[WODIE]

So i ditched my manitou travis this past week. (try to save your manipoo jokes cause i've heard them all) It started to lose oil which was from the seals starting to go bad and then the rebound was just absolutely ridiculous. My guys at morewood proposed that it could be the intrinsic cartridge going bad so i could have fixed it... but i didnt want it to end up going bad on me again later.

Anyway in search of a new fork i bought my buddy's near new '07 888 ata off of him. This fork is sweet. Half a pound lighter than the travis with adjustable travel from 6-8" and the height of this 8" fork on my bike was surprisingly similar to the 7" travis. (the travis was actually really long for a 7" fork, i guess this would be the axle to crown height) Well the issue that people have with the ata 888's is that they tend to leak some air pressure when you take big hits so the travel of the fork winds down. i'm already subconsiously checking that my travel is up regularly but do any of you know of a way to fix it? i checked marzocchi's manual and made sure my bottom out and ata air pressure was in spec of what was suggested for my weight but that didnt change anything really

 

[AfroJack]

I just use two zip ties and the fork stays adjusted to 8 inchs all the time. Its not exactly a perfect fix but it gets the job done.

 

[WODIE]

I just use two zip ties and the fork stays adjusted to 8 inchs all the time. Its not exactly a perfect fix but it gets the job done.

Yeah i'm not really sure how that could help me at all if i still intend on using my travel, aka zip ties would slide up like they do when you put one on to measure how much travel you're using.

 

[bpatterson6]

Renegade has a fix for just such thing.

Kidwoo can chime in, he has done the fix.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3195344&postcount=350

 

[kidwoo]

Air leaking into the negative chamber and winding down are two different things. Both will reduce your travel but have different fixes.

Mine never winds down because I leave it at 7" though.

 

[frznnomad]

hmmm very interesting not trying to derail the thread, but does anyone know if the 08 888 ata wc has this same issue, and if so can you fix it with the same remedy.

 

[WODIE]

that tutorial looks good and although but i have two problems with it.
1. unless i'm reading something wrong i believe he is completely removing that "tether" and not replacing it. not sure what this does but hopefully not eliminate travel, which is part of the beauty of the ata
2. i dont like the fact that this tutorial changes the basic setup of the fork as in which air chamber adjusts the settings on the fork. as is said in the last step i think.

kidwoo, do you know roughly how many clicks it is from the full 8 inches to turn the fork down to 7"

 

[WODIE]

hmmm very interesting not trying to derail the thread, but does anyone know if the 08 888 ata wc has this same issue, and if so can you fix it with the same remedy.

I've been doing a good bit of research lately since i was either going to get the 07 ata or the 08 ata wc and i have yet to find a review of that fork. i dont think anyone has gotten their hands on one yet

 

[kidwoo]

that tutorial looks good and although but i have two problems with it.
1. unless i'm reading something wrong i believe he is completely removing that "tether" and not replacing it. not sure what this does but hopefully not eliminate travel, which is part of the beauty of the ata
2. i dont like the fact that this tutorial changes the basic setup of the fork as in which air chamber adjusts the settings on the fork. as is said in the last step i think.

All that tether does is hold the PAR piston in place when you boost up the PAR chamber. It makes two chambers where only one is needed.....just like EVERY other air fork only has one main chamber. I took it out of mine and it works just dandy. I did have air seeping into the negative chamber upon first reassembly but I greased up the main piston some more and it's been fine.

kidwoo, do you know roughly how many clicks it is from the full 8 inches to turn the fork down to 7"

Till you can't turn the dial any more.

 

[dexter]

you made a horrible mistake my friend.

 

[WODIE]

Till you can't turn the dial any more.

Oh well the fork is adjustable from 160mm-200mm which is 6.3-7.87 travel

 

[frznnomad]

okay thanks a lot wodie when i end up getting mine ill keep an eye on it and try to give a little review if there isnt one up by then.

 

[WODIE]

you made a horrible mistake my friend.

Which was?...

 

[snowskilz]

buying the fork.

