[Udi]

Well it's a common issue, and while it's been covered roughly there's still a lot of mis-information going around so I figure this may help.

First pic:
This is the cause of the issue. The floodgate knob sits up a bit from the black plastic (exaggerated in pic), and is free to move up and down; which seems to cause a leak from the o-ring that seals the floodgate shaft by dislodging it. What we want to do is a) stop the play, and b) stop the o-ring from being dislodged by putting some pressure on it.

Second pic:
Use a 1.5mm allen key to loosen the grub screw that holds the floodgate knob on. Slide it off. Notice in this pic that below the knob i've got a washer that takes up the gap from pic 1.. that's what you want to achieve.

Third pic:
1. Floodgate knob
2. The washer I used to fill the gap. It was an ISTD disc brake shim, perfect sizing. 10mm OD, 6mm ID, and ~0.9mm thick.
3. I used this to put pressure on o-ring when floodgate knob was reinstalled. It's a small cutting of shimano brake hose (~0.9mm thick), with the inner core removed.. use your imagination for alternatives if you don't have this.
4. The stock o-ring. You can pick it out gently with something thin and preferably not too sharp.

So basically, the washer stops the knob moving the shaft up and down, while the piece of brake hose holds the shim seated down firmly. If you have a collection of small o-rings, definitely squeeze in something with a slightly thicker cross-section as well (but the same ID, or smaller) - I think I may have done this, and if so that's the one pictured. I forget...

After you've got your materials, the method is to put everything on in the order 4,3,2,1 (lining up the floodgate's grubscrew with the flat on the shaft). Next, hold the knob squeezed down firmly to compress the o-ring, and then tighten the grubscrew. If the floodgate feels too hard to turn (a little resistance is good), undo the grubscrew, back off your squeezing pressure a little and try again, or use something less tall for part #3. Have a play around until you achieve the desired result - and go for a ride. If you did it right, it will be leak free.

To cover a few misconceptions i've heard - no it's not a big issue, no you don't need to replace the damper, and getting it replaced is not likely to fix the problem permanently - a little creativity on the other hand will.

 

[vitox]

forwarding this link to ppl right now

thanks udi thats bound to help a lot of people sick of wiping oil off their goggles

 

[xy9ine]

interesting. the problem i had with my cartridge originated from the o-ring below the compression adjuster knob (under the metal top cap) being forced into the adustment-range limiting groove. this mod might stem the flow, but wouldn't fix the root of the problem (which basically involves pushing the o-ring back into the proper position). maybe this didn't happen to your cart, but i can see it being a not uncommon issue as it seems to be an inherent design glitch. maybe i'll open it up this eve to refresh me memory...

 

[Udi]

Grab some pics if you do.
I'll do mine if you don't as i've got it on my desk, but I hate dealing with that darn circlip!

This definitely solved it for me, and an o-ring is an o-ring so where you seal off the flow shouldn't be a big deal as long as it's sealed. But probably still best to cover all bases while we're here.

 

[Mike Buell]

I know someone who just added a second o-ring, and that seemed to do the trick as well.

 

[big-ted]

interesting. the problem i had with my cartridge originated from the o-ring below the compression adjuster knob (under the metal top cap) being forced into the adustment-range limiting groove. this mod might stem the flow, but wouldn't fix the root of the problem (which basically involves pushing the o-ring back into the proper position). maybe this didn't happen to your cart, but i can see it being a not uncommon issue as it seems to be an inherent design glitch. maybe i'll open it up this eve to refresh me memory...

This was exactly my problem, and simply reseating the seal didn't fix the problem for long. Once kinked, the seal was shot. I returned my fork to the distributor who sorted it and it's been fine since.

 

[peachy]

the circlip is a pain. mine stayed open so i had to compress it the other way to close-in again. thanks for posting the pics Udi. very helpful for sure.

 

[J5ive]

I'm yet to have oil come from my MC on the wc, but I've had many issues on the pikes I've worked on. I've tried washers and the like, but the issue isn't resolved as o-ring under the top cap is the real cause. Is there anyway you can get to this o-ring on the pike?

 

[Udi]

Not sure - haven't had a problem with my pike, probably since it's the 409 that uses the allen key for floodgate.

I imagine the topcap is just reverse thread onto the plastic part like the boxxer (check a post or two back in the speedstack thread), so probably easy enough to solve.

Am I the only one that thinks if it's unseated it will probably just unseat again? There's got to be a better solution like an oversized o-ring or washer or something (without having seen it yet). Unless it just comes unseated from factory and once you fix it it stays like that.

 

[peachy]

so i found a small o-ring in my stash so i decided to double up on the o-ring like someone posted. hope it works.

Udi, when i press down on my floodgate knob the LSC knob also moves down w/ it. same thing happens to yours? is it possible that a leak could be coming off the LSC and not the floogate?

 

[peachy]

update: the o-ring i added did not solve the problem. when i flip my bike upside down, say to change the front tire, i get some leaking on my MCU.

 

[Udi]

There's no o-ring that seals the plastic adjuster "shaft" to the topcap, it's an actual pressure seal. Unless the race i've got apart is somehow different to a team/worldcup in that regard.

