[Gelmanskii]

i've got a brand new black super air 120, after 4 trail rides, oil starts leaking on the bottom right where the rebound adjuster is located. how can i stop it from leaking? any similar prob with other manitou problems....?

 

[mattsavage]

Not a problem....

There's a little o-ring on the end of the bolt that the rebound damper screws into the leg with. It's probably mangled. A very common problem, but inexpensive and simple fix.
You can email Manitou tech support directly from their web page and they'll send you a bag of replacement o-rings (which should only take a few days) or you can pull the legs off and take the damaged one to a hardware store and find a similar replacement.

It's a really easy to do and should only take minutes. You will need some synthetic multi-grade motor oil for the semi bath oil when you put the legs back together.

PM me and I'll give you a detailed instruction on how to do it if you don't know how or aren't comfortable. The tech manuals are also available for download at www.answerproducts.com

But before you pull the legs off, check the damper bolt to make sure its not just loose. Pull the cap off (make note of where its position is, either full fast or full slow). The bolt is reverse threaded, so as you look at the bottom of the fork (fork upside down) the bolt should turn clockwise to tighten. When it's fully tight it should extend about half a thread out of the bottom of the leg. Don't wrench on it, that's how the o-ring gets mangled. If it's tight, proceed to pulling the legs off and replacing the o-ring.

 

[Hecubus]

The oil that leaks out through there is just the semi-bath oil for lubing the bushings and stanchions. It won't immediately affect the performance of the fork and is easy to replace. 16cc of synthetic motor oil (typicaly 5W-40) per leg. If it keeps up get the replacement o ring kit and its easy to fix. Note that new Manitou forks tend to push a bit of the excess semi-bath oil for the first few rides. The damper oil is sealed off seperately within the stanchion. If this oil is seeping down into the legs you'll notice the lockout will start being less effective until it completely stops working. Eventually all rebound control will be lost.

 

[Chris2fur]

i've got a brand new black super air 120, after 4 trail rides, oil starts leaking on the bottom right where the rebound adjuster is located. how can i stop it from leaking? any similar prob with other manitou problems....?

All the previous advice given here is right on. However, just so you are prepared, there is still the possibility that it's not the O-ring and that the rebound damper is leaking internally. When this happens, the oil is not coming past the shaft O-ring at all, but down the center of the shaft where the rebound knob extention pushes up into. By all means try the O-ring first and keep your fingers crossed...

 

[Gelmanskii]

thank y'all guys! its just so irritating and so annoying especially you got it brand new, not expecting this will happen right away. i will try all your recomendations, sugestions right away.......

 

[Dave99]

Hey fellas,

this is a great thread! Very helpful.

I have a similar leak at the rebound knob, however it applies to a '05 Sherman Flick Plus. Similar to Chris2fur's concerns - I was wondering how to determine if the damper is pooched or if it's just leaking oil?

Just to clarify:
Leaky oil ring - no more oil leaks after o-ring replaced?

Blown rebound damper - AFTER an O-ring replacement, fluid continues to leak from the counterbore in the rebound knob?

How much rebound damping does the TPC damping system create? Should I see the rebound slow down like with the Sherman Slider Plus and SPV? I never noticed much difference brand new between full or no rebound damping. Is that generally the case with TPC?

Thanks!

 

[mattsavage]

Hey fellas,

this is a great thread! Very helpful.

I have a similar leak at the rebound knob, however it applies to a '05 Sherman Flick Plus. Similar to Chris2fur's concerns - I was wondering how to determine if the damper is pooched or if it's just leaking oil?

Just to clarify:
Leaky oil ring - no more oil leaks after o-ring replaced?

Blown rebound damper - AFTER an O-ring replacement, fluid continues to leak from the counterbore in the rebound knob?

How much rebound damping does the TPC damping system create? Should I see the rebound slow down like with the Sherman Slider Plus and SPV? I never noticed much difference brand new between full or no rebound damping. Is that generally the case with TPC?

Thanks!

The rebound range on TPC forks of mine has always been very insignificant, especially on the shorter travel forks. Almost none on my Black, but somewhat effective on my Shermans, just enough that it can be a little too fast or a little too slow. I just picked up an OEM Stance Blunt 170 with TPC+ for my girlfriends bike and that rebound damper is really effective, quite an effective range.

 

[AndrewTO]

thank y'all guys! its just so irritating and so annoying especially you got it brand new, not expecting this will happen right away. i will try all your recomendations, sugestions right away.......

Yeah, and it's a result of poor QA on their part. Wait untill one day down the road when you open it up and find ..... no semi-bath, as you undoubtedly will. Most likely the rod is just loose and needs to be tightened.

While you're at it, might I suggest using RTV to "seal the deal"? (you said yes) Okay.

Try using RTV to "seal the deal". :thumbsup: You'll NEVER have to worry about it again (if you let it dry properly!). Just use a small amount around the edge of the hole/threads. DO NOT goop it up and get it everywhere and inside the fork - recipe for nastyness!

 

[drunkle]

use teflon tape on any threaded parts that are a part of any fluid system.

 

[Dougal]

use teflon tape on any threaded parts that are a part of any fluid system.

I find that only works reliably on tapered threads (NPT, BSPT etc). Trying to use them on straight threads normally results in the tape being pushed out of the threads and bunched up.

 

[drunkle]

for coarse thread hardware, i wrap the tape once around, stretching it thin and tight. the threads are cleaned prior to taping. i use my fingers/fingernails to get the tape down snug into the threads.

for fine thread fittings, machine threads and small hardware, it may be problem. for which some kind of (weak) thread lock or a dab of silicon gasket maker should do fine.

 

[Rickster]

use teflon tape on any threaded parts that are a part of any fluid system.

While it might work on straight thread fasteners in low pressure situations, teflon tape is not a thread sealant, it's a tread lubricant. It is meant to help tapered thread assemblies engage far enough to seal as designed.

 

[drunkle]

While it might work on straight thread fasteners in low pressure situations, teflon tape is not a thread sealant, it's a tread lubricant. It is meant to help tapered thread assemblies engage far enough to seal as designed.

ah, that makes sense. however, i used it successfully to seal a leaking shraeder adapter on a fork; air was leaking out somewhere and the plastic top cap/shraeder adapter interface looked suspect.