Manitou dorado service

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Manitou dorado service
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flag Chuvak
Posted: Oct 3, 2013 at 1:42 Quote
I understand, that you can find a good instruction at manitoumtb.com, but i have well-illustrated self-made manual about how to change oil and check your fork. all the questions about full disassembly of the damper are left out. so i can share it, after translation to english.

anyone interested?
flag molland8
Posted: Oct 3, 2013 at 2:38 Quote
I'd be interested in an english version
flag Chuvak
Posted: Oct 3, 2013 at 3:24 Quote
ok, will translate it in an hour. i would be pleased if it will help anyone
flag Chuvak
Posted: Oct 3, 2013 at 6:27 Quote
hah, late a bit, had some businesses to do)

don't look at scary background, that's just a temporary workplace, that i had to make out of one of the rooms in the old flat.
all the photos were made by air pump.

okay, let's go.

What we need:

manitou dorado fork

12, 13, 20, 36mm wrenches( you can use big enough adjustable wrench instead of 20 and 36 wrenches)

26mm Socket with ratchet

2mm allen key

5w fork oil

5w/40 full synthetic engine oil

Syringe + 12-13cm tubing on it

old clothes

“Stendec easy glide” fork grease or similar grease

Thread lock fluid

If you change oil first time since purchasing-it is strongly recommended to have an insulating tape and workstand.




1) Remove the fork from the bike and clean it. Remove the leg guards.

2) First let’s deal with the right leg. Turn the rebound knob all the way clockwise and unscrew the top cap with the 36mm wrench. After that, pull it up as far as it allows (doing this will make the inner leg go fully inside the outer leg)
photo

photo

3) Place a 12mm wrench on the flats of the rebound shaft and use a 36mm wrench to unthread the top cap from the shaft. Once the top cap is unthreaded, remove the rebound knob from the top cap.

photo

photo

4) Drain the oil and move the shaft towards-backwards to pour the biggest part of it.

photo

5) Place some paper inside the outer leg from the side of top cap (to avoid oil leakage on the floor) and place the fork upside down. Let’s disassemble the compression adjusters. Unscrew the screw from red low-speed compression adjuster (2mm allen key), remove it (do not lose 2 balls and springs under it). Then Remove the c-clip that holds the knob on using a small flat blade screwdriver or similar tool. Once the c-clip is removed pull the knob up. Be sure to capture the O-ring, 2 detent balls and springs under the knob.

photo

photo

6) Using 26mm wrench, unscrew the cap on the bottom of the inner leg. Whet it stops to go out of leg, being screwed, pull it and remove the cartridge.

photo

photo

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7)Turn the cartridge upside down and press the shaft several times (I did 20) to remove some of the resting oil.

Cool This step is highly recommended if you change oil first time from purchasing, or you got really dirty oil poured.

Remove the oil from the wide side of cartridge, using ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. Wrap it with the insulating tape completely. If your tape is not wide as on photo, make one big tape list, attaching 15-20cm pieces one to other. Place this list in your workstand’s clamp (glued side-to clamps), place a cartridge (with taped side of course) and clamp it pretty strong. Be careful, do not make OMGINSANE power of clamping to avoid cartridge damaging. All this stuff needs to avoid cartridge spinning during unscrewing the cap on it. You can find any other ways to do this, that are suitable for u. Now, using 20mm wrench, unscrew the cap from the shaft side. Great, you did it! If not-keep trying. Now pull out the inner part of cartridge. This will allow you to remove ALL the resting oil. And there will be pretty noticeable amount of it. In case of first service-you will avoid mixing your cool, fresh and shiny new oil with the bull pee, that was placed in the fork by manufacturer (seriously, the factory oil has an awful quality). In case of dirty poured oil-you remove all the contaminates from the cartridge (do not forget to clean the cartridge, using cool, fresh and shiny © oil). Big Grin

photo

photo

photo


9) After removing the oil, assemble the cartridge, remove the tape.

10) Clean the inner leg inside and outside, clean the outer leg inside, grease the seals and dust wipers with stendec grease (or similar), insert the lower leg into the outer leg all the way inside. Place the cartridge inside the inner leg, screw the 26mm cap (you removed it at step 6), pull the shaft all the way out, assemble all the compression adjusters (you can grease the o-rings a but, to make the adjusters rotating more easily). Return the top cap to it’s place.

photo

photo

11) Make sure that the shaft pulled all the way out and the inner leg inserted in the outer leg all the way inside. Fill the outer leg with 5w fork oil until it closes the cartridge, after that add a bit more oil (30-40ml). Now move the shaft up and down. This is the procedure of cartridge bleeding . You will hear and feel squelching air bubbles, the oil level will be decreasing, do not let the cartridge get out of oil. Move the shaft as far as you can down and all the way up. Do the next way: 5-6 up-down moves of shaft-> check the oil level-> if you see the cartridge out of the oil,add some more and repeat. Soon it will be pretty hard to move the shaft, it will move slowly and smoothly (we screwed the reboud all the way clockwise, remember?) AND you will not hear and/or feel bubbles. That means that the cartridge has been bleeded completely. After this, measure the oil level. It must be 110mm from the top of outer leg. The inner leg must be fully compressed into the outer leg when measuring and the shaft must be pulled all the way out. If the is more than 110mm, add some more oil, of less-remove some with the syringe and tube.

