Fox forks '15 hour service'

GW, let me work out which one I need and I'll drop you a line

cool email in profile

What I find curious though is that with Fox a 85wt oil is applied to the foam rings but the oil bath, which presumably will replenish the oil on foam rings is 7.5wt—whilst RS uses an application of 15 wt to foam rings and 15wt oil bath which would seem to make more sense!!!

How to? :

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/maintenance/fox-forks-wiper-seal-service.htm

Jamesb i think thats an error personally. Its too thick and would cause the foam rings to tie themselves in knots with the movement of the forks. AFAIK float fluid is to ensure an air tight seal.

thats what fox recommend to use

I have lifted the seals 3 times in 6 months to clean under them. Not yet found any dirt and the foam rings have been nice and juicy each time. Trouble is there are a few nicks in the paint on the lowers from levering them out.

I have actually just bought some enduro seals yesterday as I have a bit of oil being drawn up onto the RH stantions so A full oil change etc wll be neccesary

why do you lift the seals? whip the lowers off – far easier to check everything is ok.

I think the offical Fox instructions say to push up the seals – whereas Mojo say whip of the lowers 🙂

why do you lift the seals? whip the lowers off – far easier to check everything is ok.

You are quite right of course, but I am sure everything is ok. Just want to make sure no dirt is collecting above the foam rings and it takes 5 minutes. Im quite anal and I would demand new oil every time the lowers are off 🙂 (and im a tigh arse)

TBH I am stopping the seal lifting after the enduros are fitted. Probably do an oil/ seal change at the end of winter for as long as i have the forks

you should put new lube oil in the air spring side anyway when you clean the seals as a matter of course. the damping oil lubes the other leg

I'm puzzled by the Mojo/Fox insructions to use different oil on the foam rings to that you pour into the legs. Given that there's also a recommendation to turn them upside down, and the bushings are slotted, surely as soon as the forks are used these two oils just mix together?

Pretty sure TF Tuned use the same oil for both.

All I do is the following…

Bike updside down, remove wheel/brake
Loosen lower bolts
Knock push rods loose from the lowers with a soft mallet
Remove lowers
Wipe clean lowers seal, keep them upside down to stop muck falling inside. Fully clean if dirt has passed the seals.
Grease seals.
Apply oil to foam rings with syringe.
Slide on lowers a minimal amount.
Pour in any weight fork oil to hand.
Reassemble.
Thats 15mins work tops.

me too! but I think I'm slower though.

Every 15 hours is BS, fox forks don't need servicing that often.

Just wipe the seals and flip the bike underside ever few rides to soak the seals and that will do. Unless the seals get knackered they are fine.

TF sell fox oil just badged differently.

The reason Fox use different oil in the foam rings to the oil bath is that the foam rings are used to suspend fine dirt that bypasses the seals before it reaches the bushings. That's why 15-25hr service intervals are advised. If the dirt gets into the bushings it becomes embedded in the DU material and scores the stanchions and ruins the fork.
The lower bushings aren't slotted so the oil bath 7wt lube can't get to the foam rings anyway, particularly as it's only 5-10ml. It's just there to lube the lower bushing.
Rockshox forks are a far more simplified design. But they still require swercing every 20hrs or so to replace the oil bath. The 15ml of 15wt oil in the bath mixed with Redrum in those is designed to migrate past the lower bushing which is a much looser fit, and the heavier redrum should stick to the lower bushing and provide lubrication and support (in race tuned forks even more so) but the 15wt can migrate up to the foam rings and replenish the oil there when the fork is inverted. These forks don't have an internal oil seal in the wiper seals, and can be considered a constant loss lubrication system. The Lyrik and Totem do have oil seals and no foam rings though, but they use a different damping cart, and require different service intervals.
On balance, the Fox forks have a better damping circuit and are stiffer across the brace for any given travel setting.
So I'll happily put up with the service regime for the performance advantage over similar forks.
But, my 2002 Z1's on my HT are still the best pair of forks I've ever owned, and the the new Ti sprung open bath forks from Marzocchi will be my 1st choice for my next fork.

