Fix a sagging Kind Shock LEV dropper post - Let's Do Maintenance
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 11. 2018
- It's Maintenance Wednesday! 😅
So my Kind Shock LEV 150mm was sagging about 22mm when I was sitting down on it, and sending it to be serviced would've cost around 150 euros, so instead I tried to do this myself, following the guide in the MTBR forums. Make sure to read this for more detailed explanations that may answer questions that come up throughout the video!
forums.mtbr.com/components/ks-...
Also make sure to wear some eye protection following this. There can be some pressure inside the cartridge, and getting some oil into your eyes is not the best thing that can happen to you!
00:27 - Disassemble
03:20 - Fixing the sag issue
10:22 - Reassemble
I've actually tried this on my older 125mm as well, and for both posts the thing I'm still not entirely sure about is how far the inner shafts needs to be inserted before the cap is screwed back on. In the forum post it says to insert it "until the gold coated part is leveled with the top end of the inner tube". But I never was able to actually see how far the inner shaft has already gone into, so I just pushed the shaft it bit in, approximately until the second row of oil openings are inside, and then screwed on the cap.
And It seemed to have worked, twice. Although on my older 125mm the oil was shooting out of these holes while pushing in the shaft, and for my 150mm it was not. But both posts show no sign of the sagging issue anymore (granted, for the 125mm one it was only about 3mm to begin with).
Kind Shock's service video:
• KS LEV Service
• KS LEV Integra General...
The MTBR forum post with the instructions:
forums.mtbr.com/components/ks-... - Sport
Thanks for the video guide! I found it extremely useful in resolving my KS Lev Integra's sagging issue (25-30mm!). The only point I would make is that if your only aim is to replace the oil in order to fix the sag, then you can skip several steps; you need not bother removing the actuator from the end of the inner shaft, removing the actuator rod or removing the collar, bushings & splitting the post. I simply unscrewed the actuator from the outer body (but remaining attached to the internals) allowing the post to be compressed for access to the inner shaft. Then remove the end cap using the snap ring pliers, remove the valve rod, empty out old oil, refill with new oil (I used 10wt fork oil as it was all I could get and it works just as well), refit the valve rod and screw on the end cap etc in reverse order of disassembly. Pump back up to 250psi and reinstall on the bike. Sagging problem fixed! I could probably do it again this way in about 30 mins and it avoids the potential damage to bushings by splitting the inners from the outer tube - this was the part I was most worried about tackling.
I NEED you too make a video ASAP. Please. I don't see how you can add oil without taking it all apart like him.
Wish i found this when i was repairing my KS Lev a couple of months back. So much easier than following written instructions. Well done mate.
Used part of your video to repair my lev integra. Some slight differences but it gave me enough to get going. Sag has now gone and it's working brilliantly. Great video, thanks!
Excellent video; I successfully repaired my sagging 31.6 LEV DX 150mm!!! I used what lubricants I had available, 5W20 synthetic and Mobil 1 grease. Thanks again for all of the time that you have put in to making this video!!!
4:40 after refilling several dropper posts with none of them having any obvious leaks i'm pretty sure as well that it's the foam that causes the sagging. with every up or down movement the oil gets pressed through little holes thus stiring up the oil and enclosing little air bubbles into the oil which ends up as foam after a certain number of movements. the foam is still dense enough to move the post to the fully up position however once you put some weight on it the foam gets compressed. the more foam the more sagging. on a refilled dropper post there's no air mixed into the oil and since oil can't be compressed there's no sagging.
Thanks! It wasn't too difficult either. It should be even easier the next time as well since everything isn't threaded on crazy tight now. It feels like new again!
6:14 save of a lifetime. way to be blessed :)
THANK YOU!!!
I have used your video a couple of times to get the sag out of my KS Integra (internal cable) a few times. Here are my steps, some will not apply to yours...
