[big-ted]

Is this reasonably do-able for a competent home mechanic? I know the new grip dampers are open bath. Is it possible to drain all the oil out the damper without disassembling it to ensure I don't end up overfilling the damper when I add the fresh oil & resemble? I can't find any guides to doing just the lower leg service, which makes me worry that a full damper tear down is required...

 

[PhillipJ]

They're not open bath, where did you get that info? The Fox site is quite helpful on the procedure and oil volumes.


https://www.ridefox.com/fox17/help.php?m=bike&id=571

I didn't use any special tools because I don't have any but if you choose the Fox flangeless seals you might need a seal driver.

 

[RS VR6]

I would highly recommend a piloted seal driver for the flangeless seals. Takes a couple light taps and they slide right in at the perfect depth. It also helps to have the lower leg removal tools. It does seem like a lot of money to drop initially...but having the right tools makes the job much quicker.

The lower leg service is just pulling off the lowers, replacing the seals, and refilling the bath oil. It doesn't involve the damper.

 

[Lone Rager]

^^^ def on the piloted dust seal driver. For freeing the air and damper shafts in the lowers, I unscrew the nuts a turn or two, put a deep socket on them and tap the socket with a mallet. I've used the Fox tools for these, and they are convenient, but not necessary in my experience.

 

[big-ted]

Ah, my bad. I assumed that the bleed port function at the top of the GRIP damper necessitated some sort of port at the bottom that would draw in oil as needed. Seems that isn't the case. Seems that this would lead to the oil level dropping if the fork was ever compressed whilst inverted, but I'll assume Fox have done their homework on that one.


I've worked on the original 36 Van RC2 before. Looks like a lower leg service is still the same, and I'm not changing any seals, just refreshing the lubrication oil. Should be straight forward. Thanks all!

 

[Lone Rager]

^^^ right. Bleed port is to rid the damper of excess oil that gets ingested by the lower damper shaft seal. Ingested is the term Fox uses to describe bath oil making it past the lower seal into the damper. The Grip dampers use simpler weaker seals to reduce seal friction so, supposedly, ingest oil more easily. Fox recommends using damper oil as bath oil in the right leg for this reason. Some argue that ingestion rate is pretty slow anyway so better to use bath oil in the right leg.