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Fork damper seized up on a cold(er) ride this week due to o-ring failure, and Xfusion helpfully don't sell a damper seal kit in the UK (apparently I should be sending it for a full service to replace a few pence worth of rubber).
Couple of questions - is there a particular type of rubber seal I should be using over and above standard nitrile to improve cold weather performance, and can anyone recommend someone in the leeds/bradford area I can wander into with an o-ring in my hand and get a replacement?
are you sure the o ring hasnt failed because of wear and the fork is due a service?
Quite possible. It certainly needs replacing. But the service is going to be carried out by me!
The basic formula is that sending it off for a service costs 80 quid or so, and the handful of seals I actually need are likely to be a few quid. I already have all the tools, fluids and grease that I need.
TBH I'd be happy paying 25 quid or whatever for a set of damper seals from Xfusion. But they only sell them in the US, and postage appears to be prohibitive.
Ta. Better get the tape measure out I suppose. Or do folk just get a big box of various sizes and hope for the best?
J-Tech used to sell and service X fusion forks. I bought my slants from them.
Got the feeling they gave up in the end because of difficulty getting hold of spares but they may have details of the part numbers/specs. J-Tech are really helpful so worth contacting them.
Yes, they seem like nice guys. Contacted them about a similar issue a while back, and unfortunately they couldn't help. Xfusion stuff is really good but getting even simple spares is a bit of a headache. Not sure it's the ideal choice for people who like to service their own stuff.
What I really need is a friendly person in the US who would stick a damper seal kit in a padded envelope and airmail it to me...
Is it for an RL2? Just realised I have some xfusion O ring kits in the shed
It is!
Even if they're not the damper side, I'd buy them off you if you don't have the forks any more...
No joy I’m afraid- had a good look but must’ve either used them or lost them.
Presume you’ve tried the mtbr xfusion forum.
Interestingly, re-reading your post again I think my RL2 damper did the same thing a few years back. Are you finding you’ve lost a few inches of travel? Mine did this and it turned out the damper had sucked in some air and oil from the lowers. The correct way to deal with this is to empty the damper and refill with the correct vol of oil. I found an easier way was simply to loosen the damper side top cap and fully compress the fork. Any excess oil gets forced out. Retighten and problem solved.
This is going back a few years but I think the oil height in the damper when you look down should be just level with the small snap ring...
Mine did this and it turned out the damper had sucked in some air and oil from the lowers. The correct way to deal with this is to empty the damper and refill with the correct vol of oil. I found an easier way was simply to loosen the damper side top cap and fully compress the fork. Any excess oil gets forced out. Retighten and problem solved.
Cheers for looking. Going out into the shed today is above and beyond the call of duty. Yes, it is what you describe. I stripped it yesterday, regreased seals etc and refilled the damper. The quick fix you describe works fine, but you lose lockout.
It's done it before (as did another RL2 fork I had), refilling gives you maybe six months before it starts messing around again. It may just be an RL2 'feature'. 🙂