What you may need... Wear rag clothes you will probably get oil squirted on you. A vice with soft clamps or just rags, have a bunch of paper towels at the ready, a pan, throw away gloves, metric Allens 3mm 4mm, a strap wrench or a piece of hose and vise grips, 90 degree snap ring pliers, an adjustable wrench, 5wt fork oil, lightweight grease, shock pump
1 if internal cable routed- remove thumb control (3mm) to slack the cable to pull the dropper out
2 Somehow mark or measure you post height. remove the post by unhooking cable housing and then slide out the barrel
3 mark seat rails to where the dropper bracket is, record the seat angle somehow, I just measured from the front of my seat to the bottom of the dropper.
You do this because on reassemble, it is so much easier putting the seat back on the dropper when it is on the bench compared to installing the seat on your bike.
4 remove seat (4mm)
5 Using a rag I put the big housing in a vise (or use specific vise jaws) and tightened only enough to keep it from spinning. Remove the lever end from the housing using a wrench.
6 Remove the lever from the (cleaned) small shaft. I used a piece of sliced fuel hose over the shaft about 2" long. I put 2 pair (disperse the load) of vice-grip pliers on the tube careful not to tighten them too much, and then removed the lever end with a wrench.
7 Unscrew the housing cap, slide off housing, remove the 3 guide rods, bushing, cap, rubber bumper.
8 Remove upper seat brackets you might need a rubber mallet and a small screwdriver. release air pressure from the valve.
9 Remove internal cap with small 90-degree nose, or C-clip pliers. (be careful not to scratch any tubes).
10 Slide-out smaller internal tube.
11 drain old oil
12 refill to the top of the center tube with oil, they recommend 5 wt fork oil. I used ATF (because that is what I had) for 2 years and never had a problem
13 slide inner shaft back into the center tube. This is where things tend to get messy. You need to push the small actuator rod and cap down while sliding in the shaft down. The oil will squirt out the sides 7:15 during this process. So as I was pushing the shaft down I used a paper towel (be careful not to get the towel pinched into any parts) and cupped my hand around the top of the outside housing to keep the oil from squirting all over.
14 Check the oil level, This part is the hardest part for me. At first, I filled up the housing to the top but I couldn't get the cap to screw on again I thought I was cross-threaded (scary). But I think that was hydraulic lock. So I found if I poured the oil only to the bottom of the threads in the housing that the cap screwed in. Tighten cap.
15 Pump dropper KS recommends 150 - 250 lbs. I went 200 and it works great.
16 Check you dropper to see if it works with no sag. Don't be discouraged if you get sag a few times, it happens and you will have to repeat the last few steps.
17 Reassemble with lightweight grease by reversing process the only thing I would add is when putting the housing on over the 3 guide rods 11:48 you can just hold them in place with your hand as you slide the housing on.
Note: Lifting your bike by the seat while the dropper is down, is probably the #1 reason you get sag.
These are some good tips there. I don't have a vice, so I just used rubber gloves to get a good enough grip to unscrew the housing, I don't know if that'll work with the Integra though.
Yeah, I can usually do it by hand too, because I don't over tighten the cap. Thanks again, you probably save me a $100 bucks or so.
Old video, but hoping you may be able to help. I have the Intrgra too and I have followed your instructions but accidentally pulled the smaller inner and outer tubes out! Can I just clean all of the oil out (as it has drained to the Schrader valve at the bottom), insert the larger tube, then fill this with the oil? Then fit the smaller tube. Hope that all makes sense!
Thank you so much, very detailed instructions. Did it today, dropper is as new. Of course, I drenched myself and the floor into a fountain of oil when assembling the piston back into the refilled oil chamber. Maybe there's a better way, using a mullet and carefully driving the sealings over their dead points... 🙂
Thanks alot for the great video, very cool and together with the written instructions it was easy to follow. Sadly though it didn't work for me. During assembly and for 10 min it was just fine, now it sags 3-4 cm again. I guess it's just broken.
Also I was quite impressed by the explosion while unscrewing the cap. The inner shaft flew through the room and foamy oil sprayed everywhere. The pop was crazy loud too. Scary. I suppose just letting the air out through the valve wasn't enough to be safe.
