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Polishing Monarch damper shaft

1014 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Dougal, Dec 24, 2021

CMinSC

Discussion Starter · Dec 22, 2021

I sent my Monarch RT in for a full service and the shop called me and said the damper shaft was damaged and could not be repaired. I posted a photo in another thread and Dougal said he would polish it and run it. I had the shop send it back and there is definitely wear on the shaft but it seems like it is just the outermost finish. I’m a little skeptical that any oil would leak by due to this wear because it still feels really smooth. I’m wondering if I should bother with polishing it or just trying to rebuild it as is. If I should polish it, how should I go about it? Can I just use some Mother’s aluminum polish or should I use high-grit sandpaper or scotch-brite? I’m concerned my attempt to polish it could make it worse instead of better. I’ve already bought another shock to replace this one but would like to keep it as a backup if I can salvage it. I’m probably looking at $80-100 to do the service because I don’t have a shock pump that will get up to $350psi for the IFP. I don’t really want to spend the money if there’s a high chance of failure. Any advice would be appreciated.

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ungod

· #2 · Dec 22, 2021

If you have a standard 250-300psi gauge I've found that the needle just keeps going and you can easily estimate 350psi. The pump will have no issue getting there.

Personally I'd hit up the pinkbike classifieds first, the monarch wasn't a great shock to begin with so you may find yourself...ahem... Polishing a turd.

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wschruba

· #3 · Dec 23, 2021

It may work, but probably not for any extended amount of time. Now that the (hard) anodizing has been worn through, it will continue to wear at a higher rate.

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phantoj

· #4 · Dec 23, 2021

ungod said:
If you have a standard 250-300psi gauge I've found that the needle just keeps going and you can easily estimate 350psi. The pump will have no issue getting there.

Personally I'd hit up the pinkbike classifieds first, the monarch wasn't a great shock to begin with so you may find yourself...ahem... Polishing a turd.

I did that with my shock pump (probably on a Monarch, lol) and put a permanent 40-psi set in the gauge.

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CMinSC

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 23, 2021

ungod said:
If you have a standard 250-300psi gauge I've found that the needle just keeps going and you can easily estimate 350psi. The pump will have no issue getting there.

Personally I'd hit up the pinkbike classifieds first, the monarch wasn't a great shock to begin with so you may find yourself...ahem... Polishing a turd.

That’s a good point. I can at least give it a try before buying another pump. I wasn’t sure how important it is to get the IFP pressure exactly right. Speaking of which, the service manual says the IFP pressure is 350psi but the tune sticker had 320 with a padlock symbol. I saw someone suggest this was the IFP pressure in a different thread but I can’t find confirmation anywhere else.

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ungod

· #6 · Dec 23, 2021

phantoj said:
I did that with my shock pump (probably on a Monarch, lol) and put a permanent 40-psi set in the gauge.

I was worried about that! I think I did mine on a Monarch and also on a Mcleod and it was okay. Eventually I bought a digital gauge anyways.

@OP I think as long as you get it in the ballpark (e.g. 320-350) then you'll be fine.

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Rick Draper

· #7 · Dec 23, 2021

CMinSC said:
That’s a good point. I can at least give it a try before buying another pump. I wasn’t sure how important it is to get the IFP pressure exactly right. Speaking of which, the service manual says the IFP pressure is 350psi but the tune sticker had 320 with a padlock symbol. I saw someone suggest this was the IFP pressure in a different thread but I can’t find confirmation anywhere else.

The lock/tune sticker is nothing to do with the IFP pressure.

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Dougal

· #8 · Dec 23, 2021

ungod said:
If you have a standard 250-300psi gauge I've found that the needle just keeps going and you can easily estimate 350psi. The pump will have no issue getting there.

Personally I'd hit up the pinkbike classifieds first, the monarch wasn't a great shock to begin with so you may find yourself...ahem... Polishing a turd.

It will wear faster. But it's got a few more years left in it.

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CMinSC

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 23, 2021

Dougal said:
It will wear faster. But it's got a few more years left in it.

Yeah, I’ll just be using it as a backup so it may last as long as my bike. Do you think I should try polishing it or just replace the seals and go for it?

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Dougal

· #10 · Dec 24, 2021

CMinSC said:
Yeah, I’ll just be using it as a backup so it may last as long as my bike. Do you think I should try polishing it or just replace the seals and go for it?

If the shaft is rough it will eat the seal. I would polish it lightly to take sharp ridges out.

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