| Author | Message | ||
     Needs_o2 |
I knew, that the way my day was going, I shouldn't have worked on the Uly today!!! Put in a new cooling fan and comfort kit today, besides all the other problems and mishaps, at the very end of reassembly the line to the rear preadjust knob seems to long and wants to kink if I try to make the bend! So, I loosened the banjo bolt, knowing full well it would be under pressure, and lost some shock oil!!! Still couldn't line up the preadjuster without kinking the line. HELP!!!!! Thanks, Jeff P.S. Anyone ever have to work with Grace ice and water shield, on a hot sunny day, by themselves? If you have, then you know how my day has been going! It's kinda like working with a 3' wide roll of REALLY STICKY duct tape. | ||
| Glitch |
Hate to say it, but, if you lost some oil, you lost all the gas. Time for a shock re-build... | ||
| Rwven |
If it was the spring preload knob you didn't lose any gas, but you lost preload. The fluid displaced by the cylinder behind the preload knob is what acts on the cylinder above the spring. You'll need to back the preload knob fully out and replace whatever oil you lost. I have no idea how to do that part of it though. | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Sooo, does anyone know how to replace the lost oil in the preload adjuster? I was planning on going to the SW Buell Rally in Red River, NM this weekend, but this may put a damper on my plans. Jeff | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Have you taken it for a test ride to see if there's a noticeable difference? Maybe you got lucky? | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Mikef5000, No, I have the wheel off to get a new tire today, so the test ride will have to wait. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Sooo, does anyone know how to replace the lost oil in the preload adjuster? I was planning on going to the SW Buell Rally in Red River, NM this weekend, but this may put a damper on my plans. My gut feel is you can lose a LITTLE oil with no problem. The pre-load adjuster doesn't even take effect for the first 3 or 4 turns and this varies from bike to bike. Court even confirmed this with the factory a few years ago when we noted there seemed to be a discrepancy in the owner's manual on this. A guy at the factory checked several bikes and noted that it varied from bike to bike and he indicated this wasn't real critical. This means they don't ALWAYS get the same amount of oil in these things. Next point is if you're a big dude and/or you ride 2-up and/or with lots of luggage/gear on the bike, having the pre-load system full of oil is going to be more critical. If you've lost significant oil, you won't be able to get full pre-load on the rear spring. OTOH, if you're NOT a big guy, don't ride 2-up, etc. it probably won't be a problem. One problem is that you now don't really know if you can trust your pre-load to adjust it to so many turns by the book. You'll have to figure that out by trial-and-error and test riding. OK, assuming you DO want to try to refill it, here's what I think: The pre-load adjuster is a pretty simple hydraulic system. When you tighten the adjuster, a piston squeezes the oil through the hose into a piston on the shock that compresses the spring. I'd think you could refill it by using something to partially compress the spring to take the load off the piston. Maybe use an auto front suspension spring compressor? Rent or borrow from your local auto parts store. Compress the spring slightly so that there's no load on the pre-load piston. Back off the pre-load adjuster completely, loosen the hose fitting again, and pour in a little oil. I'd think fork oil would be a good thing to use but it's probably not critical. Try to get fill it so there's no air in the hose or pre-load adjuster. While everything is still full, reconnect the hose and tighten. Loosen your spring compressor. Try the pre-load adjuster and make sure it starts to compress the spring within at least ~4 or so turns. The only trick is you don't want to get TOO much oil in the adjuster or you'll have pre-load on the spring even when you've got the adjuster completely backed off, although again, that's probably not real critical unless you have the spring ~50% compressed with the pre-load backed completely off. Good luck! | ||
| Ceejay |
That's not preload, the preload on the rear shock is adjusted by the ring on the top which has 7(maybe) detents. requires a special wrench(I've also used wide mouth vice grips). What you've loosened is the rebound control( I can't remember if the stock Buell shocks have damping control) and not the adjuster knob but the bolt holding the tube to it. you will likely have to have the shock recharged, as it's a closed system and under pressure-which you probably noticed. Your rideablity will be affected depending on how much pressure was released... | ||
| Bartimus |
CEEJAY, he has a ULY, you are thinking of the shock for the lightnings and firebolts. The ULY has a separate preload knob that you turn, it makes adjustments much easier, and does not require a tool to adjust. It sounds to me like o2 is screwed. the shock needs to be refilled or rebuilt. It might be easier to find a used one on eBay. | ||
| Ceejay |
oops! didn't know they were different. thanks for the clarification | ||
| Hughlysses |
It sounds to me like o2 is screwed. the shock needs to be refilled or rebuilt. I don't think so. The adjuster is a separate assembly from the shock itself. With the adjuster backed off, it's not under pressure like a gas-filled shock, so it SHOULD be possible to re-fill it without any special tools. Something like a syringe for basting meat might be handy for getting the oil where he needs it. | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Does anyone know if it is shock oil or brake fluid in the preadjust system ? | ||
| Hughlysses |
What did the fluid look/smell/feel like? Brake fluid has a very distinctive feel and smell. | ||
| New12r |
well I would remove the assy, get the banjo bolt as high as I could, fill it up, add some preload and then break the banjo loose to bleed the air. Good luck | ||
| Needs_o2 |
New12r, That is what I'm attempting right now, but is all fork oil green in color? Because what's in there right now is clear. Thanks, Jeff | ||
| New12r |
If its clear its prolly brake fluid. Fork oil comes in many colors depending on the weight/manufacturer. |