My Lev Integra was sagging under weight and also not fully extending. The replacement cartridge KS sent me was defective (slots for lower guide bushings were not straight, so cartridge could not be re-installed into seat mast), so I took a stab at rebuilding the original cartridge using this video as a guide and it worked beautifully.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thank you. Excellent work. I would just lack the air pressure before I begin, just for safe.
thank you, this fixed my sagging lev
Fixed my issue, thanks alot! :)
Respect to you!
fantastic video, thank you
thanks! worked like a charm :)
;
Thank you, works like new now!
2:02 DO NOT PULL IT LIKE SHOWN HERE! the bushing might be damaged by the little brass rods ending up with a rough and/or deformed surface and therefore the post won't slide smoothly anymore. it's better to break the bushing apart by using a hammer and screwdriver (light taps).
Спасибо за видео, помог :)
Дополню от себя, в моем случае были ещё нюансы...... было смещено чёрне пластиковое кольцо с резинками которая отделяет масляную камеру ( где ходит поршень) от воздушной( она по сути между масляной камерой и внешним корпусом демфера )......
Спасибо за видео!
Well, that will certainly be helpful for our Russian friends 😬
Приветствую, случилась похожая беда. Хотел бы уточнить как решили данную ситуёвину!?
@@straitline6499 решился этот вопрос случайным экспериментом. - подсоединил насос для вилок и чуть чуть качнул ( пару раз , без усердия - было ощущение, если сильно качнуть, то может вылететь резинка и трубка :) ) и созданного давления хватило выпихнуть резинку и саму трубку внутреннию...... получается этим действием разобрал этот узел. Но ничего страшно. Он легко и просто собралось на место и уплотнительное чёрное кольцо установил заподлицо с внутренней трубочкой, а сама трубка с той стороны где нипель для подкачки видимо встаёт в конусное посадочное место........
@@Dronkremq прошерстив забугорные форумы - выяснил, что клапан подкачки просто выдавливается пальцем вместе со всем содержимым трубки. Теперь осталось найти ремкомплект РТИ...
So glad I was this video! Was going to replace my ks lev because it drops as I ride. What brand and weight oil did you use man?
In the MTBR forum post I linked in the description they state to use 5wt fork oil.
I don't remember exactly what I was using from the top of my head, but seeing that canister in the top left of the screen, it must've been RSP Damp Champ 5wt.
Good luck with the service!
sp00n thanks bro 😊🤙🏻
sp00n thanks mate. Also do u know where I can purchase a internals seal kit for a ks lev integra? Sorry to ask so many questions.
Ha! Unfortunately not, I remember I once searched for a bushing for my 125mm LEV a couple of years back and ended up ordering from an Ebay seller located in Israel. 🙈
Try to find the exploded drawing and check if there's a part number for it. Maybe it's even the same for the regular LEV and the Integra.
sp00n just wanna day that’s for making and posting this video. I got some 5w fork oil and did the service as on ur video. Was a little tricky getting the nut back on the stick but now my ks lev integra is back to 100%! Don’t think there’s anything wrong with the seals, just had air bubbles in the oil. Cheers bro 🤙🏻
thank you so much
Hi there, how much fluid did u add in, do u fill it up to the top? Thks
Gold! Thx!!
Thanks bro
Seems to have no sag now, but the last bit when compressing is really hard. As if thebpost was progressive now. Seems odd
That cap with all the holes is very difficult for me to turn. It started to loosen a little (maybe 1/3 turn) and then got very hard to turn. I have deformed the holes in the cap trying to remove it. Any suggestions? I am thinking about buying a bottoming tap to put threads in 4 of them so I could put an adjustable wrench on.
Hm, it shouldn't be that hard to remove. Maybe apply some heat if there's some sort of thread locker on it.
Also make sure you actually have the LEV and not one of the cheaper models. For some of them you actually cannot rebuild the cartridge at all!
thanks for your video. I have some questions. how many mm of oil do you put ? When you finish you don't put some air with pump ? i don't understand this moment 6'43 to 7'20. can you explained ? Thank you
I can't give you a specific mm number, I just filled it up to the top so that no air remained inside.
