|   What do you use to measure the right amount of oil? | AK
Feb 20, 2002 9:28 PM | | I have a Marzocchi Atom Sport air/oil fork that needs an oil change. The manual says to fill it with 35mm of oil in each leg. What do you folks use to measure the right amount of oil to pour into each fork leg? I tried an auto parts store, but syringe's they sell only measure in CC's, not mm's. I am at a loss on what to use so I get the right amount of oil measured correctly. Help! Thanks. |
| re: What do you use to measure the right amount of oil? | Brian Peterson
Feb 20, 2002 10:37 PM | | Cut a zip tie to a length of 35mm. Than compress the fork and use the zip tie as a dip stick. That's what the tech guys use... works great.
Brian |
| more... | mtnpat
Feb 21, 2002 5:35 AM | | That's a great idea, but I think AK is confusing the QUANTITY of oil to add, with checking the LEVEL.
AK, Brian is correct, do not worry about adding a specific amount of oil, rather make sure you add (or subtract) oil to get it to the manufacturer specified level. This is usually so many inches or millimeters from the top.
mtnpat (going home to make a tie-rap dipstick for his Manitou) |
| Very sensitive, highly specialized, piece of equipment | Bob
Feb 21, 2002 6:09 AM | | well not really. I use your basic plastic straw.
I mark a line with a black Sharpie 45mm (insert your "oil height" here) from the end. Use that as a dipstick. Then, if I need to remove any oil, I just shove the straw into the tube, place my finger over the end and let the super-duper, vaccum action pull out the excess.
Gotta love free bike tools. Thanks Burger King.
Bob |
| Great tip Bob! (nm) | p
Feb 21, 2002 6:50 AM | | . |
| Damn, that is good.. | Locoman
Feb 21, 2002 9:01 AM | | I used a dipstick to check, but I'd stick in a twisted paper towel to absorb excess. Talk about sloppy and inefficient.
Thanks for the tip- |
| Thanks, great tip | Nigey
Feb 21, 2002 9:29 AM | | Hats off Bob, great tip -I'm definitely using that one next time -I was removing excess with a screwed up paper towel (duh!).
Now all I've got to do is save up for that specialized piece of equipment ;^) |
| yeah, good tip but.. | HooKoo
Feb 21, 2002 11:14 AM | | wouldnt that remove slightly more than you wanted to due to the level being higher inside the straw than outside? Or is the oil thick enough that the difference is so minute it doenst matter? Hmm, good one, definitely be giving this a try next time a change is due.
Alan. |
| glad to help out | Bob
Feb 21, 2002 1:52 PM | | Thanks guys.
In response to HooKoo:
After I remove any oil I just re-measure. To tell you the truth I can't feel a difference in my 01' Atom Race between 40 and 55 mm of air space from the top of the stanchion down to the oil height. I definately won't feel 1 or 2 mm.
Regardless, I still only get 70mm of travel at best in this thing. If anyone has any tips on how to get the full 80mm I'd be happy. I'm beginning to think that "mm" stands for "Marzocchi Millimeters" in which:
70 marzocchi milimeters = 80 metric millimeters
Happy tuning. ;-)
Bob |
| 1 ml = 1 cc (nm) | Dutch
Feb 21, 2002 7:54 AM | | |
| CC = Volume & MM = Linear Measurement | Jrm
Feb 21, 2002 8:24 AM | | usually 35 MM's from the top of the statchion |
| this | ruler
Feb 21, 2002 6:14 PM | | a thin metric ruler which has a slide bar clip so you can set the oil height to yor liking, doing a pre set mark on something gets you started, but Marzocchi's are affected by small amounts of oil level change and having a 5 dollar ruler to set it where you want is ideal. Maybe stock oil height is not quite what you like. |
| what i do...it works great! | Sofa
Feb 22, 2002 3:26 PM | | marz says each fork leg gets 95cc of oil. The dipstick method (45-55mm from the top..or something like that) is so iffy...shaky fingers, unclear of where the measurement is actually taken from...top of the inside lip, outside lip, crown?
I found a die dye applicater, (similar to a plastic katchup bottle, but clear and graduated)
I marked off with a marker, 95 cc (FYI CC=mL) and shoot that in each leg...it's exact, quick, and clean, and cheap! |
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