Thanks a ton for posting this stuff up, Orven. I send my Dorado out to get rebuilt every year at the end of the season but this year I'm doing it myself.
Manitou Dorado Exposed
- Thread starter Orvan
- Start date
holy scary ****, use the exact same things for rebuilding dorados at home. the only defference in my set up is that some syringes come with an outer protective case for shipping. Now, these outer cases are the exact same plastic and the syringe EXCEPT that on certain models, the non plunger side is open and actually 13mm wide! you can use the outer case as the bleeder and since its plastic it threads itself into the threads on the comression cartidge for bleeding without damage to the threads. this leaves you an extra hand for holding your cartridge whle bleeding and gives you an extra syringe for diskbrakes. Also, as for oils, guys I cannot express this enough, buy a decent oil like Ohlins, race Tech, Or Pro Corcuit cartridge oil. These oils put others to shame, I havent tried the Yamaha moto oil in a Dorado yet so I cannot say wether it is good or not. These oils are much more expensive but youre fork and riding will pay off out of the bottle. Also, guys it may seem pussy of me, but after doning so many forks, get some gloves, fork oil is a carcinogen and can cause cancer not to mention if you dont rebuild forks much, a serious irritation. Good luck.
I wish I had a digi, I have travel adjustments for Shermans, rebuilds for fox forks, and adjustments and valvings for most others. Damn being on a wrenches salary!
I wish I had a digi, I have travel adjustments for Shermans, rebuilds for fox forks, and adjustments and valvings for most others. Damn being on a wrenches salary!
I got a digi Terry. Maybe we should do something for DM?
Very interesting and helpfull topic (thanks for all the manuals), but I still have a few questions, regarding the rebound cartridge and the strange 'clunk' noise problem which occurs (in my case) at the end of the rebound stroke (and especially after larger bumps. Which you have all the time wile riding 
). My fork is a 2003 model by the way.
I've just taken the right leg apart, but I still hesitate about opening the rebound and compression part of the inner leg. The problem of the clunk noise seems to be in the rebound part of the leg, but I can't find any info or manual about whether it can be taken out without having to bleed the compression chamber. Or are they directly connected?
So how can i get the rebound cartridge out of there?
). My fork is a 2003 model by the way.I've just taken the right leg apart, but I still hesitate about opening the rebound and compression part of the inner leg. The problem of the clunk noise seems to be in the rebound part of the leg, but I can't find any info or manual about whether it can be taken out without having to bleed the compression chamber. Or are they directly connected?
So how can i get the rebound cartridge out of there?
Just to post a little update on the mysterious 'cloink' problem that several people with dorado's (including myself) had trouble with. A total refresh of the TPC+ chamber oil will do the trick for sure. I just finished servicing mine a half hour ago and it went from feeling sticky and no compression to supersmooth and awesome compression (off course this is adjustable 
)
Problem is probably due to old oil.
Dorado love is back
)Problem is probably due to old oil.
Dorado love is back
I have some 05 DH TPC+ dorados.. and trying to kinda use these instructions to help guide me through the 05 dorados because there are like NO instructions for 05 dorados on the web....which sucks..
how do you bleed the 05 DH dorado TPC+ chamber? cause it isnt exactly the same... like you cant use the suringe concept.
how do you bleed the 05 DH dorado TPC+ chamber? cause it isnt exactly the same... like you cant use the suringe concept.
Brother Orvan..........
