Rear Shock Leaking Thru Air Fitting

[3KidsinAustin]

I posted this pic in my build thread but want to break it out here as it has me scratching what's left of the hair on my head.

Removing the shocks to get the gas tank pulled out. When I unscrewed the air fitting for the left shock, fluid began leaking out. Nothing from the right shock.

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What could be the cause of this? I know you fill the shocks thru the air hole, so it must be open to the junction block.

I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts!

[ritalz]

Perhaps someone overfilled the left side. I just recently pulled them from my 84 and hung them upside down to drain as much as I could without doing a full tear down. Even pumped them a couple of times to get more out. Refilled with about 8 oz of ATF on each side. So far so good. You could also replace the o-rings and teflon tape the threads for a better seal.

[3KidsinAustin]

Perhaps someone overfilled the left side. I just recently pulled them from my 84 and hung them upside down to drain as much as I could without doing a full tear down. Even pumped them a couple of times to get more out. Refilled with about 8 oz of ATF on each side. So far so good. You could also replace the o-rings and teflon tape the threads for a better seal.

Good idea on draining, will do that when I get home. I need to look up part numbers for the o-rings.

[3KidsinAustin]

Decided to check if my shocks hold pressure. Here is my high-tech testing system.

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How long should the system hold air? Nothing is leaky out currently, holding a little over 20 pounds of pressure. No leaks according to my soapy water test, not sure about internals on the bike pump.

20250302_194856.jpg

Note the torn boot. Both of them totally destroyed when I removed the saddlebags and saw them. Will get some replacements on order. Seals seem good as both shafts are bone dry.

My current plan is to drain and refill, as long as pressure looks good.

[ritalz]

Test looks good to me. The boots should be available or maybe some generic. The o-rings I used were out of a HF kit and seem to be holding just fine. I don't have the onboard compressor so there are fewer connections.

[ritalz]

Just remembered something else I did years ago after a 1200 shock rebuild. After completing everything and reassembling shocks and lines. I filled a tub with water, added air to the lines and submerged the whole works. With no bubbles I knew the rebuild was successful. Use the same method to test your lines before reinstalling the shocks.