[Closed] 55 rc3 scratched stanchions

They might still be in warranty, Marzocchi now have a 3 year service interval so it might be worth asking the distributor (Windwave?). Nail Varnish works well for chips, but i'm not sure how well it'd cope on long scratches.

The 3yr warranty came in for the 2010 model year...

warranty won't cover scratches, surely?

It shouldn't loose air because of the scratches, it is a coil with air preload and as its Marzocchi there will be a good 50ml of oil in the bottom of each leg. So unless oil is getting past the seals and the air reservoir is effectively getting larger, then your air leak is from somewhere else.

hmmmm... :S

any takers? anyone?

Like I_Ache says, they're coil with air preload, so unless you're using that to prop the fork up then it shouldn't be a huge issue.

How much pressure have you been running in them? Did you do the service or did you send them off to be done? If you did it are you sure you tightened up the top cap to the right torque? Have you noticed any oil on the outside of the fork, is the bolt at the bottom of the leg tight enough?

How are you measuring the pressure loss? Don't you run really low pressures in those - so when you connect the pump it will always show a drop.

As Simon says.

I have both 44rc3's & 66rc3's and I run about 1 bar pressure (14.5 psi), which doesn't even register on one of my pumps. I'm 15 stone kitted.

They were serviced by tf tuned, the dude there pointed out that the stanchions were scratched and that he wouldnt be able to guarantee the seals because of this. he also enquired as to whether the forks had been leaking to which i replied no.. as they hadnt been.

when i got them back they felt better than ever, especially with regards to the way they were mopping up small bumps. The last couple of weeks have seen them drop air though, im coming to this conclusion simply through the feel of the fork.

getting the right amount of pressure in can be a real chore i find, its such a fine line between making sure they dont blow through the travel too easily throwing my weight over the front when i need support and maintaining a decent level of small bump compliance. I rekon the ideal pressure for me is somewhere around or just below 20psi. I think its definitely worth noting that they live on a hardtail, im sure you could get away with lower pressures on a fs due to the way the rear will sqaut helping keep your weight from moving to far forward.

the top cap is awol, the guy at tf tuned put a metal schrader cap with a rubber seal inside of it on for me and said that air can leak from the valve itself during heavy hits.

theres no really obvious signs of oil, sure i get some trace but its more a slight sheen i guess. doesnt look bad at all.

Ive not checked the bottom nut, i'll give that a check.

Trouble with this fork for me is its not really easy to find a great setting so losing it everytime i ride is a real pain in the arse. when its good its great buuuutt.. :S

thanks for the help lads.

In my experience of Marzocchi a slight sheen of oil is perfectly normal. The later forks have slotted bushing to allow oil up the stanchion, specifically for lubrication. That bit about the valve rings a bell - I had a set of 66 ata's that leaked air from the top valve. Could be worth sourcing a replacement.

Its just going to be a normal valve core so get a new one meant for rear shocks from the likes of Mojo or Loco and put a tiny bit of ptfe around the thread.

If rear shock valves leaked air from the valve they would be empty in about half an hour.

Windwave should be able to supply you with a new top cap for pennies. Although the top cap wont make any difference to the valve holding air.

Could be the valve. Call Windwave. They're awesome! See here:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/windwave-top-service