | After taking the springs out again, checking the travel with one spring at a time, and cycling the fork without springs, it has improved dramatically. Still only compressing 80mm, but not hitting hard part way through. Maybe I just need to factor in some negative travel to get the full 100mm? Oh well. If I can sell it, I will. It works fine (super stiff for someone who's used to only single crown forks like me), but it's on a bike that will only be used for XC riding anyway (my wife's). Kind of a waste of a DC fork... |
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