I just buy a second hand Dorado
but not sure that is 02 or 03 model
I want to change the fork oil as soon as possible
but I don't know how much 5wt fork oil shall I use
can you tell me I shall use how much CC fork oil in my Dorado
~~~~~~~~THX A LOT~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S.:your information is very good..........but repair Dorado I feel very trouble
I just buy a second hand Dorado
but not sure that is 02 or 03 model
I want to change the fork oil as soon as possible
but I don't know how much 5wt fork oil shall I use
can you tell me I shall use how much CC fork oil in my Dorado
~~~~~~~~THX A LOT~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S.:your information is very good..........but repair Dorado I feel very trouble
N
nycurse2003
Guest
Orvan I was wondering if you could post that in the Pinkbike forums as a sticky. I am doing the same to my dorado fork and am also adding a upgrade dampener. Email me if you would like to post this on another forum
i would like to hear about this also im looking to get a new 05 tpc+ dorado some of the last made (early this year i think) and i couldn't find any info comparing them to the older style ones 03-04 ive tried those and they were very plush and felt amazing. but people are telling me the 05 is nothing like the earlier ones and feels over damped ect can anyone shed light on this?intense jonoooo said:
i also have a slider + that was converted to tpc+ (by manitou) but i took the fork apart and it looked nothing like the internals of the dorado it looked like cheap plastic and badly crimped alu for the dampers. and it dose not feel like any of the dorados ive tried.
what type of upgrade damper are u talking about? ive heard theres one made buy bos engineering but its quite expensive they also seem to have some internal kits for 888, dorados and such all with open bath (i think) avy looking system (looks very similar to the internals in an avalanche).nycurse2003 said:
fox dhx, dhx air, swingers have kits from them comming soon as well and they seem to be quite reasonably priced
hey Orvan, Im having some trouble with my lower crown on my 03 dorado. First of all, the steerer is too short. second, the steerer seems to be able to move around in the bottom crown. is that dangerous? and also i was wondering if you knew anyone that had a crown/steerer lying around. its for an 03 large v10, so im looking for at least 8" of steerer. i also lost both knobs, any ideas? someone suggested a beat fork and just use it for parts.
Thanks for this thread please don't ever take it down !!!
How bought some other forks ?
How bought some other forks ?
Probably not.. even with this thread I still got PMs about how-to on Durdados. Good news is, the Travis and the Intrinsic System (including the new 07 variety) are really easy to work on.
Hello,
I'm very happy to see all these explanations how to service your dorado. I've got one too. But I've a problem with it. It makes a ticking sound in the right (damper side) leg. So I started to find out what causes this sound. So I removed the moving parts of the damper/compression section and find out that the sound was gone and even the rebound. I think the ticking sound has something to do with the compression spring and the small spring under the small valve at the damper side.
The ticking sound is only there when the fork is pushed in fast. When you slowly pushing on the fork your won't here anything. Rebound works perfectly.
I hope you can help me!
If you need more explanation about the problem, just ask!
Thanks,
Nick
I'm very happy to see all these explanations how to service your dorado. I've got one too. But I've a problem with it. It makes a ticking sound in the right (damper side) leg. So I started to find out what causes this sound. So I removed the moving parts of the damper/compression section and find out that the sound was gone and even the rebound. I think the ticking sound has something to do with the compression spring and the small spring under the small valve at the damper side.
The ticking sound is only there when the fork is pushed in fast. When you slowly pushing on the fork your won't here anything. Rebound works perfectly.
I hope you can help me!
If you need more explanation about the problem, just ask!
Thanks,
Nick
Hey,
This is a sweet thread. I hope it sticks around
I was just wondering what you do after you open up the left and right legs to re lube them.
What grease do i use. I just baught Manitou Prep M. Is that the oil or lube. What do i use it for? Is there anything else i need to put in to lube my dorados. I have 05 dorados. Just the oil type and secquence would he great
Cheers Al
This is a sweet thread. I hope it sticks around
I was just wondering what you do after you open up the left and right legs to re lube them.
What grease do i use. I just baught Manitou Prep M. Is that the oil or lube. What do i use it for? Is there anything else i need to put in to lube my dorados. I have 05 dorados. Just the oil type and secquence would he great
Cheers Al
I had an 05 as well and I think you want to use a light weight fully synthetic motor oil. I think you use 0wt in the Travis's and 5wt in the Dorados.
On the top cap on the non-damping side, undo the little allen screw. Pry up that cap. It can be tight since it is sealed by an o-ring. Underneath is another allen screw. Turn that into the fork. Push it down far enough to allow you to pour in about 10ccs of oil. Don't push the fork down too hard because you will compress the rod that is attached to the allen screw and it will be hard to extend it back while it is inside the fork.
