• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Damper servicing

Share this page

J

Joelb

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Ok guys, I have a simple servicing question. What hole does the oil go in on the dampers?
 
PS
Can anyone recommend a good service manual? I bought a Haynes, but it doesn't talk much about basic service. I'm new to the hobby and I'm sure will have many more dumb questions.
 
Bentley Service Manual.

It's a direct duplicate of the factory book.
 
They fill from the very top. Clean around the bolt on the top of the unit and then remove it. Put clean oil in this hole but do not fill it to the top. Notice the bolt that comes out has an extra length of metal on it. This is basically a dipstick. Fill until the end of this area gets wet when tightened into the shock. You want a small air pocket at the top to allow for expansion. Without it, the oil will heat and expand, and then be forced out places it shouldn't be. Use 20-weight motorcycle fork oil or you can order oil specifically marketed for Armstrong shocks from Moss Motors.
 
Dampers? "Shock Dampers"?

Drugstore "minreal oil" or the motorcycle fork oil SteveS recommends.
 
Bentley service manual it is! Maybe when I get my shock dampers serviced it won't feel so much like driving a wet sponge. Thanks for the help!
 
I'd avoid regular mineral oil. It has no anti foaming agents. Without them, the agitating action of the shock will create air bubbles, and air bubbles will become air pockets in the lower chamber. Once this happens, the shock will no longer perform properly until bled.
 
It has come to my attention that there was some confusion about the dampners I was talking about. I forgot that the original carburator had a dampner in it.

I will be more specific in the future, but thanks to all of you who figured out what this novice was talking about!
 
I use a Bentley manual suppplemented with a Chiltons and Haynes. Betley is the best, but sometimes the combination of the three is what it takes for me to "get it". All can be purchased used on e-bay relatively cheap if you don't mind a few greasy fingerprints and some highlighting.
 
I should have noted that the front shock fill bolts aren't on the very top like the rears are, but they are near the top and fill from the side facing the road wheel.
 
I pulled the left rear dampner off last night and opened it up. The arm seems stiff enough and there was plenty of oil in it. The oil was black with tiny metallic particles in it. Would it be worth my time to flush and refill all the dampners?
 
Metal particles are very bad! It's a pain to bleed shocks but the rears aren't bad since you can take them off the car.

If it were my shock, I would have it rebuilt. If you want to get by without rebuilding, drain all the oil and refill. Work the lever arm up and down to get all the air pockets out of the lower chamber. Continue filling as the oil level drops. Once the level stops falling and no more air bubbles come up, the shock is bled. I would repeat the entire process after a few days of driving. The more metal is in there the faster your shock will be damaged. Eventually it will leak.
 
Thanks Steve, I had ordered some oil from VB with all new poly bushings so I'll do that this week. I also got several turns out of the ubolt nuts on the axle so maybe that will help too.
 
I will reevaluate after the new bushings are installed and shocks flushed. If I still have a problem I will send them off this winter when I send my spoke wheels off for truing.

Thanks for the input and help, this forum really rocks!

Joel
 
Quick update:

I just took the little car for a spin and you wouldn't believe what a HUGE difference there was just from tightening the ubolt nuts! Can't wait to replace the bushings and see how she handles then.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]you wouldn't believe what a HUGE difference there was just from tightening the ubolt nuts![/QUOTE]
Oh yes I can! The bushings will make a noticeable difference, but probably as much as repairing a loose axle.

In all this suspension work, don't forget about your tires. If they are over 5 years old, start thinking about replacements. If ten years or more, get rid of them regardless of how good they look. Safety aside, new tires can transform the handling and ride of a car.
 
""""""I pulled the left rear dampner off last night and opened it up. The arm seems stiff enough and there was plenty of oil in it. The oil was black with tiny metallic particles in it. Would it be worth my time to flush and refill all the dampners? """""""

Yes. The tiny particles are aluminum and abraded material in the oil from years of shock action.

IF the shocks do not leak at the output shaft...just unscrew the top plate and remove it and do not tear the gasket or make a new one. Flush the shock with clean oil , moving the lever up and down. Use motorcycle shock oil. Fill to just below the gasket area.

Rebuilding is only necesaary when there is a shaft leak or wear at the output shaft. The shoks were throwaway units and never meant to be rebuilt but there are folks who specialize in re sealing.
 
Peter C is the man for rebuilding shocks.

https://www.nosimport.com/

He is a LBC owner and parts dealer as well.

Nice guy to talk to, give him a call.
 
Back
Top