The part you've mentioned was me doing a test run on my older 125mm LEV, where I successfully managed to spill oil everywhere while trying to push the rod back in. 😀
After 7:20 it's back to the 150mm LEV, doing the same procedure, but without spilling too much oil.
@@sp00n thanks you i ll try ;)
Good luck!
Just watched your video and I was able to fix the sagging. However when I depress the post it sounds like air escaping in there, what could that be? Thank you
Hm, not sure. Maybe it's the air being displaced by the shaft going downwards that's trying to find its way outwards, and is being hindered a bit by grease, etc. If everything else works fine, I'd observe it but wouldn't worry just yet about it.
Hi I did this and now it doesn’t drop. Any idea? Did I put too much oil in?
To change oil if you dont know witch oil 5w or 10w auto motor. Oil works fine
I've used 5wt fork oil, the written instructions in the MTBR forums to which I've linked to in the description said to do so, and it worked fine.
Would you say you needed more, or less than 100 mL of oil? Trying to figure out how much I need to buy. Thanks!
I honestly have no idea. Maybe you can find more info in the forum thread. At least one poster said that 100ml should be enough:
www.mtbr.com/threads/ks-lev-diy-cartridge-rebuild.899659/page-13#post-11624282
No need for pressure behind the valve in the hydraulic section? I saw a video of someone using an air compressor and needle adaptor. I have ~5mm of sag at full extension.
The only time I remember seeing a needle adaptor was for the 27.2mm version, which has no valve to adjust the internal pressure.
Not sure which video you're referring to.
www.peterverdone.com/ks-lev-27-2-rebuild-and-speed-increase/
sp00n Great thanks!
Maybe a stupid question but I can't get the cylinder pumped up when I've filled it with oil. Can you perhaps say how much oil or what the indicator is to fill for? Thanks in advance
As far as I can remember I had no real indicator, I just filled it up, and the excess oil spilled over when I re-inserted the inner shaft. See 5:15 and following.
Looking at the video, I didn’t notice that you adjusted the IFP at all. Did you need to do that? I think it’s steps 12-13 on directions at MTBR. Thanks!
Correct, I didn't do that, because I didn't fully disassemble the inner shaft. The warning "IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET BACK ON BECAUSE OF A VERY TIGHT SQUARE GASKET ON THE INNER SURFACE" may have played a role in that decision 😬
@@sp00n cool. My thoughts, too. Do you think it made any different because you did not adjust it? I asked at MTBR thread and the author (Chris) said I needed to. I’m hoping yours worked fine without adjusting it.
@@dancing8595 If you disassemble the inner shaft and (re)move the IFP, you absolutely need to adjust it correctly or the post will not work afterwards. But if you skip this step and only want to replace the oil, then there's no need to even touch the IFP.
@@dancing8595 I think what Chris was trying to say is that while the post is already disassembled you should/could inspect the IFP seals for damage, and if you do that, then you will have to reposition it again. But I was lazy and didn't inspect them for damage.
@@sp00n thanks!
Hi, I dont have a sagging issue but my dropper post does not come up when i engage the mechanism. the mech is not obstructed at all and it seems to be an issue of either a sticky post or low air pressure. I tried to check for an air valve but mine does not have one. does this mean that all i have to do is grease the shaft of the post? Thanks.,
That's probably all you *can* do. It doesn't mean that it'll help though. But it won't hurt, either.
If you're feeling especially lucky, there actually seems to be a way to adjust the air pressure even without a valve. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable enough to do this though.😅
www.peterverdone.com/ks-lev-27-2-rebuild-and-speed-increase/
sp00n thanks for the response. In case you are interested, I got some SRAM butter today and followed KS instructions for greasing the post and it helped a little, but the post still does not come all the way up. I believe it is sticking at the same spot before. I am assuming this means that the pressure is too low and since there is no easy way to solve that solution I will just live with it.
Nach einem Jahr mal wieder versucht nach deinem Turorial zu arbeiten.Leider ist mir beim rausziehen des Zylinders der innere Schaft mit raus gekommen.
