Is this a new or old shock? How much air? You're not just checking it frequently and replacing the air it needs to power the gauge, are you? You may just need a service...

 

09 shock 30psi


You're not just checking it frequently and replacing the air it needs to power the gauge, are you?

Not sure what you mean. I check the psi with the gauge on the pump and bring the psi back up to the desired amount.

 

09 shock 30psi


...Not sure what you mean. I check the psi with the gauge on the pump and bring the psi back up to the desired amount.

When you attach a pump, it typically lowers the shock psi by about 5 psi just to pressurize the hose and gauge. This makes it seem like the shock leaked the 5 psi.

 

No if it was at 5-10psi then I would agree but it is 25-30psi lower

 

I seems that I am adding air to my rp23 every week to ten days. I don't think that this is normal. Any help is welcome.

Are you ridding it in between? Shocks are high pressure systems. If there is even a small leak, it will blow when ridden.

Also, as stated, when you attach a pump, the reading will be about 10 psi less, as the pump fills with air.

 

When you attach a pump, it typically lowers the shock psi by about 5 psi just to pressurize the hose and gauge. This makes it seem like the shock leaked the 5 psi.

Exactly.
Keep in mind, it may be more or less PSI, depending the exact model of pump, shock or air fork.

Attach your pump & record the PSI, then disconnect. Then attach again & record the PSI again. Should only take a couple tries to determine exactly how much you lose into the air hose on the pump.

My '09 Fox RP2 rear shock loses about 9psi when I put the pump on, & my '09 Fox 32 F120RL fork I lose about 5psi.

If you are losing significantly more than that, you may need to order the o-ring rebuild kit from fox, about $8 & should take less than an hour, pretty easy to do, there's good video's showing how-to on Fox website.

 

If you are losing 25-30 psi in 1-2 weeks, you need the rebuild kit as Shark suggested.

The Airsleeve Rebuild Kit has everything you need. It is very easy to do.

 

I am riding it inbetween with no blow out. I am loosing 25-30 psi. I am going to order the rebuild kit from Fox an see if that helps

 

I would strongly recommend removing the air valve core and cleaning it out. Thread it back in and snug it down BEFORE you go out and spend money.... Ride it and let us know what happens!

 

Air sleeve kit is only $6, and replacing the fluid and seals occasionally is a good maintenance task anyway.

 

I just read the section on how to use the shock pump on the fox web site and it said that you could in fact get a psi reading of even 20 psi lower from the pump itself filling with air so if it rides good I would not worry about it. Go to forks or something then tech center and look around for how to use shock pump under setting sag.

 

I just read the section on how to use the shock pump on the fox web site and it said that you could in fact get a psi reading of even 20 psi lower from the pump itself filling with air so if it rides good I would not worry about it. Go to forks or something then tech center and look around for how to use shock pump under setting sag.

good post..
managedenemy , can u post the link?:thumbsup: i cant find it..

 

SpecialWarr and managedenemy I will try both and let you know Thanks

 

Hhmmm. Looks like I need to order an air pump....
Good info

 

I just read the section on how to use the shock pump on the fox web site and it said that you could in fact get a psi reading of even 20 psi lower from the pump itself filling with air so if it rides good I would not worry about it. Go to forks or something then tech center and look around for how to use shock pump under setting sag.

That might be true on paper, but in practice I have never used a shock pump that decreased the reading by 20psi.

It's not a problem with the pump....you can check the valve core as mentioned, that might be the problem. If not, then it's the seals.

 

Easy as pie

The kit is $6 bucks and its a easy rebuild, Here's a u-tube video on the RP23.
After the rebuild it seemed to take a few rides to break-in or several hours of break-in time, then it held air and oil like new.

.

 

The thing about using a pump to check pressure is that it takes a certain volume of air to "power" the gauge on the pump and to fill the little hose in doing so.

On the few air shocks/forks I used I don't think I ever saw just 5 lbs go in the process, more like 10-15, and on the boost chambers on my coil shocks (only ones that need air on my bike suspension these days) is 20 per my test just now. Depends on the shock; some have very small, very high pressure air chambers which affect the numbers involved.

Best way to determine for you/your shock/your pump/your technique to see if you're actually losing air is to create a baseline. Pump your shock to your normal pressure and detach it. Reattach it and see how much "loss" you got just by attaching/reattaching. Do it a few times to see if you're consistent, or to get an idea of the range.

The thought about making sure the shrader valve core is tight is a good one, I've had the experience with a loose core on an air fork. It never hurts to service your shock otoh...

 

pull core and add a few cc's of oil to the air chamber first before you do anything else.

 

pull core and add a few cc's of oil to the air chamber first before you do anything else.

That was the problem! 4 turns on the loose core. I did order the seal kit for later. Thanks eveybody for the help

FYI to fill the pump it takes 20psi