Especially since it's a used fork, pull it apart and check for wear on the stanchions and check to make sure there's enough oil in there. Either of those can cause a knocking sound, and if it's low/no oil, then you might be able to catch it before permanent damage is done. While it's apart is a good time to upgrade to Enduros as well.
2007 32 Fox Vanilla 140
I have a new to me 32 Fox Vanilla 140. I rode it once and didn't notice any problems but it was only a short 5 mile ride in fairly warm weather However today I rode in ~40-45 degree weather and notice when riding some single track I noticed a knocking feeling. It was almost like a really loose headset. I checked the headset, I locked the brakes and moved back and forth. Nothing was loose and I couldn't notice anything. I thought it was on top out so I checked by pulling up on the fork while holding the wheel down and I could feel the top out spring working like it was supposed to but no knock. I don't notice any play in the stansions or anything. It is more of a feel than hearing the knock. I have heard that some Fox forks can knock and it is caused by too much slop between bushings and stanchions...but I thought I would be able to feel that when off the bike. Is there anything else this could be? I don't even know where to start because I can't feel this off the bike or even riding over a gravel road.
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Thank. I put new fluid in the fork when I got it and everything looked fine. I put the 30cc in the left side where the spring is (I assume this is where you are talking about checking the oil) and I have now read that there needs to be more than that in there. I was going to put another 30cc in there. Is that enough? The stanchions looked good when I was in there. I normall store my bike upside down, but could a combination of my bike sitting upright for 2-3 weeks and the colder weather resulting in thicker oil have kept oil from the upper bushing? Like I said, the initial ride (which was after I put the oil in) was fine.
30cc sounds right for the spring side. How much in the damper side?
spring
When the plastic protector on the spring is out of place, you can hear the spring slap around when the trail starts to get rough.
Also make sure you drain all the oil out of the inside of the damper (in the right leg) by dpressing the blow off valve, and cycle it a couple times to make sure it's all out. Then refill to spec, you don't want too much oil on the right side.
When the plastic protector on the spring is out of place, you can hear the spring slap around when the trail starts to get rough.
Also make sure you drain all the oil out of the inside of the damper (in the right leg) by dpressing the blow off valve, and cycle it a couple times to make sure it's all out. Then refill to spec, you don't want too much oil on the right side.
I knew the plastic protector could cause it, but I am not sure where it should be. I have it near the top right now. However I may have located the source of the noise. After putting more oil in the spring side and stuff like that I found it was still doing it. I then figured out how to replicate it off the bike. If I pushed down on the front until it sagged about 1" and then did a quick push and release it did it. If I did a slow push, or slow release it didn't make a noise. Then I got in front of the bike down low and noticed it sounded like it was coming from the damping side, not the spring side. Then I messed with the rebound damping and it made it go away. I was 2 clicks from the most rebound damping. Every click away from most rebound damping makes the noise less and less until it goes completely away at mid point. So that is why it didn't do it on the last ride. I was running at mid rebound. Then I read what Dave Weagle said about rebound levels for most are too quick and set it closer to most rebound damping...then the noise showed up.DeerhillOG said:When the plastic protector on the spring is out of place, you can hear the spring slap around when the trail starts to get rough.
Also make sure you drain all the oil out of the inside of the damper (in the right leg) by dpressing the blow off valve, and cycle it a couple times to make sure it's all out. Then refill to spec, you don't want too much oil on the right side.
Is this normal? I put the recommended amount of oil in the damper side. I am pretty sure I drained the oil out of the damper cartridge. I have done this job before on other Fox forks and I was looking at the instructions on Enduroforkseals.com and they have that step. But I can't be 100% sure that I actually did it (although I am pretty obsessive so it is likely I did). Would that cause this kind of problem?
Off topic, but do you have a link where DW said that? I'd love to read through what he said.lemmy999 said:Then I read what Dave Weagle said about rebound levels for most are too quick...
What you've described doesn't sound right. The damper can make some noise as oil circulates, but it shouldn't be knocking. If you're comfortable opening up your damper cartridge, check to see if something isn't loose in there. Otherwise, you might want to send it off to have a professional look at it like Push.
lowered?
Actually, not enough oil would prob be worse than too much now that I think about it...
Have you lowered your fork?
I remember when I lowered mine, the fox spacer took a while to show up in the mail and I used something that was a looser fit than the float spacer. It made a little clank noise..but that's still on the spring side..
Actually, not enough oil would prob be worse than too much now that I think about it...
Have you lowered your fork?
I remember when I lowered mine, the fox spacer took a while to show up in the mail and I used something that was a looser fit than the float spacer. It made a little clank noise..but that's still on the spring side..
Rlc
Which model? What is the lockout position?
A light weight oil can blow off and make some loud ass noise with the compression turnd all the way to the right.
Which model? What is the lockout position?
A light weight oil can blow off and make some loud ass noise with the compression turnd all the way to the right.
It is an RLC. I used Bel Ray 7wt oil. I was going to lower the fork from 140 to 105 using the shorter 2006 springs, but I ended up getting a different frame and it is at the stock 140mm. I also moved the spring heat shrink down to the middle of the spring ( I read that is where it should be) and the behavior is still the same.
