Shock won't hold gas.

[Dougie]

And neither do I. OK, gas jokes out of the way. The shock on my WR400 is not holding the gas anymore.

Can it be fixed, and if so, is it worth it?

Should I get a new one, aftermarket maybe?

I had my stock shock setup with Race Tech valves and such. If I go aftermarket, are they better or about the same as a Race Tech setup. Any recommendations?

Thanks, Doug

 

[SuperPro]

You blew a shock blatter it seems like... or the blatter could be fine and the seals could just be going bad throughout the shock...

 

[zoommx]

How long does it take to lose the gas? Do you see any oil leaking out? 1st thing would be to find where the leak is. could be as simple as tightening the valve core or replacing it. I had to do that on an old KDX once.

Roger

 

[Rutbuster1]

Sounds like the bladder to me..It can be fixed.

 

[DeVol911]

If your shock is not holding gas it is one of two things. First the shock bladder is punctured or torn and needs to be replaced which is fairly simple in itself and a new bladder depending on where you get it will cost I'd say roughly $15-$30. If your bladder is fine then the only other thing it could be would be the valve on the bladder cap is either cross threaded or not seated. The only way to test is to tear down the shock and remove the bladder. Install the bladder cap on the bladder while apart from the shock. Use a compressor and turn the pressure anywhere between 10-20 psi. hold the bladder firmly at the base where the bladder and the bladder cap connect and fill it with the compressed air. if the bladder is bad you should here air escaping and as you inspect the bladder you should see a hole, tear, or puncture. If it holds air for a short period of time and slowly loses it inspect the valve. If nothing happens and it holds air then it could be it just was installed correctly or somehow moved in the shock and broke the seal between the cap and bladder. In any event it needs to torn down and rebuilt. If there is leak or not inspect and clean everything replace the bladder if need be it is fairly cheap and safe insurance, if there is no oil on the shaft don't worry about the seals and just do a rebuild. Recharge the shock with fresh Nitrogen and your ready to ride. Hope this helped.