shock shaft replacement?

[specialk6r]

I located a buried rock the expensive way on my 04' King Cat, and among other things it bent the shaft on the front shock. Does anyone know how to remove this? It's not in the manual, but I was going to try to compress the spring w/ a piece of threaded rod and big washers and nuts. An explanation or any tips would be great. Thanks

 

[80arrow]

are you trying to remove the shock from sled or trying to remove shaft from shock

 

[thekrust]

Once you do get the spring off the shock you still are going to need someone with the special tools to repair it. You can change just the piston shaft.(cheap) The guy with the shock rebuild tools will also have the spring compressor tool, takes about 30sec. Not really any additional cost for this.

 

[specialk6r]

I'm trying to remove the shaft from the shock, and I already bought it from Country Cat for $25. The shaft is just a rod w/ threads at both ends.

 

[thekrust]

You will still need the tools to change this shaft. The shock is pressurised to around 200psi I think, could mess you up if take it apart charged and then you have to get it re-charged. Again you need to find someone with the tools to do it.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

no gas ?

To fix your shock:

Unscrew the brass fitting slowly of the lower shock end......this will let out the nitrogen gas.

Put shock in a vise held by the lower eye.

Use propane torch and or heat gun to carefully heat the area of the shock body where the aluminum nut screws into the body holding the shock rod.

1" wrench or big cresecnt wrench unscrew the aluminum nut where the rod comes out. Now if you are lucky, this nut comes out and the body of the shcok does not unscrew from the lower shock end.

If nut comes out your good, put eye end of shock rod in vise, unscrew nut holding piston, without scattering the parts all over the shop set this aside, wrap old inner tube around shock shaft held in vise, head eye end to loosen locktite,unscrew eye. Screw eye onto new rod, slide alum nut/wiper assembly on, set piston back on just the way you took it off. Put shock body in vise, fill 2/3 with shock oil, ( don't have any use automatic transmission oil ), reinstall brass plug in bottom of shock end, compress piston ring slide valve into body and slowly move it back and forth in oil to bleed out bubbles.add oil and gently stroke piston, work piston up to shock threads covered with oil, add oil hafl way up threads, screw in aluminum nut, take brass plug out of bottom of shock body and go to hydraulics shop and buy scrader valve stem to fit, scew into shock body and put all the air your compresser has in there.

Shock will work fine to ride and get you back on trail, perfect? maybe not? but when season is over send to shock rebuilder to have it reassembled with nitrogen and floating piston dept set correctly.

Air instead of nitrogen won't hurt a thing, nitrogen better, but air better than sitting and watching, the key to putting air in is replacing filler rubber/brass pellet set up with regular valve stem ( schrader valve ), then air pump, compressor, bicycle pump any thing will work, even it you don't put any air in the shock, you can ride, kinda soft for most, but won't hurt anything.

 

[thekrust]

The main reason for using nitrogen is that it is dry 0% moisture. With air from your compressor you can induce moisture that causes corrosion or freezing. I would get it done right once and be finished.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

The nitrogen is a more stable gas than air, so as your shock heats with use the pressure remains pretty constant, that's why all the upscale tire shops have gone to nitorgen in your tires. So if you have air in a gas shock, 98% of all real experienced sled riders can not tell performance difference as shock warms up. Motocross bike.........yes. Sleds.......too many variables and snow conditons and variables to deal with.

a little water in the air behind your floating piston won't cause a shock malfunction. Water intoduced to the oil through your seals and wipers will eventually cause a problem, freezing and causing poor shock performance and eventually shock may stick down and not rebound when used in below freezing temperatures.

Yes a good rebuilt is ideal, but don't be fearul of taking these things apart, they are brutally simple, hamer/a vise/don't scratch the shaft while taking them apart, some ingenuity on disassembly and thinking everything through on bleeding air out on assembly .......nothing to screw up, good shock oil is best, but any good quality hydraulic oil etc will work until you find better, rebuilding the top end on a sled is way more work., and critical and a potential money pit.