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rear lower shock spacers destroyed!!!

9K views 39 replies 15 participants last post by  Gasman5.0 
#1 ·
while greasing mine during my pre-season maintenance I found the lower rear shock spacers worn to almost nothing. I only have 880 miles on my mav and greased them about 400 miles ago, found nothing wrong then. I guess its time for new bolts and spacers.





 
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#3 ·
Wow, that does seem like excessive wear
 
#6 ·
thinking of this problem i wonder if i made thick washers and drilled out the mounting holes then used a fullsize bolt in the eye of the shock. The ball would still move and the o-rings would still keep out the dirt. hmmmm
 
#7 ·
Think about it for a minute….he isn't having a problem in the front….why, because there is not a heat issue except on the rears…..The radiant heat from the exhaust dry them out quickly and they are more prone to dirt and water intrusion because of the location….I have had 6 of my rear O-Rings fail. Meaning, they have degraded and allowed dirt and water into the spherical bearing area or have actually popped out past the bushing and in several cases, gotten pinched/cut. I deal a lot with different rubber compounds in my line of work so I know the differences between the different types of rubber materials and there characteristics. With that said, I have done some research and have been evaluating 3 different compounds of O-Rings on 3 different Mavericks:

1. Nitrile (Buna-N) O-rings - These are 70-durometer (black in color) Nitrile O-rings. Able to withstand temperatures ranging from -30 to +200°F. These are basically the stock O-rings and are your basic Nitrile rubber material. There are 2 factors you really need to consider when using this material. One is the temperature range. At only +200°F, you are pushing these to their operating limits and at the upper range they will become very soft and actually absorbent allowing water and mud to be wicked into the rubber and into the inner spherical bearing area. The second factor is this compounds lack of compatibility to most of the chemicals and additives found in many of the greases and lubricants available today. They will break down quickly and lose there elasticity and become softer or even dry and brittle rendering them ineffective against stopping water and contaminants from entering the bearing area. You most likely notice the black color of your grease when you remove the shock for servicing. This is actually the rubber breaking down and dissolving into the grease (not good).

2. Silicone O-rings - These are also 70-durometer (red in color) Silicone O-rings. Able to withstand temperatures ranging from -80 to +300°F. These are a major step up from the standard Nitrile rubber O-rings. They offer 260% lower and 150% higher temperature range than the Nitrile O-rings. This is especially important on the rear shocks due to the excessive heat they are subjected too. Although more compatible than Nitrile rubber, there are still a few lubricants that they are not compatible with so I would recommend a good quality marine grade wheel bearing/hub grease.

3. Fluorocarbon (*Viton®) O-rings - These are 75-durometer Fluorocarbon (FKM) or better known as Viton® O-rings. (Black or brown in color) They offer excellent resistance to chemicals and a wider range of temperatures. These are suitable for applications ranging from -10 to 450°F. These are also a major step up from the standard Nitrile rubber O-rings. They can withstand 225% higher temperatures than the Nitrile O-rings and 150% higher than the Silicone O-rings. They do not do as well in extreme cold conditions so if you intend to ride in the winter months at temperatures below 0°F these may not be the O-rings for you. The Viton® rubber is compatible with just about every lubricant that I can find.

As I mentioned, I have been evaluating these 3 different materials on my Maverick as well as 2 others in my area. The Nitrile rubber O-rings (same as OEM) begin to degrade almost immediately and show signs of failure within 100 miles of service. Both the Silicone Viton® O-rings have held up fine and are currently at 450+ miles of service and counting. My conclusion thus far is that the best all around material based on price and effectiveness is the Silicone O-rings. The reason is they are about 5X cheaper than the Viton® O-rings and are more than capable of withstanding the temperatures they are subjected to on the rear of the Maverick at +300°F and can also be used in extreme cold temperatures as well without becoming hard and losing its pliability.

