TotopoRC

I race an sct 10 scale sometimes dirt sometimes carpet but someone told me I have to rebuild my shocks and I just put new rubber rings and green slime on them I tought that was good enough ... I'm I wrong? is there any specific signs or how can I tell?

Tky!!

Skeeter36

iTrader: (32)

What is the truck doing? I'm assuming it was either bouncing a lot or looked very unsettled. What surface do you run on and what is the current shock/ truck setup you have going on here?

rustyus

iTrader: (1)

That person that told you to rebuilt your shocks probably meant to say to you "change shock fluid." They probably saw something that didn't look quite right with your truck performance, and threw out the generic term "rebuild your shocks".

Losi T-Racer

My shocks tend to leak so I need to top off the oil every 4-5 heats.
A trick I was taught is to turn the car/truck upside down and push down on the wheel, if there is any air in the shock you will feel it.
It is because the piston is at the highest point in the shock body and if there is any air pocket you can feel the piston hit the oil when you push it down.

As far as a complete tear down and rebuild, run them for a weekend or 2 and tear them down, if they look good then go 3-4 weekends. If there was a bad item in the shock maybe rebuild every weekend. You will get a feel for it and when it needs to be done.

TotopoRC

Thanks for the response, the truck is an sc5m with stock shocks/pistons 32.5 oil in the back 35 on the front stock springs or white springs I really can't tell if there is something wrong with the shocks exception that coment from that person I don't feel anything wrong with the truck.
Tky!

wittyname

iTrader: (4)

if your running emulsion style shocks , you may want to check the oil level right before race day. Make sure the oil levels are the same , that way they will be consistent for the race. IF the bottom of the shock shaft / spring cup is full of wet dirt , that's a sign. Also , if you see a burr on a shock shaft , it will most likely wear an o ring out early. An actual rebuild ? when they leak or bind, that's about it.

Zerodefect

I change the Orings in my SC10 every single race day. Unless I don't care about the race.

will5879

Remove the shocks. Remove springs. Take the top off and drain the oil. Check how smoothly the shaft moves in and out through the orings. Should be very free. Rebuild with new parts to ensure free movement if necessary. The orings will swell over time due to the shock oil and have to be replaced. A sticky shock or two can cause very erratic handling and poor performance.

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

Caution here. An emulsion shock has to have an air bubble to function. Silicone is not compressible so that air bubble must compensate for the volume of the shock shaft entering the body. After a run, the oil should be mixed with the oil so the air bubble will be less noticeable.

For my stuff, I don't find the need to rebuild very often. If the shock is smooth (not sticking) and not leaking. I keep running it.