fox shocks loosing air

[jeeplogic83]

I have a set of fox air shocks 2.0 with 1.25 shaft that I bought in 2008 for a Desert Kart I built. My daughter crushed the rear end because the shocks were not filled enough. I finally rebuilt the rear end and put the shocks back in at 300 psi. that was about 2 weeks ago. we have been running it without any problems. I started to rain and I had to go to work Bla Bla Bla. I went out to the barn yesterday and the rear end is sagging and if I put any pressure on it (sit on it) I can just about bottom it out. The shocks themselves are in pristine condition and stored them bodies up. I realize I need to rebuild them, but shouldn't they have lasted longer I only had about 20-30 hours on them before they went in to storage. also how hard are they to rebuild. The place I go to get them filled say they won't fill them if I rebuild them because they had one explode recently. I really don't want to spend 70.00 -100.00 to get them rebuilt. Any suggestions
Thanks in advance
Greg

[boilermaker]

Did you check to see if they are leaking from the valve where you refilled them. Buy yourself a small nitrogen bottle and the proper fittings to refill them yourself .

[rowycoracing]

The rebuild is quite easy to do. Several on here can help guide you through that if necessary. I have some pics of a rebuild I can share with you. But first I would get a nitrogen set up and recharge them and then check for leaks just as Boilermaker suggests.

[jeeplogic83]

Thanks guys, where is the best(cheapest) place to buy the fill set up.

[6x6TRex]

Thanks guys, where is the best(cheapest) place to buy the fill set up.

JGSturbo made a pretty nice setup: https://www.minibuggy.net/forum/suspe...fill-tool.html

[JGSturbo]

Can be just a steel bottle too as long as its a high pressure air bottle.

[Glock n Ballz]

Ok I have ZERO experience with Fox Shox but, when I had my YZ250, I had to re-seal my front forks fairly often...seals would go bad especially when running in deep mud and dirt. Do the Fox Airs have similar seals?? Maybe they are completely different??

But sounds like you are already in good hands based on the posts I have seen above this one.

[rowycoracing]

Thanks guys, where is the best(cheapest) place to buy the fill set up.

If you search for "hydraulic accumulator charge kits" you can find a complete system for $150. Or better yet go DIY and buy a "shrader 556" fitting online (example = http://www.skygeek.com/ats-556.html) or at a hydraulic place like Parker (approx $35). Then add a high pressure (3000 psi) hose from McMaster ($18) and then pick up a regulator ($70 if you search around). Then for either the hydraulic charge kit or the DIY set up you will need a nitrogen tank. A good source of tanks is the smaller metal paintball tanks off of ebay ($25 or so) or a small nitrogen tank from your welding supply store. I got a small one from the local Airgas welding place for $50 and it's still more than 3/4 full after 4 years and several shock refills/rebuilds ... in other words a small tank will do. If you want to go DIY but a lot cheaper you can get a "shrader 6116" adapter and the high pressure hose, then use a needle valve to carefully throttle the flow. Be careful without a regulator though, the shocks aren't designed to withstand the full pressure from a nitrogen cylinder so you have to be SURE that you don't go too high or they can burst. When you do add nitrogen to the shocks make sure they are fully extended so you get a consistent charge.

[plkracer]

If they are leaking from the seals, there would be NO oil left ion them, and it would be all over. You didn't mention oil everywhere, so I suspect the valve got stuck. The shocks come with a cap that seals the stem, so that should have stopped the valve. They could also be leaking from where the brass stem mounts to the top mount...

[jeeplogic83]

Not leaking oil at all. Thanks for all the help I will start looking when I get back from vacation.