Built B16A

i have a NTC3 ver. 2

and it seams that my shocks only last about 4 runs before they need to be serviced.. once i open them, they're low on oil, and very dirty.. they leak between the body, and the cap. ive changed the hat seals constantly, and without luck, they always leak.

should i junk the RTR shock assemblies which are plastic, and invest in some coilover style aluminum shocks? ive seen a full set on ebay for for about 40 bucks.

any after market brands be a good candidate to upgrade to?

thanks guys.

itchy b

iTrader: (2)

Your best bet is to upgrade to the aluminium bodied shocks as they are far better than the rtr plastic shock bodies!
you will find that the handling will be much more consistent and there will be more time between shock rebuilds

Built B16A

ok, but for a good sealed shock, how often should you be re-sealing them? when i took the shocks out (plastic ones), you could push the shaft in, and it would stay.. no bounce, nothing.. it was obviously low on oil.

Rapid Roy

Once you take to spring off the shock, you usualy don't get that bounce back. Its also called rebound. Its somthing that happens when you 1st build the shock. After it has been run for a while the rebound goes away. That doesn't mean that there is somthing wrong though. If you shocks are leaking after you use new seals, then somthing else is messed up. You should check the O rings in the bottom if shock oil is leaking around the shaft. If you are getting leaking around the cap after replacing the seals, the top of the shock body is probably stripped. Your shocks shouldn't be leaking even with the stock units.

Opening up the shock is not really the way to see if the oil level is down. To check the shocks, work the piston in and out after you remove the shock and spring from the car. If the oil is low, you will be able to hear air inside the shock as it passes through the holes in the shock pistons. Also, the shock oil will always look a bit dirty once you run the car, expecially if your shock shafts are painted.

Built B16A

ok, shock shafts arn't painted.. and the tops just under the caps are always wet.. or if its a really dirty street.. muddy.. lol

if i dissemble the spring, and work the shaft in and out, it "slaps" if you will the top of bottom.. obviously they've leaked, and gained air.

i really only have problems with the rears.. and im not sure if because i choose the worst road i could find, or i don't have enough spacers. i think i have my TC3 maxed out to the top, for better road clearance.

but either way, no matter how many times i try to change the hat seals, they always leak, and if i tighten them too much, you can visually see them pinched. so thats why im thinking about upgrading.

either the blue AE factory team's, or even aftermarket...

DogboneS

iTrader: (20)

Do your shocks have bladders or o-rings in the caps?

Built B16A

i believe i have O Ring seals, since they are o rings, and im not really sure what a bladder seal is.. lol

here's a snapshot from my parts manual.



it seams like im always blowing out, or pinching 6469.

Rapid Roy

You probably need to replace the shock body. If the shock cap is plastic, then you might need to replace that too. You could also be bottoming out your shock. With some shocks, compressing all the way will cause the piston to come up and hit the underside of the shock cap. This is usually called "blowing out" the shock. If this is happening, you could put a couple of shock O rings on the shaft between the shock body and part 7217 fix it.

DogboneS

iTrader: (20)

Shock bladder or diaphram goes onto the shock cap shoulder, then into shock body, then is retained with the outer shock top ring. Your shocks are a little different but if the o-ring at the top is allowed to squish into the shock body that is where the oil will sneak out. I can't tell what the inside of the cap on yours looks like but a larger thickness o-ring (if you have one) may tighten up the sealing at the cap.

Built B16A

yeah, i might as well try replacing the shock body, and cap... they're super cheap.. like 5 bucks for a pair, top and bottom..

after that, i might keep my internals, and just upgrade to aluim. boddies, and caps..

so yeah, all in all, im leaking at the cap. always have.

and.. my shocks are spacered out.. minimal travel. (i need high ground clearance) so banging em down prolly isnt' happening.

Black_Widow

CarAction do suggest filing the sharp edge

Built B16A

really? filling the shock body edge? flat?

nitromustang

IMO,I wouldnt even waste your time buying aluminum shock bodies,etc.Associated shocks,no matter what bodies you have,are high maintainence shocks that are a pain to rebuild,and need rebuilt often.I would spend the money and get good self bleeding shocks,like mugen,hpi,etc.This will save you alot of hassle rebuilding,rebuilding associated shocks is really just a big guessing game as to how much oil to put in the cap to get the right amount.

Mike

Built B16A

thanks for the advice mike..

i was looking into non associated hop ups, but im not really big into nitro RC.. i mainly bash around parking lots, and streets.. but i find my shocking needing attention often.

you have any websites or links where i can find this hop up suspension? are all 1/10 scale shocks pretty similar in design?

icon

while i dislike AE shocks (or any other bladderless shock designs), the problem with these shocks seem compounded by mistakes when building the shocks themselves. People often over fill the shocks when building them and you must use the right amount of green slime to seal the O rings on the bottom. I generally like to fill the shocks half way to three quarters way and then bleed the air out. then i usually measure compress the shaft about 1/4th way in to take up some of the volume within the shock (very important to do this equally on all shocks). then fill all the way up and level the fluid off the top. this step should prevent the overfilling of the shock. seal and cap of the shock and test the rebound. If there is no rebound after compression or it keeps the shock compressed then you know that you underfilled the shock). If the rebound is too quick then you overfilled. all four shocks should also rebound approximately the same rate. if not then you filled incorrect amts or did not measure the compression of the shock shafts correctly.

HPI and kyosho put out very reliable shocks that are very easy to build. i recommend you look into these if you are tired of AE shock design.