Can Am wants $9.99 each for the Nitrile rubber O-rings! That is $40 per shock or $160 for all 4 shocks. In order to do the evaluation, I had to but these in bulk quantities so needless to say I have lots of extras. I have inventory of all 3 types and will be selling them to anyone who might be interested. Here are the prices for each:

1. Nitrile (Buna-N) O-rings - $3.25 per shock (4ea) or $12 for all 4 shocks (16ea)

2. Silicone O-rings - $5.25 per shock (4ea) or $19 for all 4 shocks (16ea)

3. Fluorocarbon (*Viton®) O-rings - $12.95 per shock (4ea) or $45 for all 4 shocks (16ea)


Shoot me a PM if you would be interested in picking some of these up.

OEM Nitrile rubber O-ring after 75 miles
Auto part Hardware accessory Metal




Silicone O-ring after 225 miles
Metal
 
#8 ·
I just greased all 4 of my spherical bearings with Mobil 1 synthetic grease and all my O-rings were fine after 222 miles. I didn't noticed any damage or wear. All my bushings came out easy with the exception of one shock. I had to give a little more effort by using a screwdriver to slowly pop out the metal bushing. 2 of my shocks I could pull the bushings out with my fingers. 3 out of the 4 shocks were dry but I did have 1 shock that still had a slight film of lubricant in the bearing. Almost like WD-40 constancy. I did see slight scouring though in 1 of my shocks.

Heavy, I would be interested in buying a set of the silicone O-rings for future replacement. PM me.
 
#10 ·
PM sent...
 
#13 ·
I wonder if you can upgrade to the 2014 hardware? I took mine apart before my first ride to grease and I believe they are 12mm bolts.
 
#14 ·
I am in the process of getting the specs on the 2014 models as they are aparently different than the 2013's. Once I have the correct dimensions, I will place an order and have them in stock hopefully within a weeks time. Please check back in a few days or so and I will let you know when I have them in stock and ready to take orders for the 2014's.
 
#15 ·
If you pressure wash as we all do, the excessive water pressure will work into the shock bearings. I take mine loose after every wash and grease them, and yes there is water in them. It's a 15 minute fix. I don't like to do this, but this is what will happen with what ever grease and what ever O rings you use. It just won't with stand 2500 - 3500 PSI water pressure.
 
#27 ·
So did you grind off or drill out the portion of the bushing that goes inside of the bearing?
 
#28 · (Edited)
not really anything to see. I drilled out the arms to a 1/2" hole. Then tool the stock shock eye reducers and drilled them out to 1/2", filed a little on the spacers to knock down the sharp edges. Bought some 3" long grade 8 bolts and cut 5/8" of each one and filed the ends round. Bolted it all up with washers and nyloc nuts.



 
#29 ·
so what will wear now the bolt or the spherical bearing? The bushings were made of a softer material for a reason. Now you have two hardened metals contacting each other and will wear on one another. The bearings are $56 each. The bushings are $13….
 
#31 ·
let us know how it looks the next time you pull it apart to grease it. Did you figure out if you could put in a grease zerk or not? I am guessing not since the outer race of the spherical bearing is solid and you would have to drill thru the shock and the bearing race to get to where the grease needs to go...
 
#34 ·
Heavy, I would like to get a set of 16 of the silicone shock o rings from you...I sent you a PM....

Thanks, man!
 
#35 ·
PM'ed everyone back.......sorry for the late responses. Me and my son were at the Endurocross race tonight. Very cool event and great people.....
 
#36 ·
Had my rubber O-ring on my rear right upper mount shred the first couple days. Kept hearing clanking, went back to the shock and it shook side to side.. Instantly knew what happened. Anyone know what size the O-ring is? I had some laying around the shop that did the trick but there is still some play.
 
#37 ·
If you have play on the shock mount, new O-rings will not fix the issue. Your bushings are worn and you now have a tolerance issue with the mounting bolt and possibly the spherical bearing depending on how bad they are worn. I would order a new set of bushings for starters. If you want O-rings, let me know. read post # 7 below for details.....
 
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#39 ·
I will PM you the details.....
 
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