You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / MTB Gear / Leaky New Forks - Please Help.

Leaky New Forks - Please Help.


unclebullbar's picture

By unclebullbar - Posted on 15 July 2009

Just got a great deal on some Rockshox Revelation 426 forks from the US and received them today. Unfortunately, the box and it's contents were soaked in oil. I expected a little bit of oil to seep out of the seals in transit, but it is everywhere. Is this normal for a set of forks posted OS? Could the aircraft's air-pressure have affected the fork seals?
I've e-mailed the retailer about this issue, but would prefer not to have to send them back and wait for a repair/replacement. Is it possible to replace the seals and oil personally, or should I just wait for the experts to do their thing?

BWOAR!

delicious's picture

There is something sinister a foot at RockShox at present. At work we've had some leaky forks returned for us to make a warranty claim at the Australian distributor, Monza. So for those who don't know, a warranty issue is a manufacturing defect. This could very well be a worldwide phenomenon. Ordinarily this brand is mechanically sound.
So Bully get rid of 'em. A fix or a refund whichever you can get.
I'm all for online buying, even though bike shops miss out on the sale. Truly. Stuff like bars and posts and Shimano bits. The big ticket items however are best purchased locally at a shop. The great deal is no longer great.

Whisperer's picture

Hey Unclebullbar,
Rockshocks are usually really good. I've actually got the exact same set on one of my bikes.

I'm thinking about your problem. There's about 15ml of oil in each fork leg for lubrication of the sliders and seals, thats about 1 table spoon - not very much, and unlikely to leak out, as there's no actual pressure in the main chambers. The seals don't actually keep air pressure in, that happens in the spring chamber further inside.
There's about 5-10ml in each of the positive and negative spring chambers, and that can leak out if the schrader valves are not seated properly. You'll know that because the chambers won't hold air when you try to pump them up with your shock pump.
From memory there's about 60ml in the damper cartridge, and the only place that's likely to leak is out of the rebound adjuster at the bottom of the forks if the seal is not installed correctly. It could also be the tiny cap is missing off the gate adjuster hole on the top of the RH fork.

Have a look and try to see where the oil has come from, and we should be able to work out what needs fixing.

Whisperer

unclebullbar's picture

Thanks Pete and Steve for your advice. I'm awaiting a reply from Old Mate in the States to see what they suggest as I don't want to do anything that might void the warranty. I'm a bit hesitant to search hard for the leak just yet as the soaked box and fork (pics sent to retailer) tell quite a story, and if there is a case for a replacement fork, I don't want to jeopardise my chances by improving it's appearance.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Best Mountain Bike