Quantcast

How to fix the crunching in your 66rc2x or 888rc2x

nycurse

Monkey
Jul 27, 2006
296
0
This process is only for the 66 and 888 rc2x models. both use the same damping and structure. on difference is the spring size and travel.

If you are getting crunching from your fork and has not been that way for a while then this is for you.

The bike shop will not fix it since they do not know how. all they will say is to get a new cartridge.
Marzocchi WILL NOT SEND YOU THE PART NEEDED. They want you to send the fork in. THE PART COST $180.

Step 1

These are the tools you will need.

1. cassette tool(you can buy one without the long thing to stick through the Qucik release hole).
2. a big File. used to shave down the spring holders.
3. a wrench that can fit between the spring coils.

Step 2

this is my 66rc2x. it is being hanged so i can work on it. you must have something to hold your bike.

Step3

take off the caps and screws

Step4


Make sure it looks like this also Take The Air Out Of The Fork.

Step5

use a big socket to hold the cassette tool because you will need some leverage to open the fork.

Step6

The top cap should look like this.

Step7

now carfully push the lower crown up a bit. But not to much that oil comes out.

Step8

now use that thin wrench to hold the red nut so you can twist the can off. Twist the cap counterclockwise. or the way most things losen.

Step9

Now it should come off like this. And the rod should not sink down.

Step10

Now pull the spring half out or almost out since oil will be dripping.

Step11

Clean the spring off so oil wont get every where.

Step12

To absolutly make sure that its the springs and spring holder that are making noise. push the spring top and bottom of the white spring holder together. if you feel vibration and hear noise then that the problem. The spring holder has worn out or was not tight when made. if may not sound like its the problem since its so quite but when it in the fork and mostly hollow it echos and makes 5 times the noise when its in the fork.

Step13

Take a screw driver and stick it through the hole of the spring holder. and pull the spring off of it.

Step14

Clean off the spring holder so no oil is on it. this makes it easier to shave it down.

Step15

now shave it down evenly. it will take a bit of shaving to get what you want. but test it by putting it back on the spring and push them together. the final result should be that it is loose on the spring holder.

Step16

when you think its done, put it back on the spring holder and do the other one. its the same thing on both sides except the black spacer that has nothing to do with this process.

Step17

Make sure the rod is up so you can srew the cap on when you get the srping in.

Step18

the way it shows in the photo is not how you should try to get the cap back on. you need to compress the spring so the cap can go on and touch the threads of the rod.

Step19
Do Not Tighten very hard. just enough so it wont get loose
 

mshred

Monkey
Aug 6, 2006
525
0
Posts: 26,935
it seems a bit risky , i myself wouldnt do it, but thats some good stuff for advanced garage mechanics :thumb: i say sticky this thread!
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
Good idea on sticking the thread. Done.

Thanks for the walkthrough, nycurse. IIRC that little red nut on the rod is the spot where everyone keeps breaking the rod. So hamfisted mechanics need not apply.
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Good idea on sticking the thread. Done.

Thanks for the walkthrough, nycurse. IIRC that little red nut on the rod is the spot where everyone keeps breaking the rod. So hamfisted mechanics need not apply.
It is indeed where the rods keep breaking. I would strongly suggest a 10mm open end wrench in leu of the channel-locks. Might also want to use a vise block for the damper shaft (an axle block works well) to help prevent the need for a new damper cartridge..
 

MouseMonkey

Monkey
Jul 29, 2006
116
0
Salt Lake City
I did this when I changed the oil for the first time in my new 66rc2x. I let it break in for a while, changed the oil, and shaved the spring holders. The result? Freaking amazing. No more spring crunchy noises and smooth as butter.

BUT...

Now my fork makes a clicking that you can hear and feel. It happens whenever the fork stops compressing and starts rebounding. It doesn't matter where in the travel. Compression and rebound work fine, and don't have any effect on the clicking. Otherwise feels great.

Anybody know what I did wrong?

JMH
 

nycurse

Monkey
Jul 27, 2006
296
0
I did this when I changed the oil for the first time in my new 66rc2x. I let it break in for a while, changed the oil, and shaved the spring holders. The result? Freaking amazing. No more spring crunchy noises and smooth as butter.

BUT...

Now my fork makes a clicking that you can hear and feel. It happens whenever the fork stops compressing and starts rebounding. It doesn't matter where in the travel. Compression and rebound work fine, and don't have any effect on the clicking. Otherwise feels great.

Anybody know what I did wrong?

JMH
well the one thing you need to do is open the fork up again and turn the springs and push them down to see if the click is still there. Its the position of the spring that makes the clicking.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
well the one thing you need to do is open the fork up again and turn the springs and push them down to see if the click is still there. Its the position of the spring that makes the clicking.
Or could the clicking be the spring hitting the plastic holder now that is smaller that the sping?
 

tomacdaddy

Monkey
Feb 2, 2005
224
0
Minturn, CO
well the one thing you need to do is open the fork up again and turn the springs and push them down to see if the click is still there. Its the position of the spring that makes the clicking.

x2. This was the case with my 888rc2x when it was new. Spring was popping. Ended up being situated wrong.

Awesome writeup nycurse.:cheers:
 

Shortbus

Turbo Monkey
Feb 27, 2002
1,013
6
Stuck in the 80s
This is an awesome thread thank u so much!
I'm getting my 66RC2X in the mail this week and will keep an ear out for this issue. This also helped me see how to change the oil since marzocchi makes it a secret of the trade(r) now...