It may have dislodged or something, probably worth looking into it. Getting to it involves removing the topcap from the MC tube (reverse thread), removing the floodgate/compression knob (careful with that stupid clip) and voila.

I've got a race MC cartridge here apart showing it but too busy this week to fudge around with pics I think.. let me know how you go.

 

[A.P]

Or you could call SRAM, I had a new Motion control assembly in about a week no questions asked.

 

[FarkinRyan]

Or you could call SRAM, I had a new Motion control assembly in about a week no questions asked.

That may work for those of you in the U.S who get to deal direct with SRAM, but Udi is in Australia. The distributor would have to remove all of the testicles from their mouth just to answer the phone and we already know that's not going to happen.

 

[BJ-]

That may work for those of you in the U.S who get to deal direct with SRAM, but Udi is in Australia. The distributor would have to remove all of the testicles from their mouth just to answer the phone and we already know that's not going to happen.

But thats why ordering things in australia is so great! The people who can help you cant or dont care and the people who could have no means to do so.

 

[peachy]

or like me... now in the Asia. even more f**ked!

i can't even purchase Torco suspension fluids here. it's a huge chore to find the right stuff.

 

[bilbo]

My 06 boxxer race has been leaking oil from the top right-hand leg just under the blue adjustment cap. Tonight i removed the motion control then the circlip followed by the blue adjustment cap then i removed the top cap from the motion control body. After taking the blue rod out i noticed the plastic seal(Not sure if this is the correct name) near the top of blue rod was not flat and had what appeared to be a lump or crimp on it. Is this what is causing my leaking oil, it seems logical to me, can someone advise if it is meant to have this lump or not
thanks
will

 

[big-ted]

Bilbo. Sounds like you have the same problem as I had. Yes, it will cause a leak. No, it's not worth re-seating the old seal. I sent my fork back to my distributor who rectified the problem, though I suspect a strategically placed washer above the seal would help too.

 

[Udi]

Bilbo - i'd try reseating that seal, see if you can get it smooth with no lumps or crimps. It's not plastic, it's a hard rubber pressure seal (as I said a couple posts back). When you reinstall it be careful as well, that it stays in shape. I got some pics last night, will post tonight when I get home from work.

A.P and big-ted - like ryan said, our distributors over here generally suck, but it's not only that, it's that these problems tend to be recurring (or in case of the gate knob leak a tolerance problem in the stock part) so sometimes being able to fix it yourself is really useful, and saves on downtime too.

Oh also, the race and worldcup/team seal in the same way up there, just if anyone's curious. The pressure seal actually seals the oil from getting past the top of the plastic spring tube (holey thing), so nothing should actually be reaching the alloy topcap if that makes sense.

 

[big-ted]

Udi, I resat my seal several times to no avail. I put sealing adhesive around it to try and hold it in place, I put judy butter under it to try and hold the oil back, all to no avail. The problem in my eyes was that there's a "lug" that rotates with the LSC adjuster shaft, and fits into a cutout in the sleeve above the offending seal. Thing is, this cut out reduces the support on the seal, hence it's prone to popping out when the pressure behind it builds up. I always thought a washer above the seal would help keep downwards pressure on the seal to hold it in place, but when my distributor told me they would warranty it I just figured I'd let them deal with it. I haven't actually taken it apart to see what they did, but I've ridden the fork plenty hard since getting it back and the problem hasn't reoccurred.

I completely agree that being able to fix it yourself is a good thing, especially if your distributor isn't willing to help (seems pretty poor service?), but simply reseating the seal wont work, I speak from experience!

 

[Udi]

Never had the issue myself, but a washer sounds like a good idea... that's what I mean though - things that the distributor might not be able to solve because they usually just install a new part (over here anyway).

I noticed like you said the lug leaves a little less support for the seal at one spot, but within about 4-5 boxxers within my group of riding buddies none have done it yet. I have heard of a couple doing it though. So I suspect yours just got replaced with the stock setup again, and this time it was luckier... like I said there's plenty around sealing without a hitch.

Anyway for the other guys that asked - if reseating or moving the seal doesn't work like ted says, you can probably take the seal into a seal shop and get a match. Looked like a pretty standard pressure seal to me.

 

[ilostmypassword]

I have a new set of Pikes that are doing the very same Oil drips when you turn it up side down or have the floodgate set to its firm side.

I'm just going to take it to the shop and get it fixed under warranty I think. I do have a question for you though....... does the leaking oil effect dampinng in any way? or is it a different chamber (motion) that is effected? IF this is teh case- i'll just keep on trucking as i don't use the motion control anyway!

Great fix- but these are just 6 weeks old.... so warranty is the way to go i think.

 

[Udi]

Doesn't really affect damping, the motion control should still work normally too (the adjuster seals have little to do with that). So yeah, keep riding and get warranty when you can.

 

[ilostmypassword]

Doesn't really affect damping, the motion control should still work normally too (the adjuster seals have little to do with that). So yeah, keep riding and get warranty when you can.

ride on!