 

[kidwoo]

Oh well the fork is adjustable from 160mm-200mm which is 6.3-7.87 travel

170-200

 

[WODIE]

wow i can believe i just got off of a manitou and now people are trying to rail me for buying this marzocchi... let me break it down to the basics, i had a broken fork and needed a new one. i could have gotten other new forks but my friend was selling this fork because he didnt want to use a dual crown for a while.. i cant really see how i made a mistake by helping a friend out and the 888 already feels much better than the travis did

 

[kidwoo]

It can work fine if you're willing to mess with it a bit.

It's still a superlightweight fork that doesn't flex like a boxxer so in my mind, it's worth doing.

Dexter is just grumpy he spent more time in the zoke trailer this summer than on his bike. Most people would be.

I of course, have owned zoke forks for years and I'll be damned if I ever get them to work on one

 

[WODIE]

170-200

Yeah man, you're right. I just double checked the website. My b

 

[WODIE]

It can work fine if you're willing to mess with it a bit.

It's still a superlightweight fork that doesn't flex like a boxxer so in my mind, it's worth doing.

Dexter is just grumpy he spent more time in the zoke trailer this summer than on his bike. Most people would be.

I of course, have owned zoke forks for years and I'll be damned if I ever get them to work on one

Heard that, i didnt want to blow a boxxer wc by riding freeride and i'm not nearly eccentric enough to ride a fox 40 (no offense, i just dont need 40 mm stanchions)

 

[Curious_George]

IMPORTANT READ:

Marzocchi has gone through a bad batch of bushings & Seals for their 888 Sl ATA [07].. and possibly some other versions of the 888..theyr supplier ran out and they had to go with a generic version....Also..They had problems with their air cartridges in the early stages of production and replaced them....how do I know?
I sent my fork to works and they told me about the air chamber [no cost free switch off] and at the BTAC [Canadian version of Vegas Bike show] I talked to the top mec about the play in the stantions which he soon responded was due to faulty bushings

 

[Kanye West]

George, could you elaborate on the bushing problem please? Any idea which run of the forks was affected by this or what serial # range? Is this formally documented anywhere?

 

[Curious_George]

George, could you elaborate on the bushing problem please? Any idea which run of the forks was affected by this or what serial # range? Is this formally documented anywhere?

my man...this is simply word of mouth...why would they honnestly document this? It isnt in their favor to do so...as to what extent is affected... i dont know....all i know is what they told me and what i said previously....i love marzo's and I am not starting rumors for the fun of it

it's simply a personal real life experience that happened to me, that i decided to share concerning the title of the thread

 

[zahgurim]

^I believe it.
I have early production forks that went through their first bushings fast. Warranty covered it, no prob.
Still have to get the wind-down issue sorted, but isn't really a prob as I just have it zappstrapped w/zip ties @ 180mm. Will take it apart this winter and play with it. Just needs 2 stronger small springs in the adjusting knob...

Early forks were 160-200mm, later 170-200mm.

 

[WODIE]

Early forks were 160-200mm, later 170-200mm.

That makes sense.. my friend bought the fork new but probably from someone trying to get rid of old stock.. it winds way down so i'm assuming he was right when he told me it was 160. (great for a steep headtube angle for tight geometry) i'm thinking about winding it down and running it tight for dual slalom next fall. i just hope i dont have a bushing problem in my future if it was from the first batch.

 

[kidwoo]

George, could you elaborate on the bushing problem please?

You'd know it if you had it.

No one I know with this fork has had this problem.

 

[WODIE]

Air leaking into the negative chamber and winding down are two different things.

So i was just looking over this thread again and the tutorial to try and get things straight in my head about what i need to fix. My travel winds down, not so much leaking out. Like if pogo on my fork i can see the travel adjuster turn down. got a suggestion for that?

 

[kidwoo]

So i was just looking over this thread again and the tutorial to try and get things straight in my head about what i need to fix. My travel winds down, not so much leaking out. Like if pogo on my fork i can see the travel adjuster turn down. got a suggestion for that?

Yeah, yours is just winding down.

Check those threads where renegade goes into detail about this.

I've seen duct tape, coat hangers on the knob but renegade's fix is much better.

