AE Shocks - Trying to stay calm

[Rob Fitzgerald]

ARGGGGGGGGGGG HHHHH HHH HHH ! !!!!

Phew needed to get that out of my system.

I am trying to build some shocks for a B4 FT and it would be fair to say I am having a few problems.

After hearing some people were having leaking problems I decided to try some blue MIPs ones but they were a real bitch to try and get in and I damaged one - then another and I decided something was up. I wondered if they were oversized so decided to just throw the standard ones in - still mega agro

This is on all bodies so its not just one shock. Its like the seal doesnt want to seat properly and when you go to push the retainer down it 'spluges' the seal out and then pinches it

Its not like I am am newby or anything and must have built quite a few shocks over the years and plenty of AE ones.

Has anyone else had a problem like this - are there some rogue bodies ?

[notlawnomis]

Just out of interest, are you using the little white AE tool for fitting the assembly??

Have to say, i've had no problems when using the tool.

[Rob Fitzgerald]

Hi Simon

yes I started out using the tool as described in the manual (this is how I have always done them) but after the second seal 'snagged' I decided the put the first seal and shims in first so I could try and see what the problem was. I have a suspicion that something is wrong with the shock bodies.

To be honest I am finding the quality of this car WAY below the Losi I just built.

[DCM]

Rob, I assume you are using some form of lubrication on the seals?

[jimmy]

Some aspects of the AE kits can indeed be "dodgy" from time to time. Things like threads on shock shafts or turnbuckles can sometimes be quite shallow. I had some ball studs which could be put on the brand new car with finger pressure all the way down. Its fairly rare though and CML have always sorted things out like this quickly, but I know its annoying..

Now, your bodies COULD be the same, have a look inside and see if there is anything obstructing the seals going in ??
I have heard of rogue bodies as you call them, yes!.
I have some new normal bodies you can have if you need them, but I dont have any spare threaded ones.

Lastly you do need to be very very careful when building these shocks not to damage them.. They dont need new seals at all to be excellent - the improved (!) seals generally just last a bit longer. a good idea would be some AE Green Slime, smear it over every individual peice and then over the entire assembly to ease it into the body.
When you go to push them in, be really gentle, and when you feel resistance "waggle" the shocky-tool around in circles to ease the seals past the lip.. You just have to be really gentle and slow otherwise its very easy to damage them and have leaky shocks.

[jimmy]

its a bit extreme but John price turned down his shocky tool where the seals sit- this enables the seals to push inward (against the shaft of the shocky-tool) when they meet the lip inside the shock - instead of not being able to go anywhere and possibly getting damaged on the inside lip of the body like with the standard tool..

Hope i explained that ok, I just use the normal tool, but john swears by his modified version and im sure its better.

[MattW]

Rob, sounds like your problem is that the plastic spacers are not going all the way into the end of the bodies. This is something i have seen, and is a problem i have on the shocks on my own car. The method i use is as you mention, in that i put all of the parts in and seat them individually - fully pressing them home with an allen driver. I actually think that this dimension either varies, or is different to how it used to be. I'm fairly sure that my old non threaded set didn't suffer the same problem.

[ryan]

COUNT TO TEN DUDE!!!!! take deep breaths lol. this happend to me at the f345's and it turned out to be a scratched shock shaft and had scratched the plastic spacers and they wouldnt go in, check there all ok and make sure there in the right spaces.

ryan

[Rob Fitzgerald]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the comments - I knew I had come to the right place (did I just say that ? )

DCM - I am using a lot of slime (ooh)

Jimmy thanks for the offer - for the moment I hope I dont need to take you up on that.

I think a modded tool would be a good idea.

I think Matt is most likely right - thats my gut feeling too - i will try again tomorrow, still too mad at the moment

I have built the front end and some of the holes are a bit loose to my mind for the balljoints. The caster blocks are WAYYYY too tight on the hingepins. If I tighten the front brace up the wishbones go tight , etc etc.

I never had any build issues with my Pred and it really puts this Assciated car to shame - did you ever think you would hear someone say that ?

[DCM]

I build Tamiyas now, they put ALL to shame, lol.

To be honest, I can't remember ever taking the seals out of my B4 after building them, and that was in 2004.....

[Chris Doughty]

you know what Rob, I was thowing tools around last night building the shocks too! lol

after speaking with Cree today its basically problems with burs on the white plastic spacers, atack them with a file/knife and trim them up good, apply lots of slime and they are some how easy! you can even be quite aggressive cutting/filing the white spacers in diameter. (white spacers, not the white snap clip)

Hope that helps, I have super smooth shocks now... well at least for my first go at building AE shocks!

[burgie]

you need to double check the inside of the shocks for bits of material left over during the manufacturing process too. I have lost a lot of rubber seals with AE shocks 'cos they weren't "clean"

I used a re-bent paperclip to score the bottom chamber of the shock where the seals sit, and it's surprising how much swarf came out.

[Rob Fitzgerald]

Thanks Burgie I will do that too.

When I see others have had issues and even Chris D had lobbed tools I don't feel quite so bad now. One good thing did come out of it - I have invented a few good new swear words by adding 3 or 4 old ones together into a mega swear word

[ashleyb4]

I had the same problem to and it took me 3 attempts with 2 rebuild kits and i still couldnt do it so i bought aother rebuild kit and went and begged to Phil Channon.

And they worked fine.

A

[Northy]

Originally Posted by Rob Fitzgerald

I never had any build issues with my Pred and it really puts this Assciated car to shame - did you ever think you would hear someone say that ?

I'm not suprised Rob, Preds are ace!

G

[Rob Fitzgerald]

Well I managed to build 2 shocks last night by using wet and dry on the washers as described by Chris D and fitting each part individually as Matt does. They feel preety good (used MIP seals) as that is now all I have 8 of.

I am not at all impressed - 2WD buggies make a brilliant starter RC class but how many beginners could build those shocks ?

Do you think the people building the RTRs are spending 20 minutes to build each shock ?

Thanks for all the help guys - I now need to build the other 2 shocks and collect up all my dummies off the floor :flower:

[DCM]

Don't get this problem with TRF shocks!!! heehee

[Chris Doughty]

I am not sure, but I think the RTR, or B4 RS as I think they call it comes pre-assembled?

other than the shocks, which I think is technique related, my B4 kit went together really well!

[craigosh]

Same problem here, and i trimed the spacers, cleaned the bodies (not much cack left)... still had to put the bits in individually..

Its been said before but i'll say again... AE, REDESIGN THE SHOCKS

[Richard Lowe]

The trick is to ignore the instructions

When I'm building shocks up I drop each part in individually, making sure each one is seated fully with an allen driver. I only load the snap washer and the last thin white washer onto the tool, lube it up ( ) and snap it into place.

No wet & dry/washer chopping frenzy needed