[Dh builder]

I've removed my fox DHX Rc4 after using it for a couple of years after what seemed to be some excess black grease buildup at the bottom near the rubber stopper. I'm not sure if this is normal or not but just seemed to be building up. I think it may have been grease or oil mixed with dirt that looked black?

Looking at the shaft it seems OK, but I have a couple of small scratches where I can get my fingernail in. One on the middle and one towards the end of the shock.

Will these kind of scratches really kill the seals on a coil shock? Or they shouldn't do much hard to a coil shock?

I plan on rebuilding the shock, should I consider replacing the shock shaft ?

Thanks, looking for advice. Most of my searches talked about air shocks and losing air, not coil shocks. This is why I am asking about specifically about coil shocks.

 

[Bikael Molton]

Yes, scratches on any suspension sealing surface may kill the seal faster than that seal would naturally die from use, dirt and just plain wearing out.

My answer would be to ride it until it actually breaks, then consider your repair/replacement options.

You can also Google up some DIY fixes involving filing that surface and filling any holes with nail polish or something similar.

 

[Kanye West]

You can fill/smooth the surface (turning it to smooth it after filling is best). I've repaired dinged chrome moto shock shafts numerous times this way and had it last for dozens of hours.

Just count on replacing the main seal when you patch it up. Re-bleeding with a torn seal is useless.

 

[FarkinRyan]

It's a cheap part to replace if you choose to go that route, easily done when the shock is next serviced and new seals installed anyway. If you're doing it yourself you'll need shaft clamps, heat gun/blowtorch, red loctite and a torque wrench to do the job.