[JD Risk]

Anybody else having issues with severe stiction on a 2010 55 RC3 Ti? I got mine in early June and it's been great up until about a week ago. Now I have so much stiction it takes most of my body weight to overcome the static friction and get the fork to compress at all. It's still not too bad on the trail as long as the bumps are high frequency but the first bump in a series feels like I'm riding a rigid fork.

The only thing I can notice externally is that the stanchions don't feel lubricated at all and the nickel coating almost looks like there's some micro pitting going on. I'll be calling Marzocchi tomorrow but thought I'd check here first.

 

[tacubaya]

Maybe the oil levels were low from factory?

 

[Nick_M2R]

Can we have some pics of the stanchions? Im interested to see this micro pitting...

 

[JD Risk]

Sorry, no pics. My camera couldn't capture it but it wasn't pitting anyway. Sure did look like it. I guess some debris managed to stick to the stanchions since they were not lubed. It all rubbed off with some effort and didn't scratch anything.

Anyway, Marzocchi said it's likely not due to low oil and to check the foam rings under the dust seals and make sure they are lubed. They were pretty dry and I lubed them but it did little in the way of reducing stiction. Not sure what's going on here but something's not right.

 

[Simon]

I have the same problem with my 2009 55 ATA Micro!! It has so much stiction and leaks air!

 

[JD Risk]

Thought it would be fair to give an update since I've resolved this stiction problem.

I pulled the fork apart, saturated the foam rings under the dust seals with oil, put a fair amount of grease on the bushings, and changed the oil. The fork feels great now. There is still a bit of stiction when you just lean on the fork and try to compress it but it's nothing you feel on the trail. I think the little remaining stiction is just the result of the ultra smooth surface of the nickel plated stanchions and how little lubricant they retain while out of the lowers combined with the tight fit of Marz new bushing system.

It's been a few weeks since I serviced it and it's been running very smoothly. Overall, I'm really impressed with this fork.

 

[katsu]

I have a 2010 micro TI 55 and it is far better than my 2009 micro TI. That thing (2009) has horrible stiction. I am working up the courage to tear it apart. I just need to figure out where to find the shims and seals. But I do love the 2010 model. I have @ 200 miles on it and not a single problem.

Also as a side question, JD how do you like your RC3? I really want to buy a 66 RC3 but am nervous about how few reviews are out there.

 

[JD Risk]

Yeah, I didn't see many reviews when I was buying but aside from the bit of stiction I dealt with, I really like the 55 RC3. It replaced a 2007 66 and it feels every bit as stiff. Absolutely no bushing play and feels very smooth out of the box. The adjustments are nice, make a noticeable difference, and it's pretty easy to service.

I also have a 2010 888 RC3 on my DH bike and it's the best fork I've ever run. It takes big hits really well, and smooths out high speed chatter better than anything else I've tried. My buddy's new boxxer feels smoother in the parking lot but I can't imagine it being any better on the trail.

I've been riding both of these forks pretty hard all season, so I'd say go for it.

 

[Thimk]

Is there an online guide for this? I'm experiencing the same issue with my 2010 RC3 Ti. After about ~10 of pure riding time, there's still significant stiction.

 

[dhalsey]

05 milliliters of teflon engine oil additive to each fork leg

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[eshew]

Glad to hear you got it worked out! Had me worried there for a minute / What bike do you have those forks on? Just curious as I"m debating if this fork will fit my 2008 Kona Dawg.

All of my older MArzocchi's have 0 stiction & the seals last forever. I would make sure there isnt any extra air that has expanded in the fork. Just toss in the air adapter and it should bleed any excess air. You also might want to compress the fork a bit and then remove the air adapter if you think a bit if negative air pressure might help to get the forks moving. I am assuming these forks require quite a bit of break in to really feel right. Hoping so atleast as I've got a Rc3ti waiting in a box for me to replace my 2004 Z1 FR.

Also you may want to reduce the compression dampening and speed up the rebound and see if that makes a difference. Most issues in terms of "feel" with marzzocchis (broken in though) has been with rebound being to slow causing the fork to pack. Probably not an issue in your case but can't hurt.