How do I fill my shocks with oil?

[nitro_sport]

How do i fill my shocks with oil...is there any special operation to do..or do u jsut unscrew the thing and fill it? is there any other oil that i can use (maybe a thick motor oil or hydraulic oil) Plz help.....my local hobby shop isnt open till tuesday... so i was trying to ffind an alternative to the oil u are supposed to use...what do u think

 

[newnitrofan]

Hey sport it is honestly best to wait until your LHS is open and get the proper stuff. You should use a good silicone shock oil. Should only set you back about $4.00 or so. I am not familiar with any other alternatives. I would suggest weights but I have no idea what vehicle you have. Later

 

[nitro_sport]

thanks for the info.....i have a nitro sport its a little brother to the rustler what would u reccomend?

 

[SkyMaxx]

There is a proper procedure to follow on building up shocks or in your case rebuilding shocks.

No, you can't just throw any old oil in there. Actually, you probably could...you just wouldn't see the performance that you desire from them. Stick with the real deal. As for the proper weight, that depends on what you do with your NitroSport. If you like to jump, you may want a heavier oil (like 40 - 60 weight); if you just like to run it around and play off road with it, then a middle of the road weight should do the trick (20 - 40 weight).

It would help to know if you are running stock shocks or not and why you need to add oil (or think you need to add oil).

 

[nitro_sport]

no i bought a uses nitro sport and it has stock shocks on it...but i was digging through the box of parts that came with it and i found a set of back shocks but they need oil because they are rreally soft..... they look like aftermarket, they are aluminum... do u think they would perform better than stock? i like to jsut ride around and jump...pretty much anything i decide to do...what do u think i should go with?

 

[SkyMaxx]

I personally prefer all metal construction on my shocks (caps and cylinders). They are stronger and can handle most anything. If you have a set of shocks that are plastic on the sport now and you have an aluminum set, I'd recommend switching them out.

As for the oil weight, I'd say try the 40 weight. It is kind of in between. Should work okay for you. The springs you have on your sport will also play on the performance of the suspension. If they are really stiff and you use a weak oil, the truck will be bouncy after a jump and prone to bottoming out. If the springs are really weak and the oil is too stiff, then the truck will take a jump...may bottom out and then never return to full ride height.

Setting up your suspension is kind of an art mixed with some healthy trial and error.

 

[nitro_sport]

thanks for the input...is there any special way i have to put the oil in or jsut unscrew the cap and put oil in there???what do u think?

 

[SkyMaxx]

The rebuild process is a little more involved.
1. Remove the shock cap.
2. Empty out all old oil. I recommend giving the internals a good bath in some dish soapy water...then let it dry out over night.
3. Once certain all old oil is gone, pull piston all the way to the bottom of the cylinder and pour about half the cylinder full of silicone/oil.
4. Then gently run the piston up and down a couple of times (make certain you keep it beneath the level of the oil in the cyclinder.) This is to bleed the air out of the silicone/oil. I find that slightly heating the oil helps this process immensely.
5. Once bled, fill the cylinder to the rim with silicone/oil.
6. Gently start to push the piston up until the silicone/oil starts to bulge upward.
7. At this time place the cap quickly on the cylinder and tighten it down. I would have some paper towels handy as this part is messy and silicone/oil will leak a little.
8. Once tightened down, compress the shock all the way (without the spring attached). You should see the shock rebound about a quarter of the shaft length. This is a good sign that you filled it properly.
9. Install the springs and re-attach to the RC.

You may want to look into a total rebuild which is more involved and requires some replacement o-rings and gaskets, but the above procedure will get silicone/oil into your shock properly.

 

[nitro_sport]

thanks alot
i appreciate it...do u have any idea what kindof pipe would be good for my car?

 

[SkyMaxx]

What kind of engine do you have?

 

[nitro_sport]

I have a Pro .15, what wouldu reccomend

 

[SkyMaxx]

I ran a TRAXXAS tuned pipe on my TRX Pro .15 prior to upgrading to a Fantom engine. The pipe is cost effective and works just great. In fact, I still use it on my Fantom engine.

 

[spanko123]

yea man, i would just throw any oil you could find(i mean it can't huhrt that bad, unless its friggin acid corrosion juice!:nuke and my front shock leaked out everything and so i couldnt make it to hobby shop, so i threw sum extra spacers in there for springs ya no to make up for lost oil. but again, this is just what id do cuz i certanly dont feel like waiting for a ride to hobby shop! :jade: