Have got some olde Pike 454 coil u-turn forks that get used infrequently

The other day I dropped the lowers and cleaned them but when I came to refit the uppers the damper rod wouldn’t stay extended. I could pull it out but when the end of the rod touched the inside of the lowers it retracted

Simple fix or do I need to get into the damper cartridge?

Ta

I’ve had this before, the way I fixed it was to open the cartridge, extend the pushrod, then close it again. I guess somehow there was air at a lower pressure inside the cartridge.

It’s not a difficult job but IIRC it’s a lot easier with circlip pliers.