Actually he didn't say much. It was a guy talking about Darren at PUSH telling him he was rebounding too fast and DW responded by saying that was the number one problem he has seen with most suspension setups. Then later someone posted about Darren from PUSH saying 3-4 clicks out from the slowest setting.bad mechanic said:Off topic, but do you have a link where DW said that? I'd love to read through what he said.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=579157
I might have to do this. I have never done it on a bicycle fork, but I have done it a few times on a dirt bike fork.bad mechanic said:What you've described doesn't sound right. The damper can make some noise as oil circulates, but it shouldn't be knocking. If you're comfortable opening up your damper cartridge, check to see if something isn't loose in there. Otherwise, you might want to send it off to have a professional look at it like Push.
That would suck if there's something inside. At the bottom of the damper I remember a amall hex screw on the base valve that is held in w/ loctit. Check to see if it's still there. If not maybe it backed out and was sucked inside
I have the fork disassembled and so far everything looks good. There just isn't much to go wrong on the spring side. On the damper side I was only able to get the top cap off and the shims are all exactly as they should be and nothing is missing. I have not been able to remove the damper shaft assembly or base valve (which is where the rebound stuff is I think) since I don't have one of the special clamps for holding the cartridge in a vice without crushing it. The thing I find odd is that Fox has a page showing the disassembly of the 2007 RLC cartridge but it seems significantly different than mine. Mine can't be pre 2007 (because those has a spring in the damper side). However if you look here
http://service.foxracingshox.com/co...uickTech/07_32mm_RL_RLC_Cartridge_Service.htm
and compare to my cartridge
http://www.ssfweb.info/vanilla/index.html
you noticed that in the middle where the damper shaft assembly is (the black part) it looks completely different. And mine has an o-ring on it that I have no idea of the purpose. Then if you look at the base valve (pictures 1,2,3) mine looks like the base valve screws in and is all one piece where the fox pictures (steps 9,12,13) where it shows the base valve port having wrench flats and the bolt is removed from the port. You can see there are no 21mm flats on mine.
Does anyone recognize what year my damping cartridge is?
http://service.foxracingshox.com/co...uickTech/07_32mm_RL_RLC_Cartridge_Service.htm
and compare to my cartridge
http://www.ssfweb.info/vanilla/index.html
you noticed that in the middle where the damper shaft assembly is (the black part) it looks completely different. And mine has an o-ring on it that I have no idea of the purpose. Then if you look at the base valve (pictures 1,2,3) mine looks like the base valve screws in and is all one piece where the fox pictures (steps 9,12,13) where it shows the base valve port having wrench flats and the bolt is removed from the port. You can see there are no 21mm flats on mine.
Does anyone recognize what year my damping cartridge is?
After more thought, I am thinking that this 140mm 2008 fork has a 2006 130mm damper. Fox calls the black piece with the o-ring on it the "seal head". It didn't look like the 2007 and later seal head had the o-ring. Then I remembered the 2006 (and I think 2005) had a helper or booster spring in the damper side. Then I remembered how the main spring in the left side uses an o-ring to hold the spring on the bottom. So I thought that might be the purpose of the o-ring on the seal head because that is where the bottom of the spring would be if there was a helper spring. I looked up the specs of the helper spring for 2006 and it would fit on that damper rod perfectly. However I have been unable to find any pictures or drawings of a 2006 RLC damper cartridge. Does anyone know what they look like?
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So who ever sold you this has a shinny new 08 damper?lemmy999 said:I was going to lower the fork from 140 to 105 using the shorter 2006 springs,
After more thought, I am thinking that this 140mm 2008 fork has a 2006 130mm damper.
If it's the wrong damper, I wonder if it's topping out?
To open the damper, you can do a couple things. First, you can wrap an inner tube around it, and then twist the tube until it's tight, and then try and turn the bottom and top caps off the cartridge body. You can also measure the diameter of the cartridge body, buy a drill bit the same size, drill a hole width-wise through a small piece of 2x4, cut it in half length-wise through the whole, and then use it to clamp it in a vise. Example: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6266582
To open the damper, you can do a couple things. First, you can wrap an inner tube around it, and then twist the tube until it's tight, and then try and turn the bottom and top caps off the cartridge body. You can also measure the diameter of the cartridge body, buy a drill bit the same size, drill a hole width-wise through a small piece of 2x4, cut it in half length-wise through the whole, and then use it to clamp it in a vise. Example: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6266582
I know this is not very likely, but I can't think of any other reason that my damper doesn't look like the 2007 damper Fox shows.DeerhillOG said:So who ever sold you this has a shinny new 08 damper?
The guy selling it on ebay said he was selling it for a friend and said it was a "2006 Fox 32 Vanilla RLC 140mm travel". I asked him what year it was because 2006 was 130mm and he said he would have to ask his friend. He got back to me and said his friend said it could be a 2006 or 2007 he wasn't sure, but that he was sure it was a 140mm fork. But if you look at the pictures it is clearly a 2007....at least from the decals.
http://picasaweb.google.com/thegeneral001/Vanilla#
The only reason I can think of that it would have the wrong damper is possibly something broke inside of his fork and he had an old 2006 or someone had a damper from a 2006 and he put it in there and sold it. It is just a suspicion that could be way off, I just need to see a 2006 damper before I can rule it out.
I talked to someone at PUSH and he told me that I had a 2007 damper (because the shaft is anodized and not chromed) and the o-ring serves a purpose. Apparently there is a hole behind it and that o-ring serves some purpose by covering that hole. I described what the fork was doing and he said it was something happening with the rebound shims and piston. I think he said the rebound piston needed to be lapped...He said their standard $165 rebuild would take care of this. With what I paid + the PUSH service I could have gotten a brand new 2009 Vanilla and for only about $50 more than that I could have gotten a 2010 Vanilla with FIT. Oh well...live and learn.
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