Skadar
Newbie
Hey everyone, I disassembled a shock in order to fix a sticking piston. That worked out just fine... however, putting the shock back together was very problematic. I watched a few tutorials online, so I was prepared for everything except what I kept experiencing. Here's what happened...
I would fill the shock with fluid and then place the diaphragm on top. I would then make sure to eliminate any air under the diaphragm. Then I would gently compress the shock a bit in order to force out extra oil that prevented the diaphragm from seating in its proper spot. This was all fine.
The problem came whenever I tried to screw on the cap. A natural seal formed between the diaphragm and the cap with a pocket of air as I screwed it down. This forced the diaphragm to collapse into the shock barrel.
I tried assembling the shock about 6 times. I would screw on the cap and then unscrew it to check the diaphragm, and every time I would find it floating sideways in the oil. I kept having to fish out the diaphragm, clean it, clean out the inside of the cap, and then try again.
I'm pretty sure I finally solved the issue by compressing the shock about half way as I screwed the cap on. I'm too afraid to check the cap one last time and the shock seems to be working normally.
How to you guys avoid this? I only ask because nobody in the videos seemed to have this issue, but when you think about how the cap is designed, the issue appears to be unavoidable!
I would fill the shock with fluid and then place the diaphragm on top. I would then make sure to eliminate any air under the diaphragm. Then I would gently compress the shock a bit in order to force out extra oil that prevented the diaphragm from seating in its proper spot. This was all fine.
The problem came whenever I tried to screw on the cap. A natural seal formed between the diaphragm and the cap with a pocket of air as I screwed it down. This forced the diaphragm to collapse into the shock barrel.
I tried assembling the shock about 6 times. I would screw on the cap and then unscrew it to check the diaphragm, and every time I would find it floating sideways in the oil. I kept having to fish out the diaphragm, clean it, clean out the inside of the cap, and then try again.
I'm pretty sure I finally solved the issue by compressing the shock about half way as I screwed the cap on. I'm too afraid to check the cap one last time and the shock seems to be working normally.
How to you guys avoid this? I only ask because nobody in the videos seemed to have this issue, but when you think about how the cap is designed, the issue appears to be unavoidable!