Is it possible to DIY service a Rockshox Monarch RT3??

sanchez89

Hi everyone.

Been looking for an answer to this for a while. The problem i can see is that part of the shock has a nitrogen charge and apparently this needs to be removed to safetly service the air can.

also you need a special tool to reinflate, which they dont sell, and even if they did where do i get nitrogen from??

just looking to find anyone that has serviced one of these shocks themselves and details of how they did it really.

thanks in advance

sanchez89

anyone?

DCR00

In the time you have waited for no answer, you could have found your answer online

http://cdn.sram.com/cdn/farfuture/f7mzK ... manual.pdf

Took me the time to enter "servicing monarch RT3"....

sanchez89

DCR00 wrote:

In the time you have waited for no answer, you could have found your answer online

http://cdn.sram.com/cdn/farfuture/f7mzK ... manual.pdf

Took me the time to enter "servicing monarch RT3"....

yes thanks for this, but i have already seen it. it is the part about the nitrogen and the adapter you cant buy that im struggling with.

if someone has stripped down one and serviced it without discharging the nitrogen from the bottom of the shock then i know i can do it. i could let it out and service it but would have to send it away to SRAM to be re-filled.

ilovedirt

I don't think you can, like you say, you need someone with the specialist equipment to replace the nitrogen.
That said, you can't really home service Fox shocks anyway, the home service kit is only for the air can. You can't get at the dampers without the proper tools and know-how.

plugp7

Take a look at this link:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQQY1G9HRP4

nitrogen not necessary, just air.

sanchez89

ilovedirt wrote:

I don't think you can, like you say, you need someone with the specialist equipment to replace the nitrogen.
That said, you can't really home service Fox shocks anyway, the home service kit is only for the air can. You can't get at the dampers without the proper tools and know-how.

yes what i thought. it was only the seals in the air can i was thinking about anyway. thought that when i get round to doing the fork i might aswell do shock while im there.

will just be a fork service then.

benpinnick

You can do an aircan service without nitrogen, infact, if you have the right adaptor (which you probably wont) and titan like biceps, you can do a full service without nitrogen too. You can put air in the negative spring just as well.

cloudynights

the answer is yes you can service the rt3 shock i have one and did the full service, dont worry about having to re fill with nitrogen, air from a pump is fine just pm me for advice and i can tell you best place to get all the parts, its really a easy job takes about 30-40 mins for a full aircan reseal and damper oil service beats having to send it away like fox guys have too

iAMpO

Hi Sanchez89

Following the thread. As someone has already pointed out in posting the You Tube link to SRAM's service vid for the Monarch, knowing the inconvenience issue with getting access to nitrogen in small volume for home servicing, SRAM have stated that you can use air instead of nitrogen in the service rebuild. It shouldn't damage the shock by using air instead, especially if you are abiding by mandatory service intervals changing out the oil regularly. Whether performance is deteriorated significantly enough to warrant sourcing a nitrogen fill is a question I'm guessing only the empirical experience will answer.

It's more important to understand why nitrogen is used instead of air in shocks. To minimise probability of cavitation reducing the effectiveness or efficiency of the shock, and because it's non-reactional with metals, rubber compounds and fluids.

So there's your answer. You can fill with air. But fill with with nitrogen if you can.

To achieve this low cost involves a few £ petrol and the inconvenience of taking it in semi assembled state to the local shock shop, performance/race car workshop -they use nitrogen to inflate their tyres, or GA airport, if in these terrorist times you can still access maintenance hangers airside. Unless you have a good working relationship with your LBS, I'd go to a car shock shop rather than an LBS who might be tad aggro' about you not giving them the whole job but wanting to access their nitrogen bottle. Unfortunately anything under the SRAM branding umbrella from spare parts through service kit is usually over-priced IMHO. e.g. Avid brake bleed kits. But where there's a will there's an alternative cheaper way.

If those options are that's all 'too hard basket', use air and see how you go. Gl. Looking forward to your "My Monarch RT3 shock rebuild: Part II" post.

sanchez89

cloudynights wrote:

the answer is yes you can service the rt3 shock i have one and did the full service, dont worry about having to re fill with nitrogen, air from a pump is fine just pm me for advice and i can tell you best place to get all the parts, its really a easy job takes about 30-40 mins for a full aircan reseal and damper oil service beats having to send it away like fox guys have too

cheers matey, will PM you to get the details.