To do the damping side, undo the allen screw in the adjuster nut. Take a pair of pliers and pull up on the adjuster. It can be tight as well due to an o-ring. Repeat the same as above to pour in oil.
If you can't get the rod to start to thread into the top cap, you can take your wheel off and using a large cresent wrench you can take off the top cap. With the top cap off, you can push the leg up into the fork and grab the rod.
Make sure you only have about 10-13 ccs of oil in the fork. If you put in too much you can damage your seals.
Anyone else with a 05 feel free to correct anything.
On the top cap on the non-damping side, undo the little allen screw. Pry up that cap. It can be tight since it is sealed by an o-ring. Underneath is another allen screw. Turn that into the fork. Push it down far enough to allow you to pour in about 10ccs of oil. Don't push the fork down too hard because you will compress the rod that is attached to the allen screw and it will be hard to extend it back while it is inside the fork.
To do the damping side, undo the allen screw in the adjuster nut. Take a pair of pliers and pull up on the adjuster. It can be tight as well due to an o-ring. Repeat the same as above to pour in oil.
If you can't get the rod to start to thread into the top cap, you can take your wheel off and using a large cresent wrench you can take off the top cap. With the top cap off, you can push the leg up into the fork and grab the rod.
Make sure you only have about 10-13 ccs of oil in the fork. If you put in too much you can damage your seals.
Anyone else with a 05 feel free to correct anything.
With damper leg out of the fork, clamp the axle part into a vise, loosely. Uncrew the pumping rod out of the stanchion. Remove the leg from the vise. Pour the oil out. Put the leg back into the vise. Pour in oil until the leg is full.
Here is the important part. On the pumping rod, which has the rebound shim stack, pull the rod until the shim stack is up against the plastic spacer on the rod. That plastic spacer sets the correct depth of the pumping rod. Screw the rod back into the leg. Oil will pour out everywhere so expect a mess. Tighten the pumping rod and cycle the rod. Expect to hear air in the system the first time you reassemble it. Remove the pumping again and repeat the procedure until you have a nice smooth pumping action with out the sound of air in the system and the rod has a nice smooth long stroke.
Hear is a trick, some of those plastic spacers get knocked loose and cause the fork to bind. If this happens to you, cut the plastic spacer off the rod. Yes, its okay to do. The ony tricky part is you have to set the depth of the shim stack. Do this by placing the shim stack about an inch from the pumping rod nut and resassemble. Repeat until you get all the air out.
What do you use to Just Re-lube 05 dorados.
Do i need to use oil.. What do i do. How do i do it?
When i baught the forks they guys said there would be "red rum" running from the seals. This happened for a while then it dried up.
I just took the top caps off. I carnt see rite down to the seals.. Is this where i put the lube in.
What do i use as lube though. Im still confused. I have 05 dorados. im 75kg. please run me through the whole procedure again.
Cheers Al
Do i need to use oil.. What do i do. How do i do it?
When i baught the forks they guys said there would be "red rum" running from the seals. This happened for a while then it dried up.
I just took the top caps off. I carnt see rite down to the seals.. Is this where i put the lube in.
What do i use as lube though. Im still confused. I have 05 dorados. im 75kg. please run me through the whole procedure again.
Cheers Al
See my post #137, just a few posts above. You do not use grease, but oil to lube them. You probably could put some thin grease on the seals, if you pulled the legs, but its not neccessary.
My favorite tool is a very large socket with a few light hammer taps, works everytimenext up.....
How to install the evil genius seals on your existing 2002 Dorado.... I have to find (or make) a seal press tool first..
1/2" PVC pipe works the best.
Who brought this thread back up????
What happened to the "edit" buttons on the first few posts?
Who brought this thread back up????
What happened to the "edit" buttons on the first few posts?
i have an 05 dorado is it the same??
Nope.
Just saw this topic got back to life, so I tought maibe someone could solve problems I have.
I'm trying to get my dorado 2005 damper system to work.