 

[WODIE]

Sorry to be a hassle for this but can you tell me where exactly i can find renegade's thread? is it here on ridemonkey or is it on mtbr or what, and if you had a link that would be awesome too

 

[kidwoo]

search threads started by vitox, search terms 888 sl ata

 

[Renegade]

Here is the link to the ata auto wind-down fix:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=339566

edit: since I wrote this, I have performed this on an 888sl ata; it's the exact same procedure.

 

[WODIE]

just ordered my springs so hopefully i'll have the fork fixed by this weekend. fyi the package you buy is 5.23 but since this company mainly deals with big companies their lowest freight charge was $10 so i'm ending up spending 16 for the fix. probably still cheaper than the shipping for a warranty repair that likely wouldnt fix it.

 

[WODIE]

I followed Renegade's tutorial that he has posted up here. His tutorial is awesome. I took a few pictures throughout the process so here is my own brief tutorial. You can get the springs from this website. (if that link doesnt work later the part number is 06810154.
I did this spring fix today and took a few pictures along the way. All of these pictures were taken with my phone so quality isnt stellar.
To start with here are the little springs that you're after:

1. Pop off you're ata travel adjuster and release any air you have in the left leg. Then use a cassette tool (park tools fr-5) to unscrew the top cap of this leg. The fork will stay put on its own.
2. On the side of the top cap there are two small set screws, unscrew these with an allen wrench until the head is flush with the outside of the cap. Now, looking down at the schraeder valve in the top of the top cap, at the base of the valve stem is a circular clip and washer. pop off the clip and washer and put them aside.
3. Go ahead and put a rag in the gap between the fork and the rod to cover up that hole. Now with one hand underneath the top cap (fingers on both side of the rod in case a couple of bearings fall out) unscrew the cap. I believe it might be a reverse thread.
4. When you get the top cap off set it down on another towel so that nothing rolls away when you take it out of the top cap. Unscrew the set screws the rest of the way and set them on the towel. Now to get the bearings and stock springs out you can push them straight through these holes by pushing your allen wrench through. They will fall into the middle of the cap and onto the towel, this way you dont lose them.

5. Now clean all of this up while you've got it apart. I used some toilet paper with the end of my allen wrench. Now after you get done with the cleaning its time to put some grease inside. I put a glob of phil wood grease on a smaller allen wrench and going down through the middle hole of the top cap i put the grease into the hole where the ball sits on both sides. Then with some grease on the end of the allen wrench i stuck the ball to the end and put carefully stuck it in the hole from the middle. (you want to make sure you dont lose your balls so i held a large allen wrench right underneath the hole, from the bottom side).

6. After you've got the balls in there carefully place the new springs inside the holes from the outside. Put a drop of blue loctite on the set screws and then screw them back in flush with the threads of the top cap again.
7. Now that you've got everything in place, carefully place the cap over the main rod of the fork just as you took it off before and screw it back in place. The balls should stay in place because of the grease. Once you have the top cap seated down on the main rod low enough go ahead and put the small washer and clip back on.
8. Start screwing in the set screws in equal amounts (keep track of this). Put the ata adjuster back over the schraeder valve temporarily so you can hold the top cap and turn the adjuster for this next process. While holding the cap, continue to screw in the screws until you fill a good solid click when you turn the adjuster. I wanted mine good and tight for freeride so i think my final point of the screws was almost as far as i could screw them.
9. Pop the ata adjuster back off and screw the cap back into the stanchion. Pump the fork up and ride it around in the parking lot a little bit to make sure its working good. You might want to take your shock pump with you and check your air pressure a few times. I ramped my bike down a big stair set a few times to make sure i could get good use out of my fork to ensure it was not winding down any more.

So heres how the system works. On the top of the rod at the base of the schraeder valve there are several indentions around the rod. This picture isnt very good in quality but you can see the general area i'm talking about.

The balls are held in these indentions by the force of the spring however the springs that marzocchi initially put in the fork were not strong enough. Thus letting the balls slip out and your travel wind down. Problem solved. I just want to give mad props to Renegade again for originally sharing the news and his tutorial. It works awesome. Just make sure you get those set screws tight but dont over tighten them.