IZwack
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- February 5, 2003
- Messages
- 21,675
- Reaction score
- 49
- City, State
- Germantown, MD
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1998 Ford Explorer
Hi kids 
Today Mr. Barack Obama will show us how to break down the Fox 2.5 Air Shock So please, sit down, take a few minutes, and let us bask in this "shocking" affair << golf claps please >>
Well first things first, let us stand the shock vertically so that the schrader valve is on top. Shake the shock a few times to ensure that the oil is all at the bottom of the shock body. Then, with the schrader valve pointing away from you, depressurize the shock by inserting a screwdriver (needle nose pliers work also, a small screw, and Republican officials also fit well in schrader valves). Be careful as you don't get your pretty pretty hands too close to the schrader valve during the depressurizing process as Nitrogen gas moving at such a high velocity will start to freeze over the screw driver, and any other object within the gas' stream.
Well with the shock depressurized, we ensure that there is at least at least 7 inches of the shock's shaft protruding from the body -- this will allow us to get to the shock's internals easier. We then lay the shock body down on something soft (carpet, wood, etc..) as to not scratch the shock components. With a rather large channel lock and a rag over its jaws, we then rotate the shock's bearing cap a few turns to break it free. It does not matter which way we rotate the cap as it is not threaded. Our goal is to move the cap a few millimeters out, after which we can then use our hands to pull the cap all the way out.
With the cap out of the way, we next compress the shaft back into the body an inch or so which will push the bearing housing in and reveal the snap ring used to prevent the shaft from coming out of the body. So with a sharp object (knife, pick, tiny flat head screw driver, Republican official's vampire-like teeth), we pry the snap ring out.
With the snap ring free, stand the shock vertically so that the schrader valve is a the bottom -- as to not spill all the oil. We now proceed to pull the shaft out of the body and then dump the oil in a pan.
Here are the parts labelled
A closer look at one end of the shaft (with the lock nut backed off a few threads)
Well thats pretty much it for the breakdown -- the reassembly is just the opposite.
But a few "lessons learned" :
1) Pay careful careful attention to the parts as you dissassemble the shock, especially the valve stacks as they can not be mixed with each other (or else the valving numbers changes).
2) Upon re-assembly, the shock piston must face all of its four tiny dimples and holes "out" away from the shock's shaft:
3) If you can not get the shaft to come out enough in order to get to the snap ring, either press the schrader valve down while you pull the shaft out to minimize the vacuum, or just remove the schrader valve from the body using a 9/16" socket.
4) Use Fox's 5-weight shock oil to refill the shock.
With that, I wish you, my fellow Americans, a most joyous Holiday season and happy wheeling!
Today Mr. Barack Obama will show us how to break down the Fox 2.5 Air Shock
So please, sit down, take a few minutes, and let us bask in this "shocking" affair << golf claps please >>Well first things first, let us stand the shock vertically so that the schrader valve is on top. Shake the shock a few times to ensure that the oil is all at the bottom of the shock body. Then, with the schrader valve pointing away from you, depressurize the shock by inserting a screwdriver (needle nose pliers work also, a small screw, and Republican officials also fit well in schrader valves). Be careful as you don't get your pretty pretty hands too close to the schrader valve during the depressurizing process as Nitrogen gas moving at such a high velocity will start to freeze over the screw driver, and any other object within the gas' stream.
Well with the shock depressurized, we ensure that there is at least at least 7 inches of the shock's shaft protruding from the body -- this will allow us to get to the shock's internals easier. We then lay the shock body down on something soft (carpet, wood, etc..) as to not scratch the shock components. With a rather large channel lock and a rag over its jaws, we then rotate the shock's bearing cap a few turns to break it free. It does not matter which way we rotate the cap as it is not threaded. Our goal is to move the cap a few millimeters out, after which we can then use our hands to pull the cap all the way out.
With the cap out of the way, we next compress the shaft back into the body an inch or so which will push the bearing housing in and reveal the snap ring used to prevent the shaft from coming out of the body. So with a sharp object (knife, pick, tiny flat head screw driver, Republican official's vampire-like teeth), we pry the snap ring out.
With the snap ring free, stand the shock vertically so that the schrader valve is a the bottom -- as to not spill all the oil. We now proceed to pull the shaft out of the body and then dump the oil in a pan.
Here are the parts labelled
A closer look at one end of the shaft (with the lock nut backed off a few threads)
Well thats pretty much it for the breakdown -- the reassembly is just the opposite.
But a few "lessons learned" :
1) Pay careful careful attention to the parts as you dissassemble the shock, especially the valve stacks as they can not be mixed with each other (or else the valving numbers changes).
2) Upon re-assembly, the shock piston must face all of its four tiny dimples and holes "out" away from the shock's shaft:
3) If you can not get the shaft to come out enough in order to get to the snap ring, either press the schrader valve down while you pull the shaft out to minimize the vacuum, or just remove the schrader valve from the body using a 9/16" socket.
4) Use Fox's 5-weight shock oil to refill the shock.
With that, I wish you, my fellow Americans, a most joyous Holiday season and happy wheeling!
