Info on Stock Rear Shock Repairs

[So Cal Suspension]

Effective immediately, until further notice, I will no longer be servicing stock rear Banshee shocks.

 

An issue has been brought to my attention regarding shocks not maintaining nitrogen pressure after a rebuild or revalve. There has only been two of the 50 or 60 that I have done since December that have had this issue, but until I figure out the cause exactly, I cannot afford to continue to work on the shocks.

 

One case in particular, the shock passed a 48 hour 200psi pressure test, and 200 strokes on the dyno flawlessly. I don't know if something is happening to them during transit or what, but it's costing me hundreds of dollars each time one of these things fails to hold nitrogen.

 

IF I do figure out what the cause is, I will continue to service them. Unfortunately, I will be forced to raise my labor prices.

 

I'm starting to realize why everyone else charges over double what I charge for these shocks.

 

Thanks for your understanding.

[Coupelx]

Is it just a matter of recharging it or is something failing internally causing the expensive repairs?

[So Cal Suspension]

At this point, I have no idea.

 

One of the shocks that came back had no nitrogen left in the shock, and oddly enough, the IFP (Internal Floating Piston) in the reservoir was cracked, allowing the nitrogen and oil to intermix, possibly causing the issue.

 

I am just going to refund the customer their money. I had already paid shipping both ways for the first warranty repair.

[DallasGDub]

Does climate, altitude, or anything else effect the PSI? Maybe being shipped it went through the mountains or something and expanded.

[So Cal Suspension]

At 200psi, the nitrogen will only expand/contract about 12 psi for every 30 degrees of temperature change. Not enough to be significant.

[So Cal Suspension]

Well, after being at the shop until 4:00am this morning. I think I might have found the issue.

 

I used to do a conversion on the shocks, for those who wanted it, called a schrader valve conversion. What this did was change your little "bolt" on the reservoir from a needle fill type, to a standard schrader valve, thus making it easier for the consumer to have their shock recharged, or recharge it themselves, without buying any expensive tools.

 

The schrader valves in question are made from brass, capable of withstanding 600psi. In some situations, from what I gathered last night, after repeated heating and cooling cycles the aluminum reservoir expands at a much quicker rate than the brass schrader valve, thus causing a nitrogen leak around the threads of the schrader valve. When nitrogen pressure is lost, and the shock is being used, it will create a slight vacuum inside the nitrogen chamber of the reservoir, causing oil leaks around the seal head, and in some cases at the top of the gold colored reservoir near the compression adjuster.

 

The cure for this is pretty simple. Remove the schrader valve, and use RTV Silicone on the threads and allow it to dry for 24 hours before recharging the shock. All of the shocks that were shipped out with this modification, used either liquid thread sealant, or teflon tape. Neither of which are efficient at expanding/contracting with temperature changes.

 

I am officially recalling all shocks that were modified by me with this conversion.

This is not a safety issue whatsoever, just a customer satisfaction thing.

 

If you have any issues with them, please get a hold of me, and I will take care of the problem. I don't want to have any more issues with these, so from this point on, I will discontinue the schrader valve conversion.

 

If you choose to send your shock back to me, the fix is going to be removing your reservoir tube with the schrader valve installed, and replacing the reservoir tube with the stock style needle fill. I will refund you the cost of the conversion with a copy of your invoice, as well as ship the shock back to you for free.

 

Also, if you have no had any issues yet with your shock leaking nitrogen, you shouldn't have any issue whatsoever. This was a very isolated case, and the two or three shocks in question went to the North East USA during December/January, and one to Canada during the same time. All of the shocks that I have done that have stayed local, have never had any issues. My best guess would be the extreme temperature changes during shipping that caused all the nitrogen to leak out. As soon as the customer installed the shock, they immediately started leaking.

[bbcmudtruck]

Thats customer service! Awesome job Matt!

[bansheeyfz450]

what is the price on a rebuild and spring change?

[So Cal Suspension]

what is the price on a rebuild and spring change?

All of my pricing is on my website. www.socalsuspensionsystems.com Or you can PM me and I can get you a quote. It will vary depending on spring size, finishes, etc.

[4MiLLDraGSheE]

May i say that in the new day and age of trying to squeeze every penny out of people (such as at the gas station) this is a very welcome site, customer service is a thing of the past and even though you havent done any work for me yet i now know that if i ever have any problems you have my business... matt i am very impressed! Even though its not a safety issue he is still taking the time and money to fix the problem for everybody to make sure theyre satisfied, grade A matt awesome job!