[mossman77]

Lip of thick washer towards seal housing and flat side towards cartridge? Just realized there is a small spring just above the cartridge seal. That is what I was seeing that looked like a jagged edge. This thick washer sits between the seal and the small spring. One side is flanged and the other side is flat. I'm guessing the flanged side goes against the seal and the flat side against the spring.

[JimDirt]

Crap , on the 250 i am not sure , but , see if the spring will fit inside the slot , then check to see if the seal fits , one should , one should not i would expect , i am kinda stumped on this one , i have not done a CRF250X so i don't know for sure , KTMs, Yamaha's, Suzuki's ,Honda 450's , no problem , the 250 i just have not got to yet , that is why you do one side at a time so you have one complete for reference , and one to tear apart , or , most importantly , you lay the parts out in the order and orientation they came off , if both fit for whatever reason , update , and we will go from there

Unfortunately , sometimes i draw a blank...

[mossman77]

My plan was to lay things out as they came apart, but the washer flipped 90 degrees when I pulled the seal out so I couldn't tell what its original orientation was. I took a guess and put the flanged side towards the seal since it fit so nicely. Both seals are complete and I'm gonna let them sit overnight so the loctite can cure, then begin reassembly tomorrow night. If the rods don't extend fully this time, then that's how they'll be staying.

[JimDirt]

Well how did it go ??

[mossman77]

Well how did it go ??

Haven't had a chance to work on them. I will be reassembling this evening after work. Fingers crossed. I'll post back with the hopefully good news.

[JimDirt]

Cool , hopefully this works and you will be riding again !!!

[mossman77]

Just finished up. The rods still don't fully extend on their own. Same thing...rods extend fully when doing partial compressions, but as soon as I do a full compression to expel the extra oil, they no longer extend all the way. I've replaced every seal, bushing, and o-ring (other than the damper rod bushing) so I'm convinced it doesn't get any better. I'm done messing with them. They're going back on the bike tomorrow night.

Thanks again for all the help and your patience. I'll be rebuilding the rear shock next, but will probably hold off for a while. I'm not even sure the rear shock typically needs servicing, but I already bought all the seals, bladder, etc. Until next time...

[JimDirt]

Hmmm , definitely strange , but , if they are both equal , and don't get worse , then see what happens

As for the shock , its much less complicated for the rebuild , and the bleeding is easier , just a little messier , but as long as you follow the manual , (or those videos from Race Tech) , it will be a walk in the park compared to the forks

[mossman77]

PDDE (Post Deleted Due to Epiphany)

[JimDirt]

Uh Oh !

[mossman77]

Uh Oh ! Question Eh? Think Shocked Pray

I tilted the forks on their sides to measure the length between the axle holder and outer tube to ensure they were the same length (they are) and in doing so, oil got into the inner cartridge (through the bleed holes). I was going to ask if I needed to drop the outer tube and drain the oil out of the inner cartridge, but then realized the oil would be pushed out on its own. Otherwise, people would have to take their shocks apart every time they laid the bike down, which wouldn't make sense. That was my epiphany.

[JimDirt]

Whew !!

I thought it was going to be something bad , yea , that is part of why the drain holes are used , is so if oil gets in there , it will drain back out into the outer chamber , don't forget the "main" purpose for the oil in the outer chamber is for lubrication of all the parts and for bottoming resistance , the sealed inner chamber oil allows the valving to do its job , and also lubricates

So no worries , you should be fine and hopefully the suspension will feel at least somewhat better and work better for you

[mossman77]

Whew !!

I thought it was going to be something bad , yea , that is part of why the drain holes are used , is so if oil gets in there , it will drain back out into the outer chamber , don't forget the "main" purpose for the oil in the outer chamber is for lubrication of all the parts and for bottoming resistance , the sealed inner chamber oil allows the valving to do its job , and also lubricates

So no worries , you should be fine and hopefully the suspension will feel at least somewhat better and work better for you

Okay. Good to hear. Thanks again!