Mountain Biking - Marzocchi Service instructions

Hi all.

After contacting marzocchi with no results i would like some help from you. I got a 2003 Z1 fork. The manual supplied is crap. I need a service manual explaining how to service ,overhaul the fork. How much oil it needs in each leg, what kind of oil, plus a complete breakdown of the fork's internals. I really appreciate any help over this matter.

http://www.marzocchi.com/eng/spa/products/mtb/manuals/

unfortunately this is the pdf version of the crap manual supplied with the fork.

OK sorry then go here:http://www.marzocchi.com/eng/spa/products/mtb/catalogs/2003/
Then by the flashing arrow hold your cursor on mountain bikes. Then scroll to tuning tips hopefully this will help you.

Nothing there as well mate. i ve already checked with official marzocchi . i ve even email them and they answered " Go to an authorised service center...crap"

Well then..... here is a link where you can buy a CD of exploded views small part numbers service info etc. http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&Category=2072

Just a little info for you. Marzocchi supports its dealers. Meaning they do suggest you take their products to a authorized service center. There are many manufacturers that do this.

Well i guess that i ll have to strip down my forks without any instructions.

can't you call any numbre for help?

sorry i just realized the company is based out of italy...i think..

they have a 800 number in the states, if that's where you are.

I rebuild my DJ 2 fork(s) and before I started I called EVERY bike shop in my area listed on the marz. website.

I got a completly different answer from each one. so just because they sell the products doesn't mean they know how to rebuild them.

the PDF should give you an oil level. I know I have the manual and there are some things that ARE NOT mentioned in it. I forget what they were, off hand.

It was actually easy to do. Just grab some wrenches and start making a mess......

you don't mention what model of Z1 you have....

on page 10 of the manual is the amount of oil you need.

what EXACTLy do you need to know? I'll help you out as much as I can, having recently taken my forks apart.

I have a Z1 dropoff 2003 ETA. My manual says nothing about oil

they don't have oil in them it looks like. they have an air cartridge.

what do you want to do to them?

?????????? no marzocchi fork exists without oil. Semi bath oil lubrication

i guess you know more about them then I do then so I can't help you....

nah dont worry man thanks anyway

They used to post their full service manuals on the web. I have one for a 2001 Z1 Drop-off, that tells you how to completely disassemble your fork. It doesn't have the ETA cartridge, but the other info will all be relevant. I would guess the oil height would be the same too, given they are both 130mm travel forks. Just checked, the manual says 65mm. But I also had a look at the mnual for the 2001 Z1 MCR (rebound cartridge and ECC cartridge) and it says 50mm, so I would suggest 65mm in the right leg (rebound) and 50mm in the left leg (ETA). Note that this is with the legs fully compressed, and you need to pump the cartridge rod until there is no air left in it.

marzocchi forks are some of the simplest forks around. If ou know the oil heights you should be able to pull it apart very easily. And yes Marzocchi's are notoriously oily inside.

I dont know of a manual that shows you how, but I might be able to help you. You probably need simply new seals, and oil. The dropoffs, which are ssv damping, usually dont have a cartridge unless it has a rebound adjustment.

Here is a similar fork. The dissasemble is basically the same, as is installation/removal of the seals.
http://enduroforkseals.com/id27.html

I also recommend the seals from this website. They get nothing but praise from people who use them. You would need the 32mm version.
http://enduroforkseals.com/id20.html

You need a thin-wall 12mm socket to remove the lowers. Marzocchi sells this for 25 bucks, but it is easier to buy a normal 12mm socket and grind it down. You also need a 19mm, and you might need a 21mm socket. It depends on what topcaps you have.

For oil, go to a motorcycle shop and look for 7 or 7.5 weight fork oil. It is alot cheaper than buying it from marzocchi. Marzocchi's factory fork oil is actually Golden Spectro, but it gets more expensive with a Marzocchi sticker on the bottle.

They used to post their full service manuals on the web. I have one for a 2001 Z1 Drop-off, that tells you how to completely disassemble your fork. It doesn't have the ETA cartridge, but the other info will all be relevant. I would guess the oil height would be the same too, given they are both 130mm travel forks. Just checked, the manual says 65mm. But I also had a look at the mnual for the 2001 Z1 MCR (rebound cartridge and ECC cartridge) and it says 50mm, so I would suggest 65mm in the right leg (rebound) and 50mm in the left leg (ETA). Note that this is with the legs fully compressed, and you need to pump the cartridge rod until there is no air left in it.

Hi bevanp,

This is a bit of a long shot but I found an old post on a forum for this site about servicing marzocchi forks, and in it you said you had a service manual for the 2001 z1 drop off forks.
These are the forks I have and I am looking to service them - do you by any chance still have a copy of this? I assume it is a PDF as it was downloaded from their website; if you could forward it my way it would be massively appreciated.

My email is yung_chow_fried_rice@hotmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

Regards,
D.Nicholson