[in the flesh?]

i've noticed after every ride that the rebound damper on the bottom right of my fork gets covered with oil. not a whole lot, but enough to cover the whole blue cap, adjuster. is this normal? does something need to be fixed? would it be pretty simple to do it myself? i've had the fork for three to four months and haven't ridden it too much, maybe a couple days a week on average.
Another question on the same fork. I find the fork seems to be a little soft sometimes. i have flipped over the handlebars quite a few times. i have gone over the bars more times than all my other crashes combined. i am 210 pounds and was wondering if i should upgrade to a firm spring ride kit. i am very wary when i am going downhill over and large bumps. anybody have any advice or experience on this fork? any help would be appreciated. if it makes a difference the fork is on my cannondale 600.

 

[Ottoreni]

Get the firm spring kit

I would definetly get the firmest spring kit availble. I have an AXEL and I changed from the stock spring to the firmest spring, can't remember if it is firm or extra firm, and noticed a world of difference. I am only 195 lbs, so definetely give it a try!

The oil, I know my AXEL does not let oil out like that.

good luck!

i've noticed after every ride that the rebound damper on the bottom right of my fork gets covered with oil. not a whole lot, but enough to cover the whole blue cap, adjuster. is this normal? does something need to be fixed? would it be pretty simple to do it myself? i've had the fork for three to four months and haven't ridden it too much, maybe a couple days a week on average.
Another question on the same fork. I find the fork seems to be a little soft sometimes. i have flipped over the handlebars quite a few times. i have gone over the bars more times than all my other crashes combined. i am 210 pounds and was wondering if i should upgrade to a firm spring ride kit. i am very wary when i am going downhill over and large bumps. anybody have any advice or experience on this fork? any help would be appreciated. if it makes a difference the fork is on my cannondale 600.

 

[Speedub.Nate]

For your oil problem, the rebound knob pulls out and exposes a bolt at the bottom of the fork. Following Manitou's online service instructions, I would open that, replace the semi-bath lubrication oil, and secure the bolt with proper tightness. That will hopefully take care of your oil problem.

The RTWD forks ship with a soft spring installed. Order Manitou's firm spring (part # 85-5853; there is no extra-firm for RTWD forks) from your local shop. The swap is fairly simple to do; again, the instructions are online ( http://answerproducts.com ).

 

[noxx]

Same problem same bike

My partner had the same problem with Black Elite leaking oil. It started leaking about a week after buying the bike in early June. We took it back to the bike store and they said it was a loose seal and they fixed it. About two weeks later after we went on a pretty rough ride I noticed it leaking oil again when we got home. So back to the bike shop and they said we might have to send it back to manitou and it could be up to a month without a bike.

Well needless to say I freaked on the shop manager and said we were just going to return the bike and buy a new one. He calmed me down by saying he was going to take the shock apart while we waited to see if it was an inner seal that was leaking. Well 45 mins. later he said that an inner seal had not been seated right and that now the problem was fixed. He said if we had any other problems he would personal take care of the it but he was pretty sure it was fixed.

One week later I was tooling around the lake and campground we were at doing a some small drops and jumps when the shock started leaking again, the day before a big ride we had planned. This time the leak was the worst yet. So back to the shop again, and by this point we had had it with this shock. So what they ended up doing was giving us the option to upgrade to the Manitou Minute 1:00 but we had to pay $200 to do so but this shock is awsome so it was well worth it.

I spoke with the shop manager last week and he told me Manitou sent him a new seal kit to try to replace all the seals on the shock.

One last thing, I know that Manitou is well aware of this problem and that it is a pretty big defect so your shock is should under warranty. You should get them to fix the shock because I bet this has something to do with all the problems your having. Also you might need a stiffer spring depending on your weight.

Sorry this is such a long post but it was a long ordeal. I hope this helps you some and lets you know your are not the only one out there with this problem.

 

[in the flesh?]

wow, thanks for the info noxx. i hope my leak isn't that bad. mine hasn't actually dripped oil, there is only a small residue on the blue adjuster. i am going to follow speedub Nate's advice and if it persists take it into the shop. i don't want to be without a bike in the prime bike riding season. thanks for all the replies, btw i already ordered the firm spring kit thanks to ottoreni's advice.

 

[Dougal]

My partner had the same problem with Black Elite leaking oil. It started leaking about a week after buying the bike in early June. We took it back to the bike store and they said it was a loose seal and they fixed it. About two weeks later after we went on a pretty rough ride I noticed it leaking oil again when we got home. So back to the bike shop and they said we might have to send it back to manitou and it could be up to a month without a bike.

Well needless to say I freaked on the shop manager and said we were just going to return the bike and buy a new one. He calmed me down by saying he was going to take the shock apart while we waited to see if it was an inner seal that was leaking. Well 45 mins. later he said that an inner seal had not been seated right and that now the problem was fixed. He said if we had any other problems he would personal take care of the it but he was pretty sure it was fixed.

One week later I was tooling around the lake and campground we were at doing a some small drops and jumps when the shock started leaking again, the day before a big ride we had planned. This time the leak was the worst yet. So back to the shop again, and by this point we had had it with this shock. So what they ended up doing was giving us the option to upgrade to the Manitou Minute 1:00 but we had to pay $200 to do so but this shock is awsome so it was well worth it.

I spoke with the shop manager last week and he told me Manitou sent him a new seal kit to try to replace all the seals on the shock.

One last thing, I know that Manitou is well aware of this problem and that it is a pretty big defect so your shock is should under warranty. You should get them to fix the shock because I bet this has something to do with all the problems your having. Also you might need a stiffer spring depending on your weight.

Sorry this is such a long post but it was a long ordeal. I hope this helps you some and lets you know your are not the only one out there with this problem.

The manitou black and minute share the same lowers/bushings/seals/stanchions/crown. So whatever problem you had seems to be exascerbated by the wrenching rather than fixed. You didn't mention where your fork was leaking, but changing the seals/bushings isn't going to help the problem that started this thread.

In the flesh's problem is leaking of either the semi-bath around the damper shaft or leaking of the damper through the rebound adjuster needle. Finding out which will be the hardest part, fixing it is easy. Just pull the lowers off and check the oring seals are in good condition and clean. The rebound adjusters aren't servicable, manitou should send you a new one if there are any issues.

 

[in the flesh?]

i had a question about the damping oil height. in the manual it says 110-120mm. also in the manual it says the height is the air space between the top of the stanchion leg and the top of the oil. so the top of the stanchion leg is the top of the threads on the inside of the leg? the bottom of the threads? the place that the legs are covered? what confuses me is that the cap goes that goes into the leg seems almost the length if not slightly shorter, than the amount of air there is supposed to be. if anyone could explain clearly for me exactly how high the oil level should be, please tell me. thanks for helping, this forum is great.