Rear Shocks Dt02

[stokie1]

Gents

I think I may have found a reason why my sons 2 sand vipers struggled a bit against my DF02 at the weekend and spent so much upside down. The rear shocks (straight out of the box) are really stiff. I have to push them down quite hard to make them work and they are very slow to return - there is no springyness at all, so I'm thinking very limited suspension. Whereas the DF02 (much older) is nice and loose and rides the bumps.

I'm sure its an easy fix but could someone pls tell me how I lubricate or loosen the shocks up - I cant see anything in the instructions and am a newbie so dont have the knowledge. I dont want to modify yet just to get the basic package working.

Help really appreciated as always.

[mike_o]

The Sand Vipers should come std with nice oil shocks. The only obvious reason these wouldn't work right, if assembled correctly, is that the damper oil is to thick with respect to the chose damper piston (1/2/3 holes). The only combination giving the symptoms, you mention, would be very heavy/thick oil in combination with the 1-hole piston.

Did you do the assembly yourself?

[stokie1]

The Sand Vipers should come std with nice oil shocks. The only obvious reason these wouldn't work right, if assembled correctly, is that the damper oil is to thick with respect to the chose damper piston (1/2/3 holes). The only combination giving the symptoms, you mention, would be very heavy/thick oil in combination with the 1-hole piston.

Did you do the assembly yourself?

Im a little ashemed to say I bought a probuild so it came built but happy to get involved with the tech - already had the front end to bits as one broke its suspension pickup point.

I'd appreciate some knowledge as to how to set up these dampers and springs as they are far too tight at the moment. Can you advise how to make them looser?

[karooha MB]

As already stated I would chck the damper parts, if they are ok maybe change the oil. If you dont have alternative damper parts to try out you can drill out the holes in the bottom plastic ring that is attached to the push rod. The holes allow the oil to flow through as the damper is depressed, small hole = slow flow (hard suspension) larger or multiple small holes = faster flow (soft suspension). There may be just too much oil in the dampers, I have had this trouble. They should not be full to the brim. Nothing wrong with buying prebuilt, you'll be gauranteed to have it in bits whether you built it or not!

Hope this helps.

Im a little ashemed to say I bought a probuild so it came built but happy to get involved with the tech - already had the front end to bits as one broke its suspension pickup point.

I'd appreciate some knowledge as to how to set up these dampers and springs as they are far too tight at the moment. Can you advise how to make them looser?

[stokie1]

As already stated I would chck the damper parts, if they are ok maybe change the oil. If you dont have alternative damper parts to try out you can drill out the holes in the bottom plastic ring that is attached to the push rod. The holes allow the oil to flow through as the damper is depressed, small hole = slow flow (hard suspension) larger or multiple small holes = faster flow (soft suspension). There may be just too much oil in the dampers, I have had this trouble. They should not be full to the brim. Nothing wrong with buying prebuilt, you'll be gauranteed to have it in bits whether you built it or not!

Hope this helps.

Thanks again - sorry to be ignorant but how do i check the level of oil inside

[mike_o]

You can find a maunal HERE

You need to take the out the damper, either by loosening the two screws, or, if brass ball connectors are used, pry it off carefully (use a screwdriver to help prying and twist the damper back and forth a bit at the same time).

You may want to release and remove the springs (lift spring from bottom and lift and remover lower holder, then spring can come off). This way it's easier to uncsrew Y2 to drain the oil and refill:

In case you want to change the piston, you need further disassembly. I usually run pistons with one or two holes and weigh/viscosity 40 to 70 oil.

[TA-Mark]

If the two 'DB5' o-rings in the bottom are dirty, or have swollen up, it can cause the damper to become 'sticky' and the action will not be smooth. Check their condition while you have the damper apart.

[stokie1]

thanks all - will strip it down and take a peek and report back

[Olly_Lunchbox]

I bought a probuild so it came built but happy to get involved with the tech

It sounds like you have the XB Stokie, in which case the shocks are friction shocks and don't contain any oil.

If the is the case then there's little you can do speed up the softening process. I guess you could take the shock apart and grease the shaft a little but really the only thing that will softer them is age and use.

Olly.

[stokie1]

It sounds like you have the XB Stokie, in which case the shocks are friction shocks and don't contain any oil.

If the is the case then there's little you can do speed up the softening process. I guess you could take the shock apart and grease the shaft a little but really the only thing that will softer them is age and use.

Olly.

Thanks Olly

Yes its the XB - would different shocks make a difference and also do you know if this model has bearings rather than bushes

would a dousing in oil loosen them up?

[Olly_Lunchbox]

Stokie,

Yes mate. I know you said you didn't want to go down the upgraded parts route but changing the shocks would make a world of difference. Just go and compare the smoothness of you DF02's suspension to that of your DT02 - thats the difference between friction shocks and oil shocks. You wouldn't have to spend a lot. Cheapish oil shocks for the DT02 are available all over eBay, even a set of stock Tamiya oil shocks (from say the Viper or Desert Gator) can be had cheaply.

As for the bearings over bushes, well I had a quick look at the blurb on Tamiya.com and was amazed to read that the blurb is claiming the XB Viper has bearings and not plastic bushes.

Tamiya.com XB Viper blurb

but I wouldn't get excited - I think it's a typo as it also claims oil shocks when the blue plastic friction ones can easily be in the picture.

I would astonished if your XB Viper had bearings but the simplest way to check is to look at the front wheel. The bearing/bushing should be visible without even taking the wheel off.

Incidently The XB label, or "eXpert Build" label, has always caused a wry smile from me anyway as it implies an expert would replace the oil shocks for friction ones during the build.

Olly

[kaiser]

IIRC all sand vipers had full bearings in the kit.

another reason the shocks are stiff could be because they are over full of oil. unscrew the top cap, let a little oil out and see how that feels.

[stokie1]

Hi folks

Yup these are not oil dampers at all - hence the bouncing around and tipping over compared to the df02 which has oil

buyers beware when purchasing an xb

[Percymon]

Better get off to ebay then stokie1

I've used schumacher silicon damper oil in all my Tamiya buggy rebuilds - its rated 55 or 60 spec (can't remeber exactly and it seems to suit my recreational ground bashing just fine. Its difficult to compare spec on damper oil, but theSchumacher stuff is £3 a bottle and a bottle should do 3 sets of shocks.

Be careful with ebay - somethimes its more expensive than Tamiya suppliers like modelsport or tamiyaparts !

[bensonboo]

If they are 'friction' shocks, I don't understand why in the original post it is stated that they are stiff to push down and slow to return, I can understand them being stiff if the spring is hard but as there is little to no damping, why are they slow to return? Could it be they are dirty or gritty inside?

[SKIPP]

correct me if i'm wrong,

df02 shock should fit on dt02

just to check your results.

skip

[mike_o]

If they are 'friction' shocks, I don't understand why in the original post it is stated that they are stiff to push down and slow to return, I can understand them being stiff if the spring is hard but as there is little to no damping, why are they slow to return? Could it be they are dirty or gritty inside?

The friction rubber tubes dry up and stick to the push rod. Apply a drop of silicone oil on each damper to fix the sticking, that seems to last longer than the grease Tamiya prescribes.

You don't need to take everything apart - just unscrew the top damper assembly while it's still in the car. Then, when you lower the wheel, the damper will come apart, and you can drop the oil right where you need it:

Won't fix the inherent bouncyness, though, but at least you get the suspension travel back.

Eventually, you'll need to get a set of oil dampers for the DT02. Together with ball bearings (if they are not in already - easily checked by the front wheels) they will transform the car.