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Ransom Equalizer oil change

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#21 ·
yeah, that sounds like either the pistonhead seal or the shaft seal.
If the lockout still locks out fully, then the air can't be getting into the damping oil and its not the pistonhead.

Check the main shaft for any marks or scratches at all, check the shock in a water bucket when fully pumped up, and also another simple check is to replace the schrader valve on the negative chamber.
Very cheap job, and the valves rubber can degrade over time when used at very high pressures.
Could be something as silly as an old valve, and a non-sealing valve cap leaking.

Scar
 
#22 ·
I have been through the above checks and am almost certain the valve on the negative chamber is the cause.

It doesn't seem to be leaking pressure once pumped up but the issue I am experiencing is that when I remove the shock pump for the valve it is instantly losing around 150psi, so I am having to pump my shock to over 400psi to get it to hold around 300psi for my riding weight.

Is it a straight forward job replacing this valve and do you think Scott will supply me with this part, I am going to call my local Scott dealer on Monday regarding this.

The above posts have been much appreciated as it has helped me to carry out a service on my Equalizer shock for £8 a lot cheaper than £105 with Scott.

Am I correct in thinking the whole valve needs replacing or just the Schrader pin inside?

Phil
 
#23 ·
phil940101 said:
It doesn't seem to be leaking pressure once pumped up but the issue I am experiencing is that when I remove the shock pump for the valve it is instantly losing around 150psi, so I am having to pump my shock to over 400psi to get it to hold around 300psi for my riding weight.
Click to expand...
Actually what you're describing sounds pretty normal for the negative chamber. If you use the two stage valve on the Scott pump correctly, you don't actually lose any air when you remove the shock pump. When you re-attach the pump you definitely do lose pressure because the pump has to be re-filled with air before it can give you a reading. Because the negative air chamber is quite small, this tiny bit of air is enough to drop the pressure in the chamber a significant amount and gives the false impression that it wasn't at proper pressure.
 
#24 ·
Hi yes I am definitely using the two stage pump correctly as I have used this for years, the shock normally loses around 30psi but now it seems to be losing around 150 psi every time I pump it up, I have even used a friend's Scott shock pump with the same result.

Is this a common issue with the negative valve to wear over time?
 
#25 ·
If you think its the actual schrader valve that's leaking, you can test this theory by dripping some soapy water over the valve to see if it starts bubbling. If it does first try tightening up the valve core... there's a special tool for doing this or you can sometimes find the tool built into the top of a metal schrader valve cap. If that doesn't work then just replace the core... you can get these at auto-parts stores or you could pull one from an old tube.
 
#26 ·
So, just wanted to thank this thread for giving great guidance when tinkering with my Equalizer.
Have been struggling to get it to work correctly and think I have nailed it with the last 5th oil change/bleed/service. Started out as that normal service because of oil puking out of the positive air chamber. Opened it up and cleaned and lubed everything and got it back together. But after a couple of rides the same symptom appeared. Oil in the air/air in the oil. Ordered new IFP seals, changed them and crossed my fingers. Unfortunately this only worked for a couple of rides more until this strange other symptom appeared. With the shock newly bled and mounted on the bike the shock just sunk to the bottom of the travel once I sat on it. Then once I got off it slowly went back to top again, like if the rebound was set to full damping. This worried me since I thought I had thrashed the shock completely. I opened it up again and found a massive amount of air in the oil, the IFPs almost at the top of the chambers. After some thought, I decided to change to a new piston seal because I suspected that air was bleeding into the oil through the seal from the negative chamber. So I ordered and changed the piston seal, making sure to bleed it thoroughly once again. And Now I think that I got it right. I've changed to Motul 2.,5wt oil and that really adds a lot in small bump sensitivity. I hope that it will still handle bigger hits well, but it fells very responsive right now.

A note on bleeding the air of the shock, since i've now done it a lot of times.
After pumping in new oil and doing a first bleed, make sure to let the shock rest for a while to let the bubbles collect.

Keep ifp screws fastened, don't mount the positive chamber lids.

Then slowly turn the shock over (rebound knob end upwards).

Push lever and compress the shock slowly halfway. You will probably feel an initial burp of air when the air collected moves through the rebound valve.

Now, while keeping the shock half compressed, turn it over again so the rebound knob end aims downward. This will let that escaped air to collect under the ifps.

Keep shock half compressed! Pour some oil on top of the ifps and then unscrew the ifp screws.

Carefully press the air out from under the ifps, release shock and let it suck in fresh oil.

