Suspension dudes! (Slipdog?) WP issue

seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505
Edited Date/Time 5/1/2018 8:38am
I was riding Perris on Saturday and all of a sudden my front end felt weird and was diving. At first it felt like a front flat or air pressure issue so I pulled in and checked everything. Tires and fork air pressure were fine, then I realized it was the compression damping.

Does it make sense that the right leg could lose compression damping but not rebound? Last time I had it apart to do seals I put new oil in the damper and it has been fine for 8 hours of riding so I know I didn't screw anything up or not bleed the air. Possibly just a normal rebuild is needed?

Thanks for any input
|
slipdog
Profile picture for user slipdog
Posts
10044
Joined
7/25/2009
Location
Nor Cal, CA US
slipdog 4/16/2018 11:03am
4/16/2018 11:03am
A possible scenario where you would lose compression damping would be if the nut backs off of the base valve post allowing the piston to float up away from the stack a little or some kind of debris gets wedged between the base valve stack and piston holding the port open. You could also have had a failure of the o-ring that seals the piston to the cartridge wall allowing pressure to bypass the valving.

You will definitely need to tear it apart and inspect everything closely. Those scenarios are pretty unlikely but possible. I found this wedged in the base valve of a very low hour '18 450sx recently so you never know...






seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 4/16/2018 11:08am
4/16/2018 11:08am
Thank you! Will take her apart tonight and see if I notice anything suspect.
Bruce372
Profile picture for user Bruce372
Posts
6341
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
Bruce372 4/16/2018 12:28pm
4/16/2018 12:28pm
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to tighten down to the plastic piston (2017).
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 4/16/2018 12:42pm
4/16/2018 12:42pm
Bruce372 wrote:
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to...
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to tighten down to the plastic piston (2017).
Thanks, mine is on a 17 as well. I'll find out tonight I guess.

The Shop

See All »
Bruce372
Profile picture for user Bruce372
Posts
6341
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
Bruce372 4/16/2018 12:53pm
4/16/2018 12:53pm
Bruce372 wrote:
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to...
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to tighten down to the plastic piston (2017).
seth505 wrote:
Thanks, mine is on a 17 as well. I'll find out tonight I guess.
just be careful taking it apart then, i wasnt expecting it, and all the shims and parts of the valve fell in my oil drain and it took ages to figure how to put it back together!!!
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 4/16/2018 1:02pm
4/16/2018 1:02pm
Bruce372 wrote:
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to...
my base valve completely unscrewed when i opened the cartridge for servicing once. The M6 nut isnt held on very tight, especially given its hard to tighten down to the plastic piston (2017).
seth505 wrote:
Thanks, mine is on a 17 as well. I'll find out tonight I guess.
Bruce372 wrote:
just be careful taking it apart then, i wasnt expecting it, and all the shims and parts of the valve fell in my oil drain and...
just be careful taking it apart then, i wasnt expecting it, and all the shims and parts of the valve fell in my oil drain and it took ages to figure how to put it back together!!!
That's the worst. I only deal with suspension when I have to so if something is out of order it'll take me a few hours to verify it's back to correct haha
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 4/30/2018 10:33am
4/30/2018 10:33am
Bruce372 wrote:
So what went wrong?
I got the internal seal kit last week and put em in the damper leg, put everything together and it feels the same unfortunately. I didn't change what the inner cartridge rides on the inner/lower cylinder and I suspect it is that thing.

Once I filled the damper and bled it, it looked like fluid was coming out the bottom onto that cylinder that bolts into the lower lug. Ugh, I think I'm just going to give it to a suspension service place and have them figure it out.
RockyRider
Profile picture for user RockyRider
Posts
308
Joined
3/10/2016
Location
Nor Cal, CA US
Fantasy
3380th
RockyRider 4/30/2018 12:22pm
4/30/2018 12:22pm
Bruce372 wrote:
So what went wrong?
seth505 wrote:
I got the internal seal kit last week and put em in the damper leg, put everything together and it feels the same unfortunately. I didn't...
I got the internal seal kit last week and put em in the damper leg, put everything together and it feels the same unfortunately. I didn't change what the inner cartridge rides on the inner/lower cylinder and I suspect it is that thing.

Once I filled the damper and bled it, it looked like fluid was coming out the bottom onto that cylinder that bolts into the lower lug. Ugh, I think I'm just going to give it to a suspension service place and have them figure it out.
Sounds like something in the mid-valve area went bad...
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 4/30/2018 3:33pm
4/30/2018 3:33pm
I'm wondering if it is where I circled here, the seal that rides along the lower cylinder (inside the threaded piece).

slipdog
Profile picture for user slipdog
Posts
10044
Joined
7/25/2009
Location
Nor Cal, CA US
slipdog 4/30/2018 7:05pm
4/30/2018 7:05pm
Is the oil coming out where the rod goes into that seal head when you bleed the cartridge? That would be the main cartridge seal
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 5/1/2018 7:14am
5/1/2018 7:14am
slipdog wrote:
Is the oil coming out where the rod goes into that seal head when you bleed the cartridge? That would be the main cartridge seal
I believe so. I thought it was weird that my seal kit didn't come with that main seal that slides on the cartridge.
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 5/1/2018 8:35am
5/1/2018 8:35am
slipdog wrote:
If you got the kit from KTM it's usually because OEM lists don't usually offer parts that require speciality tools or training. Most internal parts need...
If you got the kit from KTM it's usually because OEM lists don't usually offer parts that require speciality tools or training. Most internal parts need to be sourced from other places like Suspension Direct.

https://www.suspensiondirect.com/shop/mx-parts/fork-parts/3-cartridge-a…
Thanks man, I've been bamboozled! I was considering buying an entire new piston rod assembly, I assume it comes with the seals in there all ready to go.
seth505
Profile picture for user seth505
Posts
9375
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
Fantasy
1271st
seth505 5/1/2018 8:37am
5/1/2018 8:37am
I was also wondering if there is any good reason to buy the 2018 version of the piston rod instead, it is different but I don't know what is different.

Post a reply to: Suspension dudes! (Slipdog?) WP issue