I'd rather an open bath fork any day of the week – as that way you know the bushes will be properly lubed.

Fox ARE open bath TJ – just in one leg 🙂

In 6yrs of riding on Fox forks, 32 Floats/32 Vans/36 Talas the only problem i have had was a second hand pair that needed new seals (thanks to the t#*t who put them on ebay!).

I ride on average twice a week all year and i have never serviced any of them but i always make sure my seals are clean and as others have said, i always lube after washing 😆 and tip it upside down regularly which is not really a hardship.

—-once upon a time, with my second pair of forks, set of Pace RC 36 I just injected grease every ride or so!! OK until I forgot / really muddy riding and then they didnt work very well

Moving on from then, anyone know how to do oil changes on RC 40 XCFR??, can`t really find instructions on Pace site with vols etc.
thanks

Moving on from then, anyone know how to do oil changes on RC 40 XCFR??, can`t really find instructions on Pace site with vols etc.

Is it not here? (Page 3-4)

Thanks—Looks like it!! however on this method am I right in thinking that the lube oil in stanchions is not being changed (only reference seems to be to damper oil) and the foam ring oil is just being topped up?? Is it just the damper side that has a lot of oil in it? and spring side just has foam rings oiled?

In 6yrs of riding on Fox forks, 32 Floats/32 Vans/36 Talas the only problem i have had was a second hand pair that needed new seals (thanks to the t#*t who put them on ebay!).

I ride on average twice a week all year and i have never serviced any of them but i always make sure my seals are clean and as others have said, i always lube after washing and tip it upside down regularly which is not really a hardship

+1

I've never had any problems after years of riding Fox and never had them serviced, I ride every week sometimes twice for 4 hous min.

There is just 20ml (or is it 30) on the air side I think.

I love my fox 32 but would never buy s/h unless the vendor doesn't mind you stripling them. Learnt my lesson after biting a pair with a ruined air-side stantion

I guess Solo riders at 24 hour events have 2 bikes then, or do they service their forks part of the way round?

Hmm, i tend to run with closer to 40-50ml extra fluid in both legs to aid with the splash lubrication and regularly invert them before a ride. I could be wrong but im sure my upper bushings ARE slotted, not gonna take them apart just to find that out though.

Upper bushings are definitely slotted. Surely if you put more oil in it will bugger up travel as less space for the stanchions to move in?

Love the chance to show off this blog the bushes. Are plain with bearing surface adhered to them

racing_ralph – Member

Upper bushings are definitely slotted. Surely if you put more oil in it will bugger up travel as less space for the stanchions to move in?

I have put 150 ml in a coil vanilla. It still does not ramp up (much) and gets full travel. There is so much empty space in the spring leg that you would need to put half a litre in to get ramp up / loss of travel.

the fork I did this too has a very worn stanchion – you do get oil appearing above the seal now – which shows the bush is getting oiled

racing_ralph – Member

Fox ARE open bath TJ – just in one leg

Which is why the spring leg wears out stanchions but not the damping side.

Inverting the bike to store will solve the issue as doing so allows oil to the top bush. Or put significantly more oil in

so tj – are you saying that i can put more oil in the air spring leg with NO adverse effect on the function of my forks?

Mine were coil but that was my experience.

I don't know the internal layout of the air for. is the air spring a separate unit in the leg or does it use the whole leg?

If you want to do this then I would measure the total volume of the leg and make sure you don't fill it totally with the extra oil. If the total volume is around 500 ml as mine was increasing the oil from 25 ml to 100 ml will not increase ramp up greatly (Boyles law)

am I right in thinking that the lube oil in stanchions is not being changed (only reference seems to be to damper oil) and the foam ring oil is just being topped up?? Is it just the damper side that has a lot of oil in it? and spring side just has foam rings oiled?

I've no idea mate, i just googled it.

I've got Maguras and I don't feel in a huge rush to service 'em 🙂