When I full bleed the chamber, the pumping rod won't move at all. (oil can't compress, since the pumping rod gets in the fork, oil has to go somewhere to compensate... but oil has nowhere to go, or else there is something I really didn't understand)
If i'm right, there must be air in the higher part of the fork, just over the rebound damper o ring. ?? That way, compression and rebound would be in oil and there would be space for oil to move when the pumping rod gets in (since air can compress...)
Anyone can comfirm this or tell me what I'm doing wrong?
oh and another question, in the chamber of the left leg (where the damping system would be if there was one in that leg) how much oil do I need to pour in?
thanks for your time!
I'm trying to get my dorado 2005 damper system to work.
When I full bleed the chamber, the pumping rod won't move at all. (oil can't compress, since the pumping rod gets in the fork, oil has to go somewhere to compensate... but oil has nowhere to go, or else there is something I really didn't understand)
If i'm right, there must be air in the higher part of the fork, just over the rebound damper o ring. ?? That way, compression and rebound would be in oil and there would be space for oil to move when the pumping rod gets in (since air can compress...)
Anyone can comfirm this or tell me what I'm doing wrong?
oh and another question, in the chamber of the left leg (where the damping system would be if there was one in that leg) how much oil do I need to pour in?
thanks for your time!
Here's a little bit of info I figured out tonight. I was having the "clunking" half way down my damper side leg, on a brand new 05. Come to find out that the top cap was about 1/4 turn loose on the rebound rod. Tightened it up and its perfect. Hope that helps people out searching in the future like I was this evening.
Anyone selling an old used and abused (ie: friggin dirt cheaper than dirt cheap) Dorado fork (02-05)? Even Xvert Carbon -this one has to be in working condition as I have no parts for the Xvert. The Dorados, I can revive, not the Xverts. Sale, trade, gift, charity
So my 05 Dorado needed some love when I got back from vacation today. The damper leg would only compress 4 or 5 inches. I took apart the whole fork as it needed a overhaul anyways however I cannot get the bleeding right on the TPC leg. Here is a picture of all the internals inside the leg ripped out.
The plastic washer inside the pink box is sitting cockeyed on a c-clip not sure if it is supposed to be level or not. From what I understand to bleed the system you follow these steps:
Take nut from yellow box, bring down on to the pink box plastic washer to get full extension, fill the lower leg with oil and tighten nut from yellow box. Then cycle the damper rod up and down and purge air out of the system. However I cannot do that with the leg full of oil the damper rod has nowhere to go and the oil doesn't flow up through the rod.
Can anyone help me out? I want to go for a ride so badly!
The plastic washer inside the pink box is sitting cockeyed on a c-clip not sure if it is supposed to be level or not. From what I understand to bleed the system you follow these steps:
Take nut from yellow box, bring down on to the pink box plastic washer to get full extension, fill the lower leg with oil and tighten nut from yellow box. Then cycle the damper rod up and down and purge air out of the system. However I cannot do that with the leg full of oil the damper rod has nowhere to go and the oil doesn't flow up through the rod.
Can anyone help me out? I want to go for a ride so badly!
Hey guys
I am bringing up this old thread looking for some desperate help on a almost never ridden 2002 dorado i picked up..
I decided to do a oil change and realized this puppy is still running the faom unstead of the IFP and it is causing me some anger i believe trying to bleed it.
I follow the instructions listed on here buti easily get all the air out but then the rebound rod will not compress all the way anymore.
I am certain it has something to do with this foam not taking up the oil to compress i am certain it is prob fully absorbed with oil after 10 years.
Please help or if anyone has doraod parts or a IFP I would love to buy them.
Thanks
Mike
I am bringing up this old thread looking for some desperate help on a almost never ridden 2002 dorado i picked up..
I decided to do a oil change and realized this puppy is still running the faom unstead of the IFP and it is causing me some anger i believe trying to bleed it.
I follow the instructions listed on here buti easily get all the air out but then the rebound rod will not compress all the way anymore.
I am certain it has something to do with this foam not taking up the oil to compress i am certain it is prob fully absorbed with oil after 10 years.
Please help or if anyone has doraod parts or a IFP I would love to buy them.
Thanks
Mike