Jetzt bekomme Ich die Teile nicht mehr bis zum Gewinde rein geschoben.
Der Innere Schaft will auf biegen und brechen nicht mehr rein gehen , selbst mit roher Gewalt nicht...
Hattest du das schon mal ? Hast Du Vielleicht einen Tipp wie ich das Rohr wieder in die Dichtung bekomme ? Gruß Mario :)
Uh. Ne, habe ich bisher noch nie von gehört. Vielleicht kann dir jemand im in der Beschreibung verlinkten MTBR-Forum helfen. Auf mtb-news gäbe es auch einen Thread zur LEV. 🤔
@@sp00n Dank dir für deine schnelle Antwort !
Ich habe letztendlich versucht das Röhrchen mit ner Schraubzwinge wieder hinein zu pressen.
Hat nach einem lauten knall auch funktioniert , aber leider ist die Dichtung wohl verrutscht.
Jetzt geht die Stütze nicht mehr ganz runter und bleibt stecken...
Da Ich bei der KS irgendwie immer das Gefühl hatte , dass sie nie so richtig rund lief wegen knartschen am Sattel , absacken oder der Remote Hebel sehr schwergängig war,
hab Ich mir kurzerhand eine Oneup Dropper V2 bestellt , macht einen wesentlich besseren Eindruck ! Mal sehen wie es langfristig aussieht.
Gruß Mario
In bouth cilinder need to be oil? Where is air going?
Make sure to read the written instructions in the MTBR forums, refilling the oil is step 13 here:
forums.mtbr.com/components/ks-lev-diy-cartridge-rebuild-899659.html
oilnfrom the valve on mine..huhuhu
Auf welche seite kommt das öl innen oder aussen ?
Meine hat jetzt nach 5jahren öl verlust hatte gestern alles aufgemacht mit anleitung aber so wirklich schlau bin ich nicht draus geworden
Beides. Schau dir noch die in der Beschreibung verlinkte Anleitung auf mtbr.com an, da gibts auch noch Bilder dazu.
Die schreiben da, dass man bis zum unteren Ende des Gewindes auffüllen sollte, was ja bereits überhalb des inneren Schafts liegt.
@@sp00n ja hab ich gelesen danke
Aber auf dem bild in der beschreibung sieht es so aus als würde er das öl nur in das innere rohr kippen
@@LuxusLeina Ja, wenn man ins innere Rohr reinkippt, dann läuft das halt irgendwann über, bis man am Gewinde angekommen ist. Das überschüssige Öl wird dann beim Zusammenbau eh wieder rausgedrückt, wie man bei mir schön erkennen kann. 😀
@@sp00n ja genau aber wo ist dan die luft ? Egal trzdm danke für deine hilfe
How much oil do you put in? Thx
As much as fits in until it spills over. Can't give an exact measurement.
just make sure when you replace the push rod into the chamber - point 13..... dont depress the actuator and push all the way in.... and dont re pressure upto 200psi and hit the actuator to see if the dropper works...... it exploded internally. lesson learnt the hard way... bugger.
I'm going to try and rebuild mine. Could you explain what you mean by not depressing the actuator? If you don't push it down, won't the internal valve not open let the oil flow through thus you can't push the dampener assembly back into the chamber filled with oil? Thanks.
@@dancing8595 dont... just let it overflow....
@@russridesmtb6060 Just to make sure I’m on the same page, does your tip refer to step 14 of the written instructions, on MTBR? I ask because it says to press the actuator when inserting the dampener into the chamber. Thanks!
@@dancing8595 i'll be honest - its so long ago i cant remember..... i think my issue was i pushed the actuator and plunged it quite a way in.... instead of just pressing the actuator to allow oil flow (but dont depress the rod all the way in). i guess i got too much oil on the wrong side when i filled up with air..... so not enough oil to dampen the release of pressure.
Hast du das Öl nur in den inneren Zylinder gefüllt oder komplett innen und Aussen? kann man im Video leider nicht so gut erkennen.Sonst Top Tutorial ! Werde mal gucken ob es bei mir auch klappt!
