DariusP3P

I just went to look at a second hand bike for sale, It had a Fox Evolution CTD rear shock mounted on it, took it for a test ride, and all seemed fine. I took the bike home and tried setting up the suspension. The rebound and compression (or ctd) adjustors wouldn't do anything and could just spin around. There is a hole for a small grub screw to fit in and keep the adjustors in place, and the screw was missing, there was also a larger-than-normal gap between the adjustors and the shock body. I read a post about this happening to someone and their idea was to completely pull the adjustors out and put the shock in the freezer, as to keep the pin that would slot into the adjustors receded after pushing it in with a flat head screwdriver so the adjustors could fit in again.

So I did as it suggested, which was to pull the adjustors out, and suddenly a dark gray oil started to leak out of the hole quite quickly. I pushed the pin back in once the oil stopped flowing, and put the adjustors back in fine. I remounted the shock and now it feels quite similar to a pogo stick regardless of what setting the adjustors were on.

I unscrewed the air can, and found a broken o-ring sitting out of place, and I couldn't figure out where it came from. Maybe these two issues are linked?

How do I resolve this? Do I need to replace any parts? The problem I have is that my budget is quite tight at the moment so buying a new shock definitely isn't in my budget range.

Thanks in advance.

qclabrat

hmm, anything hydro should avoid freezing temps, when I ride in the teens F, it was a good chance the shock, fork or dropper won't work. Only brakes seem to not be affected, I'd stop taking advice from that poster.

Sounds like your seals and wipes are toast and the dirty oil shows the shock is way overdue for a rebuild. Rebuild parts and oil is relatively inexpensive, roughly $50-60. Are there other signs of damage such as rub marks or scratches in the stanchion?
Also post pics, I can't vision all the parts you are referring to and not certain exactly which shock you have.

trailangel

Post a link to this freezer technique

DariusP3P

The stanchion and inner shaft are both in perfect condition, and the shock is not leaking any oil at all. I didn't get a chance to put the shock in the freezer as most of the oil had flowed out already. I agree that it was way overdue it's service and was planning on getting a seal kit beforehand anyways. I have no idea how to refill the damper and i haven't found any guides online. I'll send a picture of the shock and the hole the oil flowed out of. Would you have an idea on how to refill the damper oil?

DariusP3P

Ill try to find it.

DariusP3P

images: https://imgur.com/a/ipXizCd

qclabrat

Have you used this Fox guide
https://www.ridefox.com/fox17/help.php?m=bike&id=143

DariusP3P

I had seen that, looks similar to my shock, I don't know how to pressurize the IFP chamber again after its filled with oil. does fox make an adaptor for a shock pump maybe? Not sure but maybe I could get away with not pressurising it.