[the frog]

i have the 18"x2.5" RaceRunner shocks with remote N2 reservoirs, two of them have oil leaks into the N2 part of the reservoirs.
i do'nt do Baja races or such, only rocks, obstacle courses, some dunes
and short rides with speeds of up to 60MPH.
why should i keep those reservoirs which make things complicated??
i thought of removing the reservoirs all together, and leave 4 shims at the compression side and 4 at the rebound side.
would these shocks work well w/o the reservoirs?

 

[MrWillys]

I don't think they'll function properly without them, if they would work at all. Didn't someone mention something about upgrading yours to a better seal at the canister in the last thread?

 

[TRD]

If I remember correctly you will then need a new top cap. Easier to just replace the seals.

Without the resi's they will be emulsions and will work fine. But you need to do the above

 

[the frog]

thanks guys.
i did'nt mean to be a pain in the a$$, just trying to avoide the tidious procedure of ordering and overseas shipping, customs release and all
that hassle.

TRD - why a new cap? why not seal the hole with a threaded plug and hydraulic seal ring??

if i do it, and from what TRD says it will work, HOW MUCH OIL SHOULD
I FILL IN THE SHOCK BODY??
i would'nt want any hydrolock/bent shaft or overpressure inside.
thanks

 

[GOAT1]

Can you buy standard O-rings over there? All you need to do is replace a few standard O-rings. You could just get a 3/8 to 1/8 NPT adapter to replace the reservoir hose with the schrader valve.

 

[the frog]

HOW MUCH OIL SHOULD
I FILL IN THE SHOCK BODY??

ANYONE???

 

[GOAT1]

ANYONE???

Compress the shock and fill it up just past the pistoin.

Can you buy standard O-rings over there to rebuild your reservoirs?

 

[the frog]

yes i can, but the problem is that there is also a wide white plastic ring which i cannot get, and i think that the aluminum pistons need to be replaced too.

i was sure that the shock body should be fully filled, up to about 1" below it's top with the shaft and piston inside.
if not, there will be a big space inside filled with air, which will cause lots of problems.
am i wrong here??

 

[GOAT1]

You are correct, that is why I am trying to get you to keep the reservoirs, they work so much better than emulsion shocks.

You dont need to replace the white plastic wear band on the piston, just replace the o-rings. Is the o-ring on the reservoir piston the same size as the o-ring on the end caps? if they are you have old style piston and should get a new one, if the floating piston o-ring is much larger, you have the correct piston just replace the o-rings, check the cylinder bore and you should be fine.

 

[Geesh]

yes i can, but the problem is that there is also a wide white plastic ring which i cannot get, and i think that the aluminum pistons need to be replaced too.

i was sure that the shock body should be fully filled, up to about 1" below it's top with the shaft and piston inside.
if not, there will be a big space inside filled with air, which will cause lots of problems.
am i wrong here??

A couple things: You can't eliminate the remote reservoir or else your shock becomes an emulsion shock (an oil/nitrogen mixture). The non-linear performance would drive you nuts. There is a floating piston between that separates the nitrogen (compressible meduim) from the oil (fundamentally an incompressible medium). The function of the reservoir is to accommodate the change in available oil volume from the shaft going in and out. Additionally, the reservior allows the fluid to expand/contract as temps change.

You want a good seal for the floating piston or else you'll get gas leakage into the oil volume at the cost of decreased performance. You want to fill the shock up so that when completely extended and cold, the floating piston still has a bit of length off the bottom of the reservior cylinder (say 1.5cm). when you replace the cylinder seals (prolly a teflon bushing and one or two o-rings), you should replace all the o-rings in the accumulator (reservior) and statically charge it back up.

Do you have any of the documentation that came with the shocks? Or perhaps the webpage of the company? they should have directions on how to service the units.

I think what you are referring to with the white tall seal is a wear ring. Hercules Bulldog will sell you seals or kits to fab your own (and ships internationally). Poke around the'r website and find what you need.

Wear ring:

Good luck