Now here's what i had trouble with. If you don't unscrew the negative valve core you might have some air left in the negative chamber and that will restrict the piston to fully extend. so make sure to pull the piston end fully out and press the valve to release that last millimeter of air.

Now, set the ifps correctly and mount the ifp screws.

Now you can turn the shock over again, wait a couple of secs and check that you don't have that burping sensation again. If so, you have to repeat the whole sequence again until it is a fully smooth sensation (this can take up to 5 times).

Yeah, and then I modified the ransom to 650B and corrected the geometry a bit but that's a different story.

Sorry for a long post.
 
#27 ·
Nice to see someone still tinkering into EQ. I gave up last year, currently riding RS Monarch + with fully closed compression damping. Start of stroke is little bit more stiff than EQ in traction, but mid and end seems to be more controlled though.
 
#28 ·
Ditto.
Never quite got the liveliness I wanted out of the equalizers.

Switched to a Xfusion O2 R.
Just had to tune the aircan to lower the chamber volume and it works a treat.
Ramps up nicely at the end of stroke where the ransom linkage can get a bit nasty.

Sold the frame now though, as your always fighting a compromise with the wild leverage ratio changes the linkage has.


Scar
 
#30 ·
I can report after 2 rides that the shock now works like a treat. All initial stroke roughness is gone and it feels very plush, controlled and bottomless. I bought the frame used and might never have felt what the shock should feel like but even when it worked the best for me it was still kind of rough. That 2.5wt really opened up the small bump responsiveness totally. In combination with 27,5 wheels and corrected angles it is like a new bike. Love it!
 
#33 ·
As someone that is still using a Ransom (2009, 20) with the original Equalizer, I'm really thankful that this thread exists.

I actually just managed to send my equalizer to be serviced by Scott in the UK. After repair the negative chamber didn't hold pressure as well as before.

The fix that seems to hold (for now) was to let out the remaining pressure to get access to the negative chamber valve, tighten it with a schrader valve tool and then set proper pressure again in both chambers.
 
#34 ·
Hi. I'm new to this forum (and from Norway), so apologize in advance if I sound stupid when asking questions! :p Well, I got a Scott Ransom 10 (my first bike with rear suspension), and I simply love the bike and the posibilities the rear shock gives me! So, unfortunately the equalizer now seems to have gone bad :( It seems to have lost pressure in one of the chambers (the one with the valve pointing upwards), and when I try to refill it it won't hold more than about 17-20 bar (I'm 80kg so I need 25,3bar). It also sags much more than it should. I recently tried to release all the pressure, but when I released pressure from the other chamber (with the valve pointing to the side), there was a lot of oil coming out before all of the airpressure was released. What can this mean? I have - since this is my first bike with rear suspension - no experience with service on those products... I really don't want to change to another shock, so all help would be much appreciated! I could also consider bying a used Scott Equalizer TC if anyone has, if the price is right.
 
#35 · (Edited)
your shock need a full re bleed.... i ll make a video of it ..not getting time n a friend to shoot ..what ever, theres a bleed valve bellow.. open it, service it..but be careful lots of air alwys trapped in oil so eye glass is must...n yes open d bleed screw very slowly...else it ll be more powerful than a fully shaken bottle ......i ll post a full thread this wk or next... happy..
 
#36 ·
Check YOU TUBE for " Scott Equalizer Service "..video series posted ..total 4 parts..find them n enjoy.. in case if you guys still have this frame . other shock options is on part 3 end ..watch full length..complicated stuff so.....
 
#38 · (Edited)
Re-posted

Re-posted..check now.. Full Video series posted on Youtube

:thumbsup:part-1, Intro and briefing about the shock
:thumbsup:part-2 (and part-4 starting)Removing the shock from bike
:thumbsup:part-3 Opening the shock and Draining old oil, piston removal hack, Other Options
:thumbsup:part-4 Bleeding, testing of the shock ** careful - pause and watch every single texts poping

:)watch full series once ...dont skip, as it's a complicated thing so you can miss details:madman::madman: Then start the operation ...Enjoy.. Like , comment, stare, subscribe...
:) We are started this channel for home mechanics to save money, learn servicing, help you middle of no where, with most basic tools, most hack way, ghetto king style....which make your job done nicely and more straightforward way..... presentation may not be worlds best but straight forward and it works style
 
#40 ·
Excelent videos. Does enybody knows dimensions of seals and quad rings. In upper message someone post dimensions bit I dont understend. I need service old shock. Also Rebound red knob poped up and when I press it down it pop up again. I can also rebound tight and untight without any clicks. I does anybody know what my be a problem.
 
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