Hm, soweit ich mich erinnere, hatte ich den inneren komplett gefüllt, mit etwas Überschuss, der dann nach außen übergeflossen ist. Der Shaft wird da ja aber eh noch hineingedrückt, d.h. etwas Öl fließt dann wieder aus dem inneren Zylinder raus.
Die Hauptsache ist ja, dass möglichst keine Luft mehr in den Zylindern sein sollte, wenn der Shaft reingedrückt wird und wenn die Kappe wieder dran geschraubt wird.
@@sp00n Hab´s gestern so gemacht und hat wohl geklappt.Mit dem "rotzen" ist echt blöd aber sonst ganz easy! Danke für das Tutorial ! :)
@@sp00n Wie habt ihr denn die kappe unten mit den vielen Löchern losbekommen? Die sitzt bei mir Bombenfest.
@@MS-lk5ur Welches Modell hast du denn? Evtl. würde etwas mit dem Fön erhitzen helfen, falls da Loctite dran ist.
@@sp00n Ich habe die Lev Si. Sieht so aus, als wären Sicherungsbolzen seitlich eingesetzt. Mit dem Heißluftfön war ich auch schon dran.
How much oil you put inside?
As much as fits. There's no exact ml value I can give, you need to fill the inner shaft to get rid of the air.
The instructions in the MTBR forum thread this video is based on and which is linked in the description says the following:
"Step 13: Add Fork Oil (I use 5 WT) to fill the cartridge at least to the bottom thread (though I go a little farther for good measure)."
@@sp00n Don't put as much oil as you can in as you get hydraulic lock when trying to screw the end cap on. I filled it to the top and couldnt get the cap on. I then poured some oil out and got the cap on, but there was too much oil in the system to fully depress the post to its lowest position. I needed to squirt some oil out of the air nozzle by first pressuring up the post, then point air nozzle does and depress nozzle to squirt out some oil. Then fill full of air and check lowest posn of seat (it should get lower). Repeat steps until post can drop all the way. By doing this you ensure there is enough of an air gap in the cannister for the seat post to fully drop. I recommend at the start that you only fill the central tube with oil and leave the annulus empty before putting the valve assembly into the tube. Also slowly push the valve assembly into the tube with piston depressed (valve open) and put one hand around the fluid exit ports to control the direction the oil squirts (first time it went all over me). Tighten everything up and with this amount of oil you should be able to drop the post all the way and also not have any sag...
@@marcusrobson4214 How high up did you fill the central tube? Is the annulus the dampener assembly? Thanks!
Fix the problem indeed. Only thing whe tought of after we repaird the cilinder. You could just turn out the valve core with a valve remove tool. Put the olie in that way. End pump the cilinder in end out to lose air bubles.
Hm, I don't think this would actually fix the problem. But maybe I didn't understand you correctly. Let me know when/if you tried that though, it would certainly make the whole process much easier!
I thought of the same. but should I drain the entire thing first? mi started sagging and i really need to fix it
At least I didn't, I just topped of the oil.
I don't think that will work. A dropper has 2 chambers. 1 for the oil (the hydraulics). Second chamber is the air chamber. If you put oil in the air chamber you would lose your air pressure that causes the rise and it would lock up your post. I wish it would work but life is rarely so easy :-D
@@Rambleon444 The air and the oil are both in the upper chamber (chamber where air valve is located - i.e. directly under the seat), while the lower chamber is full of oil. When you open the valve between the two chambers, your bicycle seat lifts because there is no longer a hydraulic lock in the lower chamber and air in the upper chamber expands and pushes some liquid into the lower chamber. As long as there is enough oil in the overall system for the lower chamber to always be full of oil in any post position you will get hydraulic lock in the lower chamber every time the valve closes. This means you get no sag. As soon as there is air in both the upper and lower chambers (i.e. not enough oil in system) you have compressibility in both chambers and that's when you have sag. You need to top up the oil...
Hey Spoon, can me answear where I can send a private message? Thanks