Hi,
When rebuilding shocks, after putting the new shock oil in should I just pump the shocks a couple of times to get the air out or do I have to pump the shocks abit, pull the shaft all the way out and let the shocks sit for a while, while all the air bubbles rise out of the shock oil?

This is a question for a friend who keeps saying he gets air in his shocks and wants to know from 'the people' (you) which is the correct method.

Thanks,
George

I pull the shock shaft all the way down then fill with oil. I then push the shock shaft up about half way, then I put it into my Ride RJ600 air bubble remover and pump those air bubbles out in two seconds.

If you don't have an air bubble remover then I would pull the shock shaft all the way down, fill with oil then push the shock shaft almost all the way up then pull back down and wait until all the air bubbles rise to the top by themselves.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

I think youll find people do different things. I think X-Ray recommends that you build shocks with no rebound. If you pull the shafts out before you whack the caps on then you will have rebound (ie when you push the shaft in it will rebound back out by itself). If you build 4 shocks together then you should match shocks with the same rebound then put then put one pair on the front one on the rear.

Different rebounds in shocks will effect the handling of the car just like selecting different springs.

Some times after the suspention has had a big hit , it can force oil out of the shock or they may be worn out and may need a closer look at the seals and shaft.

ok so can anyone verify that for me? should there be bounce back in the xray shocks, i am currently rebuilding mine and they had bounce back so i have spent a bit of time trying to get them even, however if theres not meant to be bounce back it would prove a whole lot easier!