Christian -
 

chinkerjuarez

Monkey
Oct 18, 2006
142
0
Englewood, CO
Wow I've sent my 66 to many bike shops they can't figure it out. Your instuctions were perfect step by step someone that has never touched a wrench could do this procedure thanks to the pics and steps. Thanks now my fork is noise free.
 

elRey

Turbo Monkey
what do you mean by crunching??

my 888 makes weird noises like springs rattling around when it is uncompressed and i lift the wheel a little off the ground and drop it back down.

im wondering if this thread might be the solution to my problem.
 

_*sTiTcHeS*_

Monkey
Apr 24, 2006
386
0
when i remove the spring, alot of oil comes with it. i know it doesn't matter too much but i'm planning on keeping the rebound spring out because i'm a lighter rider. (thats right, right?)


how exactly can i measure the oil hight and what is the correct oil hight?

and do you take the white spacer out with the spring? is there anything else that comes out with the spring?
 

Avy Rider

Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
287
0
Muskoka,Canada
How do you go about removing the top caps? Please give details as I don't want to strip anything by twisting it too hard.I just got the 66 RC2x fork from a friend and will want to change the oil at some point. I did notice that the springs seem to rub a little on the holder inside.
 
what do you mean by crunching??

my 888 makes weird noises like springs rattling around when it is uncompressed and i lift the wheel a little off the ground and drop it back down.

im wondering if this thread might be the solution to my problem.
Hi Mate, try running more pre-load on your springs. Manufacturing tolerances can stack up poorly and you may not have any preload on the spring, hence the looseness/rattling at full extension.

Good luck,

JT
 

Inkhell

Chimp
Jul 15, 2002
64
0
Golden
Great instructions. Just did my 66 and the noise is gone and it feels way smoother at the top of it's travel. Went ahead and changed the oil and what a difference. Took quite a while to file down though. My plugs weren't "loose" when I reinstalled but I could easily pull the plugs on and off without any vibrations or rubbing noises. Ended up using 60 grit sandpaper first and then finished with 120 and 200 to smooth any lines in the plastic. Thanks for the tip.
 

mtbextremist

Chimp
Feb 26, 2007
24
0
Does anyone have an extra 66 spring guide? I just converted my 06 SL to an RC2x and Marzocchi has the guides on backorder. Thanks!
 

Slater

Monkey
Oct 10, 2007
378
0
So this crunching is not stiction right? I've got about 60 or so hours on my 66 rc2x and there is still some stiction. I hear changing the oil will help this. Or is it the same as this "crunching " you are talking about? So do you just turn the fork upside down after you pull the top cap off to drain the oil and then pour new stuff in? Or is there something else that needs to be done too?

Thanks!
 

Avy Rider

Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
287
0
Muskoka,Canada
The sound is from the spring rubbing against the spring retainer inside the fork legs. Carefully sand down the outer diameter of one or both plastic spring retainers until the springs will slip on and off without stiction but not be so loose as to rattle.
Changing oil is a good idea but has nothing to do with the crunching sound and feel.
I did this mod at the beginning of the season and my forks have performed smoothly ever since but they felt awful before the modification.
 

Slater

Monkey
Oct 10, 2007
378
0
I'm surprised so many of your guys forks felt so bad before doing this. I must have gotten lucky. I just bought the cassette tool (Park Tool #FR5) and checked out my spring seats. Both slipped on and off the seats great. One side better than the other. But out of curiosity I flipped the spring around and tried it on the other end and it was perfect. So that's one thing to try. You may don't need to file anything, perhaps flipping the spring over will work like it did for me.

I also got some 7wt oil and "seal nectar", guy at the LBS gave it to me, that's what he called it. Did an oil change (first one since buying it new). Also pulled the lowers off and put some of this "seal nectar on the seals (after cleaning them off). After putting it all back together HOLY HELL its amazing. No more stiction whatsoever and even more buttery than before. Awesome!

Thanks to the thread starter for this, gave me the confidence to open up my fork and do this! Other wise I was gonna pay the bike shop to do it. Rock on!
 
Sep 6, 2007
16
0
Quick question, Has anyone tried to replace the stock seals with oem enduro seals??? They are in the freezer, but there is a rediculously tight fit. Should I just use the enduro seals, and the original wipers??
 

FR4life.

Monkey
Nov 2, 2004
606
0
The Bay
I have this crunching problem with my new dj2. It also makes a rattling noise when no travel is being used, and isn't very plush at all.. How should I go about fixing this?
 

jwick

Chimp
May 19, 2008
60
0
I just performed this mod on a 2006 66 rc2x that was crunchy from day one. Buttery smooth now. The only thing I'd add to the mod is if you have access to a drill press, the plastic spring retainer fits perfectly over 3/4" drill bit or dowel and shaving the sleeve is so easy this way. Lets you sand or shave progressively back to smooth and perfectly round. Great mod! Thank you nycurse!
 

borgia

Chimp
Oct 3, 2008
1
0
Hey, sorry to dig up an old topic, ecspecially when its my first post! First off, thanks to the guy who made this thread, was extremely helpful in taking my 66rc2x's apart.

I had to take them apart due to the compression adjust on the top of the left hand leg being siezed, and to cut to the chase, I managed to fix that fine. But after putting them back together, the right hand leg started making a crunching sort of noise, which is clearly the spring touching/scraping the inside of the stantion, as if it weren't seated properly. I've taken them back apart several times, fiddled with the spring position some what, but to no avail. I just can't understand why its doing this all of a sudden, and don't have a clue how to sort it out??

Just wondering if someone might be able to help me out thats all :panic:

Nice one, Borgia