Mountain Biking - Compression damper/lock-out question

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kmart
01-13-09, 11:34 PM
I have a Marzocchi MZ 1 fork on my bike. I got it used so I'm not sure how it is supposed to function in the pristine condition, but according to internet search the lockout knob also functions as a compression damper knob. Well, the lockout works fine, but out of 10 clicks of the lockout adjuster knob, only 2 clicks seem to have any effect on the compression and they feel like the fork is "half locked out". The manual warns that the fork should not take any big hits when the fork is locked out, as it could blow the damper cartridge. So, I am worried that I could damage the fork if I use the "half locked out" settings, which are just 1 or 2 clicks from full lockout. As a result, I usually put it it somewhere at position 4 (between 0 and 10) but it feels a little too springy. AFAIK the damper unit is a sealed oil cartridge...is there anything I can do to restore its compression damping?

scrublover
01-14-09, 12:52 AM
A service/basic oil change for starters. Then you'll have it open to see if anything internal is manked up or not.
kmart
01-14-09, 03:21 PM
Hmm...I think the oil damper is sealed in the sense that it is not meant to be opened for service. I'm afraid to open it up because I don't have a back up in case I screw it up. I had a Marz MXC fork, kind of similar, but it had an open oil bath on the inside and it was easy to pop the cap, drain it and change the oil. The MZ 1 has a coil/MCU shock and a sealed oil-filled damper cartridge. So...has anybody on the forums dealt with this kind of setup and is it serviceable?

In fact the manual says the knob has 2 positions: locked out and not locked out. But then why does the knob have 10 click stops, and why do 2 of those click stops have a noticeable (but rather course) effect on the compression? Seems to me like it really should be compression adjustable over all 10 clicks...


EDIT: Ok, I just found a service manual, not just the user manual. I think it pretty much answers all my questions in gory detail, including how to do the oil change and increase the compression damping.