[JcConnell]

I blew the top of the ABS+ damper off on my Manitou Tower Pro. I ordered a new ABS+ damper, an air piston seal kit and a full rebuild kit.

Took it to a shop - the rebuilt it incorrectly three times in a row. I'm no longer going to visit that shop.

There seems to be no rebound at all and the shock has a physical contact sound when it gets to the top of it's travel. I can also hear something sliding inside the fork when I tip it back and forth between up and down.

Any ideas what the issue could be and how to rectify it?

 

[gregnash]

If there is something that is making noise inside like a loose piece then it is time to take the fork back to the shop and have them fix the problem. Let them know that you paid them for a service and they have since "broken" your fork and thus if they cannot fix said issue it is time for them to cough up a new fork.

Only way for you to truly know what is going on is to open up the fork and see what is happening. Manitou used to be pretty responsive to emails and calls so maybe give them a shout and see what the issue is.

 

[Dougal]

It's a tough choice, whether to ask them to fix it or to never let them touch your stuff again.

You'll need a full strip down to see how many things they've done wrong.

 

[JcConnell]

They've returned the fork to me three times in a row in a faulty state. Each time they've taken roughly a month to return it. I've lost faith in them and I've asked my credit card to dispute the charge. Not sure I'd have much recourse with them at this point.

I read the service manual last night and opened it up today. I found the parts in the photo below loose in the stanchion on the dampening side... Everything seems pretty unscathed inside and out, fortunately.

Unless I've missed it, the service manual doesn't have detailed instructions for re-assembly. How do I put this thing back together? I've ordered some Maxima 5wt oil to fill it back up when the time comes. I still have a significant portion of the seals left from the rebuild kit and a fresh air piston seal kit. It looks like I might need some new shims/washers. I don't think they should be bent.

I'm planning to use this as a learning opportunity. I'm actually stoked because this is one of the last areas where I relied on bike shops for service.

 

[cobba]

Unless I've missed it, the service manual doesn't have detailed instructions for re-assembly. How do I put this thing back together?

Look at the pdf in this post.....

https://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/manitou-minute-rebound-damper-assembly-766582.html#post8982481

 

[JcConnell]

Where can I get some replacement shims?

 

[cobba]

Ask Dougal who posted above, he might be able to help.

I think he even has the whole damper assembly for your fork.....

https://www.shockcraft.co.nz/minute-2008-29-rebound-damper-assembly-80-120-mm-manitou.html

Minute 29er forks were renamed as the Drake fork and then renamed as the Tower fork, the same parts would of been used on the 3 forks.

 

[gregnash]

Yeah get in contact with @Dougal and see if he can help you out. They basically took apart your damper and then couldn't figure out how to put it back together and decided to just throw everything in the stanchion. If I were you I would ask to talk to the owner of the shop and then take to social media with the experience. Give them the option to refund your charges and if not then go for the CC dispute.

Man that sucks! There are a couple of the ABS+ shim stack tuning threads in here so go through those and see what you can come up with.

 

[JcConnell]

Thanks for the help everyone. I measured the three, damaged shims I found in the fork today:

Measurements are probably off because of the damage:
- 2x small shims: 21.00mm OD x 11.43mm ID x 0.14mm thickness
- 1x large shim: 21.31mm OD x 13.72mm ID x 0.14mm thickness

I've found the following source for shims, but they don't seem to have anything that is even close to what I need.
Revalving Shims

Regarding the shop, I probably won't interact with them ever again but if someone lands on this post, the name of the shop is "D2 Cycling" in Sanford, FL.

 

[Dougal]

I've been out for a couple of days with a computer reinstall. But yeah we've got a heap of new and used rebound assemblies with those shims.
Was the piston okay? What size and colour is it?

Flick us an email on Monday.

 

[JcConnell]

I've ordered some replacement shims. They dimensions aren't exactly the same but they're close.

Could anyone describe to me the order that everything goes back together? I can't find a schematic that illustrates it clearly.