12) Great. You’ve made the biggest part of the work, and it’s almost done.




13) Now let’s service the air spring. RELEASE THE AIR FROM THE AIR SPRING. Remove the top cap, using the 36mm wrench. Place a 13mm wrench on the flats of the rebound shaft and use a 36mm wrench to unthread the top cap from the shaft. Remove it from the shaft.

photo

photo

14) take the inner leg out of the outer leg. Remove all the oil from it’s surface, using ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. Hold the leg really tight with one hand, take the 20mm wrench in the other hand and remove a cap from the top of the leg (the cap is tightened not very strongly, but the power of one hand can be not enough. Ask friend for help or lightly clamp the leg in the workstand). Remove the air piston (avoid the oil splashes).

photo

photo

15) Clean the air piston and the inner leg from both inside and outside. Clean the outer leg from inside. Fill the gaps between the black O-ring and the edges of the seat place for it with stendec grease or similar. Remove the excesses.

16) Add a small amount (3-4cc, not more) of full synthetic 5w/40 oil in the inner leg. Now lubricate the black O-ring and the blue flat O-ring (I don’t know what material it is made of) with the same 5w/40 oil and insert the piston it the inner leg. Move it inside a bit and then add 10cc of the same synthetic 5w/40 oil again.

photo

17) Screw the cap, that you removed at step 14, pull the shaft all the way out.

1Cool Grease the seals and dust wipers with stendec or similar grease, insert the inner leg in the outer leg, add 30cc of synthetic 5w/40 oil in the outer leg, attach the top cap back to shaft and screw in on it’s place. Wash the fork to remove all the oil from it’s surface, or just wipe it with ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.


19) After that, attach the leg guards back to fork. Do not forget to apply a drop of thread lock fluid in every screw. Do not overtighten. Cracks around the screws, experienced with many customers, appear because the metal insert is a bit shorter, than the hole length, so the overtighten will cause cracks. Remove some plastic on the inner end of the hole to equal it's length to the insert length. It will solve the crack problem.

20) Great job! The fork is serviced, happy and ready to hit the mountains.





Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask any questions, tell about mistakes and make notices.
Pleas notify me about any mistakes or mistypes in the text.
flag chaserider
Posted: Feb 1, 2014 at 3:49 Quote
Nice job!

Keeping this link as a reference guide.
flag Chuvak
Posted: Feb 1, 2014 at 4:39 Quote
thx! some pictures don't work because of image hosting problems. I'll make a PDF or HTML version of manual soon
flag chaserider
Posted: Feb 1, 2014 at 4:43 Quote
Chuvak wrote:
thx! some pictures don't work because of image hosting problems. I'll make a PDF or HTML version of manual soon

the pictures work just fine for me!
flag TWO6INCHMEDIA
Posted: Aug 25, 2014 at 14:49 Quote
Hi, I want to travel my Dorado Pro fork to 180mm and I wanted to ask if you could make a manual with pictures of it as well?
flag Chuvak
Posted: Aug 25, 2014 at 21:39 Quote
Hi. unfortunately I hadn't performed this operation and also I've serviced my fork already second time in this season, so I can't open the spring leg again.
But you can see how to do it here: http://www.manitoumtb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2012_Dorado_Pro_Exp_Manual.pdf
page 7, the process is described in the text and illustrated.

HINT: you can just attach the air pump, press your fork to desired travel, hold it and unscrew the pump. now you have your fork with travel you want. that's because attaching pump and pressing the fork makes some air move from positive chamber to negative. but remember that when you attach your pump agait-it will want to release back to 200mm travel again. so if you want to change the pressure, attach pump, release to 200mm, pump desired pressure, press to desired travel, detach the pump.
flag rickberg82
FL
Posted: Mar 6, 2015 at 17:06 Quote
I hope someone sees this! I just changed the seals on my 2014 dorado expert. What I'm running into now, is that it doesn't seem that my fork is rebounding all the way out. It seems like it rebounds out to about 7" and that's it. I can then pull on it and it'll go the full 8". Anyone else run into this?
flag Chuvak
Posted: Mar 7, 2015 at 3:39 Quote
Pull your weel with stanchions all the way out. Do they return inside lowers after you stop pullling? If so, attach pump and pull stanchions out. Detach pump. Check if it returns to full travel. Post here what happens. I will explain then, basing on uour results.
flag rickberg82
FL
Posted: Mar 7, 2015 at 9:05 Quote
Hey, it looks like everything is fine. I wasn't getting full rebound while the leg was off the bike. However, when I put it back on the bike, the spring leg is pushing it all the way out and its working perfectly.
flag Chuvak
Posted: Mar 8, 2015 at 1:04 Quote
That's nice) can't wait snow melts and ground dries. so stoked to begin hitting mountains)
flag Teofox
Posted: May 11, 2015 at 9:05 Quote
BOSS!!! THANK U SO MUUUUCH


Salute
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