Oil coming out when setting Auto Sag (Specialized/Fox)
- Thread starter Kaleb_t
- Start date
Josh Carroll
Cannon Fodder
Not a good thing
I've had this happen to me on three different epics form a 2013 to 2014 WC. And it's also happened on a friends 2013 epic twice. That oil is important. After it does it enough you will loose your dampening. You first start to hear noise in the first part of the stroke. Then with every auto sag and oil squirt it gets worse.
I've had this happen to me on three different epics form a 2013 to 2014 WC. And it's also happened on a friends 2013 epic twice. That oil is important. After it does it enough you will loose your dampening. You first start to hear noise in the first part of the stroke. Then with every auto sag and oil squirt it gets worse.
merc-blue
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Ignore Josh, he is ill informed.
You are losing a little bit of the float fluid from the air sleeve there is normally around 5-7ml in there and assuming you get your bike serviced regularly (annually at least) and your bike shop are reasonably switched on the air sleeve should get done every year.
It will not effect your damping although its natural for the quality of the damping to reduce over the lifetime of the shock, a more advanced service from NSD Tekin or similar will fix it up any damping issues
The only reason it is common on autosag is because the valve is reasonably low and your letting air out quickly if you took any fox shock and held it overnight so the valve was low and then released the pressure quickly (eg allen key in the valve) it to would let a little bit of oil out
I thought I should add the reason some other brands of air shock don't do this is they use grease instead of fluid in the air chambers.
You are losing a little bit of the float fluid from the air sleeve there is normally around 5-7ml in there and assuming you get your bike serviced regularly (annually at least) and your bike shop are reasonably switched on the air sleeve should get done every year.
It will not effect your damping although its natural for the quality of the damping to reduce over the lifetime of the shock, a more advanced service from NSD Tekin or similar will fix it up any damping issues
The only reason it is common on autosag is because the valve is reasonably low and your letting air out quickly if you took any fox shock and held it overnight so the valve was low and then released the pressure quickly (eg allen key in the valve) it to would let a little bit of oil out
I thought I should add the reason some other brands of air shock don't do this is they use grease instead of fluid in the air chambers.
Josh Carroll
Cannon Fodder
Yeah I just made that whole thing up like I am ill informed of my experience. Well just so you know this was first experienced on a new bike. So it had nothing to do with wear and tear. And the "oil" is more like snot and it is a good amount. As I said from actual experience when it comes out, I loose damping. It's not a mist of float oil spraying on my finger. It's more like my shock blew its nose on my finger. I'm not sure how the damping oil gets into the air chamber, but it has happenned to me several times. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm 205lbs (my bro too) and the excessive pressure is causing a seal to blow out quickly upon Auto Saging. I do know that specy warranties the problem. But after a three shocks for me, I just stopped using the Auto Sag feature.
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merc-blue
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Josh,
It is impossible for the autosag to affect your damper. what your experiencing is a reduction in spring rate due to decreased positive air pressure. which will change the spring rate but not affect the damper, it feels softer but its changing the spring not the damper.
I'm happy to argue exactly I am right, your experience is informed by a lack of understanding of the function of damping which if fine probably 80% of riders don't understand how their bikes work, but the miss information of other riders perpetuated by forum is a great frustration, I'm not saying you were intentionally giving bad advice, just giving advice on a shock when you don't understand how it works may not be wise.
Also at 95ish kg the reason you feel your shocks are blown is due to the factory tuning next time instead of replacing the shock send it to Tekin or NSD and have it retuned to suit your weight all 3 shocks you have had will have been under damped for your weight which explains why you feel its blown when you run the pressure for ideal sag instead of a higher pressure, this higher pressure is essentially covering another issue.
thats not to say your weight is an issue its just bikes are made with tunings to suit a particular rider some brands go to firm some not firm enough. but we all cant be 6 foot and 75kgs, this is the primary reason guys like NSD and Tekin exist.
link1896
Mr Greenfield
merc-blue is on the money.
basic air sleeve service info here:
http://www.ridefox.com/fox_tech_center/owners_manuals/09/custprod/content/ivairsleevemaint.html
step 16, "...half a pillow pack of FLOAT Fluid".
this is whats is escaping with the autosag procedure.
basic air sleeve service info here:
http://www.ridefox.com/fox_tech_center/owners_manuals/09/custprod/content/ivairsleevemaint.html
step 16, "...half a pillow pack of FLOAT Fluid".
this is whats is escaping with the autosag procedure.
Duane
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Most air shocks run a small amount of lubrication oil, not to be confused with the damper oil, in the air chamber, it is also not uncommon for this to slowly leak out, not just from overuse of auto sag, but via the seals, it is actually what it is designed to do and is the exact reason that some manufacturers specify a higher maintenance schedule on the air spring vs the damper.
Josh Carroll
Cannon Fodder
Guys. It's not a little spray of float oil coming out. I clearly know the difference between damping and the air spring. I also know the fluid coming out of the auto sag is not blue float oil. The first time it does it it is about a quarter of a pillow packs worth. With the brain turned all the way on I have free play before the remaining fluid stops the movement when the brain is fully closed. At which the shock does not move before the snot coming out off the auto sag. At this point the first part of the travel with the brain fully on you hear a slurp sloshy sound where there is no fluid but now also air in the damping unit. And this is not a maintence time issue. Specialized did say they have problems with bikes that have been on the floor for a year just sitting there prematurely wearing out the seal with out movement. My problem is the real deal and you can make it out like I'm lacking in knowledge and understanding of how a shock with a remote damping unit controled by an adjustable inertia valve works, but I just happen to understand. Trying to take my experience and act like I have no knowledge of what I'm talking about is like you working for Specialized claiming that the problem isn't real. FYI float oil is not yellow. The damping fluid is what color? Do you know?
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bell.cameron
Likes Dirt
It is possible for the damper fluid to come out, however it would more than likely be a pretty catastrophic one off after a large hit rather than a slow leak, would also have nothing to do with autosag.
link1896
Mr Greenfield
Epic WC 2014.
I autosag weekly, found I loose ~10psi a week in fork and shock from use, when not in use much slower loss.
I get air sleeve maintenance every 50 hrs, counting on strava (distance/avg speed)
I use 80% of shock travel on every ride, though have never bottomed out
I weigh 68kg
air sleeve "pillow pack" oil is blue
dampening oil is green
I get a tiny, 2 drop ejection of yellow oil. Assuming this is a mixture of both oils.
I get the usual oil on the shaft, have never paid attention to color.
shock is dead quiet, no issues.
How much oil ejection are you talking about experiencing?
link1896
Mr Greenfield
yep very very quiet clunk, need to listen for it. Think its the inertia valve fully closing against the pressure? I'm a sick fuck, running mine full hard on a World Cup
Ivan
Eats Squid
merc-blue
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Damping oil in a fox shock is red.
I do know this, I spent years of my life up to my elbows in it.
irrelevant there is no way the autosag feature can affect the damping.
The nitrogen charge transfer issue or potential shaft bushing issue you have is 100% unrelated to autosag, I'm not debating you have issues with your shock its just unrelated to autosag.
I do know this, I spent years of my life up to my elbows in it.
irrelevant there is no way the autosag feature can affect the damping.
The nitrogen charge transfer issue or potential shaft bushing issue you have is 100% unrelated to autosag, I'm not debating you have issues with your shock its just unrelated to autosag.
link1896
Mr Greenfield
Forks green, shocks red?