Sachs 48 mm fork - yet another oil change question
 

Hi guys,

I have m.y. 2009 EC300 w/ 48mm Sachs forks. I am aware of these instructions http://www.lt-racing.com/html/sachs_48_fork.html

Are they sufficient or are there better ones available? I'd like not to strip/break anything while changing the oil. Any recommendations for oil quality/viscosity or any pointers regarding the task itself?

Be aware, if you mess anything up, you can't get parts for these forks. At least that has been my experience. I won't touch my Sachs forks anymore. If they need service, they go to my dealer.

Sorry that I can't offer anymore useful advice.

Good luck mate.

If you're halfway careful you should be able to use Les' instructions and have no issues.

The biggest thing to remember is that the rebound adjuster is threaded into the damper rod, so as you take the cap off you need to thread the adjuster out as well, and when you put the cap back on you need to get the adjuster threaded into the damper rod at the same time.

There are *some* parts available for Sachs forks through Beta, and I'm working on sourcing others as well.

I believe I'll break the internals if I follow the cap removal procedure shown in the video?

Why would you think that? The video was a good primer on what you need to do, but I would add that when you are removing the cap it's a good idea to also screw out the rebound adjuster (to prevent it from withdrawing all the way out the bottom of the cap).

I wish that Stillwell video was available the first time I dove into the Sachs fork. Would have saved me a bunch of grief.

Coming back to this...

If I just change the oil (remove the top cap but not remove the cap from the rebound adjuster rod), do I have to bother the adjuster screw at all?

To my understanding, the internals are at stake only when you detach the cap from the adjuster rod?

I'd take the forks to a pro if there were any...

You need to cycle the cartridge to pump the old oil out, and again to bleed up the new oil. Air gap is also measured with the spring removed and fork collapsed.. and to do this you need to remove the cap to get the spring out.

The fork isn't hard to work on by any means. As long as you pay particular attention to the cap and adjuster (which threads into the damper rod and can easily be cross threaded). Few posts on the topic if you search.. And, if removing the base valve to note that the alloy is quite soft, so a 6 point socket (preferably with the lead in ground down) will give you the best contact area and reduce the chance of rounding it off.

I have a set of carts here (out of the forks), so if you'd like any pictures I could probably snap a couple off to demonstrate.

Pics and instructions would be great - and would serve a much wider audience than just me!