Rear Shock leak?

[Magdave]

I was checking things today and found my rear shock at 40psi. I had It set to 50 before and played with it filled it back up, and it seems to have a slow leak it was back to 43psi after a couple of hours. What is the most likely leak spot on a RT? How long should it take for a dealer to fix it? What is a good psi for 400lbs of riders?

 

[NancysToy]

Most common leak spot is the valve core of the Schrader valve under the seat.

 

[Magdave]

Most common leak spot is the valve core of the Schrader valve under the seat.

You know right after I posted that I got my handy dandy Schrader tool out and got 1/2 turn on it does that sound loose?

 

[Bob Denman]

Yup! :thumbup:
Dave, please let us know if that solves, "the case of the missing pressure"... :shocked:

 

[Magdave]

Yup! :thumbup:
Dave, please let us know if that solves, "the case of the missing pressure"... :shocked:

:thumbup: Will check it in the morning. Just checking it will lose at least 1 psi from the pssst as the checking occurs. Not a lot of room for air in it.

 

[Bob Denman]

When mine was just an A&C; it'd lose about a pound of air per day...
Then I turned it into an RT-S... air pressure became essentially irrelevant! :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

You know right after I posted that I got my handy dandy Schrader tool out and got 1/2 turn on it does that sound loose?

When in doubt, put a dab of spit on your finger and touch it to the uncapped valve, making a bubble over the opening. If the bubble gets bigger, you have a leak. 1/2 turn is quite a bit on a valve core. Valve cores can go bad, too, so you may still wish to check for leaks.

 

[Bob Ledford]

Another good air leak tester

Another good testing solution is a tablespoon of liquid soap in a small spray bottle Or use a old butter container and a paint brush.

 

[Magdave]

Another good testing solution is a tablespoon of liquid soap in a small spray bottle Or use a old butter container and a paint brush.

Did both used soapy water (probably should have done it first). Another thing the cap for us "manual"(RT) owners has a rubber washer inside and it looks like it needs to be tight too. I just checked and it appears it is holding now. As I said it doesn't matter how good or fast you are with a pressure gauge, the act of checking it will cost you 1lb of pressure because there is so little air volume in the shock system. I checked it 3 times and each reading was 1lb lower and I am fast and have an expensive pressure gauge. That little pssst is all it takes so if you want 50lbs get it to 52 and check it twice I bet you will see 51 on the second check and once you pull it off it will be at 50 on the dot. Tighten cap and be on your way :thumbup:

 

[Magdave]

pps: It isn't fixed leaked down to 42psi overnight. I hate taking it to the dealer....nojoke

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: If you're still losing 7 or 8 psi a day; it's time for the dealer to start digging... :gaah:
Good luck; please let us know what they find! :thumbup:

 

[JimFoy]

For 400 lb of riders on my 2012 RT, I set my psi at 70.