Rockshox Recon (SL) Lockout not working

I’ve got Rockshox Recon SL with manual (i.e. not remote poploc) lockout forks which are about a 18 months old. The lockout has stopped locking out the fork. Anyone had this? Is it likely to be something trivial which stripping down that bit of the fork (using the instruction on the SRAM website) will reveal? OR does it mean something has snapped/failed which will need expert attention anyway? I can’t actually work out how the lockout works from the pics on the SRAM site, I’m assuming it will be more obvious once disassembled?

usually sorted by changine the damping oil ime

Oil has probably leaked from the stanchions to the lower legs. Strip and rebuild time…

The oil runs through a valve into the damper (thing with blue nob) when the fork is compressed. Lockout works by closing the valve to stop the oil running through and therefore prevents the fork from moving. If the oil has leaked out into the lowers, there’s nothing to stop the fork compressing.

that would mean he would have limited travel

it could limit the travel but depending how much has leaked it might not be noticeable? It’s the most common fault on rebas and recons IIRC.

poly does the fork have less travel than usual? If you let the air out can you fully compress it?

Duuno if this helps, but on all three of my RS forks this happens. Its always due to damper fluid leaking past the inner lower damper seal.

Its number 6 on here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rock-Shox-Reba-Race-O-rings-Seals-Crush-Washer-kit-/180658553093?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a1016c105#ht_1837wt_1139

Symptoms are:

1-lockout doesnt work
2-on air models-let all of the air out (of + and -) and you cant get full travel.
3- If you drain the oil from the right lower the oil will be blue, or a mix of blue and brown.

Really its a manufacturing fault – but I see it as a good reason for regular services.

BTW the dodgy inner damper seal is a standard imperial size. You dont need to buy the whole TF tuned kit or that ebay bit. 99p IIRC for 2 from simplybearings.

Lastly – you’ll need some decent circlip internal pliers. Not those universal internal / external wobbly cheapies.

Thanks guys. I’ll investigate the fork travel tomorrow. It is definitely still moving through most of its range – but I haven’t checked it properly. I’ll need to get some circlip pliers before I go digging…

Strip down, clean and rebuild sorted my Recons. Simon @ Loco can help with seal/seals and good advice.

OK – well I seem to have full travel. I’ve not managed to get the damper off because I didn’t appreciate the significance of what couldashouldawoulda said and bought a crap set of “universal” wobbly ones – which are crap.

I haven’t managed to pull the lowers off the uppers yet (which the SRAM manual suggests should be possible) – but I wonder if this is related to the lockout and I’ll need to get it out first. Either that or it just needs a bit more brute force.

On a related note, I have rockshox Recon SL Forks -defo the coil type – and I have about 5mm of travel before they ‘bottom out’. Bike has been upright in shed over winter.

Is it a straightforward job to strip and rebuild?

Poly- lowers will come off regardless of the damper situation, but the internal shafts are seated into the lowers, and need the seat to be broken first.Loosen the bolts a few turns, hold a drift on the head of the bolt and crack it with a hammer to free it(helps if you support the arch with your foot whilst you do this),drain the oil through the bolt holes, and the legs should just pull off then.

keep us posted as i am convinced i am right about it being degredation of damping oil instead of a problem with a seal. This is based on exactly the same symptoms witha mates recon thatw as fixed with a change of oil, and the smae on my old revs and pikes

coatesy, ah that explains what they mean in the manual – I thought they were just freeing up “seized” bolts – but it makes sense now.

cruzheckler – I’ll keep you informed – its an interesting learning process as the “servicing instructions” seem quite complicated – but aren’t really and I’m learning a lot about how the bouncy bits at the front work.

Smudger – you’ll find pdf servicing instructions on the SRAM website.

We have a little progress. The lowers are off (easy when you know how!). There was not very much oil in the lowers (I haven’t checked what should be in there but I am guessing 20 mL each side at the very most – probably a lot less. It was clean looking and very light yellow in colour.

The damper side had a lot more oil in the upper. This was slightly blue in colour. The air spring side had some oil (pale yellow colour) in the upper – but something more worrying… a very thin metal washer which is mishapen and split. This might be what the manual refers to as the wavy washer. I’ll investigate but gut feel is it shouldn’t be split? So I’ll need to get parts.

All the oil looks clean, and at first glance all the seals seem fine, no corrosion scratches or dirt on the inside so hopefully fix this washer if needed refill with oil and we will be back in business.

Does anyone know if this washer should have a split in it. This is the assembly out of the “air spring” side and it seems to be described as a “wavy washer”.

If it shouldn’t be split am I right in thinking the whole thing needs replacing? i.e. it is not possible to replace the washer on its own (based on the info from SRAM parts list?).

i don’t think that will make any odds to be honest

hey, I’ve got exactly the same problem with my recon, and after stripping it down a couple of times I ‘think’ its the issue with the oil leaking out of the damper stanchion as mentioned above. I’ve ordered a set of replacement O-rings so hopefully that will sort it! Also, my ‘wavy washer’ on the air spring side is split exactly the same as yours, but it seems to seat OK so maybe it’s supposed to be like that to spring out and grip the inside the tube?

couldashouldawoulda – what size is that particular o-ring?

OK – I tried just stripping, cleaning, refilling and reassembling (no new o-rings). Before I put the lowers on the lockout mechanism seemed to be working but by the time I had finished it was no longer working. So, it looks like I’ll need to get the o-rings, strip it all down again, replace all the seals and cross my fingers. I’ll live with it for a few weeks as I need to get some cycling done!

i did the same for amates pikes last night – 30 mins taking my time including the O rings
£18 delivered for the full service kit from LOCO (to do EVERY seal)