About to service two Fox forks. So what should I put on the foam rings to lubricate the wiper seals?

Judy butter, slick honey, float fluid, Fox green…

What’s flavour of the month these days?

I store my fox forx equiped bikes hung up by the front wheel to soak the top bushing. Therefore, whatever is in the oil bath ends up on the foam rings. Might as well start out with the same stuff then.

You soak them in the 10wt oil before rebuilding.

Fox float, I reckon. It is really thick stuff.

If you buy the decent sized bottle of it (can’t remember the size, perhaps 200ml) it will last for years…

I use float fluid on mine

Float Fluid if you have it, or whatever suspension oil you have hanging around if not, as anything is better than nothing! 🙂

Don’t put float fluid on them, that’s not what’s in the bath. Use the green 10wt FOX fluid, red is for dampers, blue float fluid is for the air spring chamber.

I use this stuff on the foam rings as well as 5ml in the air chamber.
its what fox recommend here fox wiper seal quick clean

I wouldn’t use normal suspension fluid or fox green as it will be too thin. I read that you can use transmission fluid but it was nearly the same price as the proper fox float fluid so I bought that instead

I bought one of these 200ml bottle that will last for ages.

link

Andy

Isnt fox fluid what fox recommend? Ive always put that on and have gone by the service manuals

Fox used to say to use float fluid on the foam rings but now they suggest 10wt green suspension oil – same as the baths. Makes sense really – can’t imagine float fluid would last long as the bath oil makes its way up the stanchions. I guess either is fine though. I also apply stanchion grease to the inner surface of the wiper seal.

Soooo, about equal votes so far for float fluid and Fox green oil, and both camps claiming theirs is the Fox recommended practice 😀

Not surprising really, as Fox themselves seem to be a bit schizophrenic on the issue – recommending float fluid here, but Fox green oil here 😕

But why no votes for judy butter or slick honey yet? Are those only supposed to be applied to the stanchions externally, and not loaded up into the foam rings?

Are they grease’s? If they are can’t imagine them being much use on the foam rings – no penetration etc

But why no votes for judy butter or slick honey yet?

Grease is normally just for dust seals…. ??

Are they grease’s? If they are can’t imagine them being much use on the foam rings – no penetration etc

Yes, I belive they are grease, but what do you mean by “no penetration etc”. I thought the purpose of the foam rings was just to hold a dollup of your lubricant of choice next to the rubber wiper seals, so they were kept nice & slippery – no?

Grease is normally just for dust seals…. ??

Isn’t that what the wiper seals on the forks are?

Grease is normally just for dust seals…. ??
Isn’t that what the dust wiper seals on the forks are?

Sorry maybe my mistake but wasn’t the OP asking for which lube for foam rings

Grease for dust seals – Oil for foam rings

Yeah, but I am the OP 😉

And the foam rings sit inside the wiper seals, and as far as I’m aware their sole function is to keep the seals lubricated – but willing to be corrected…

Gearbox oil – it’s the same stuff as Float Fluid.

Yes they keep the seals lubed but they also act as a kind of lubricant reservoir to lubricate the stanchions as they slide up and down the bushings. Oil penetrates the foam rings and is constantly replaced over time by the bath oil – if you grease the foam rings the grease will temp stay on the surface before rapidly being diluted snd then replaced by the bath oil anyway

perthmtb – Member
Yeah, but I am the OP

Lol…. so you are

What Wilber says

When I asked Loco recently, he advised a 50/50 mix of 10w fork oil and Float fluid for the foam rings.

Given that I didn’t have any float fluid, (and from what I could glean, it’s pretty much gear oil anyway), I used 75w Motul semi-synthetic gear oil mixed with the Motul semi-synthetic 10w Loco had supplied for the lower legs.

EP 80 – 90 gear oil is Fox fluid. I put a smear on the stanchions after cleaning, too. Lovely.

For the ‘old’ seals and foams fox said float fluid, for the ‘new’ skf seals and foam which are slightly more dense, fox said lower lube oil (10wt)

as above a mix of float fluid and 10wt seems favorite 😉

Ahhh, so that’s why they changed from float fluid to green oil, thanks Loco.

Mixture of both you say – Ok I’ll go with that…