rebuilding/ oil change on a marzocchi 888r...

so ive been searching google and ask for a write up on changing the oil in these forks, including oil capacity, weight and such. any ideas on where to find this stuff, the manual that comes with it only discusses adj. and cleaning, trash like that. thanks again fella's.. and a few ladies i think :-s...

 

this site has all the info you should need

http://www.marzocchi.com/template/listSPAManuals.asp?IDFolder=126&IDA=30710&LN=UK&Sito=mtb

 

has some, but i need to know how to open the sucker up, and capacities and weights.. this site didnt have enough... thanks for your help though, its mroe than ive found...

 

Off the link already provided, there is a box on the left hand side. It has a selection for oil level table. Depending on your weight there will be two catagories to choose from. The values in the columns are the volume of oil in CCs for the right and left legs respectively. I don't know the exact size of the top cap nut on an 888, but it will be metric, probably 26mm or larger. Put both your rebound and compression clickers in the middle position (I think they have 30 clicks?, so put em at 15) then loosen the caps with a 6 point socket. Drain the oil, and cycle the fork to get all the oil out of the dampener cartridges, then refill to spec. For the z1s etc. Zoke uses 7.5 weight oil, so I assume the 888 would be the same. I would ride the fork a little before you pull it appart, that way, if you don't like how something is working, you will be primed to change springs, adjust oil height up a little from recommended, or change the viscosity if need be.

I know that's a pretty general over view, but since I haven't worked on your model before, that's the best I can do. They're not rocket science, so as long as you don't use pliers instead of wrenches, over torque stuff, etc. you should be fine.

Marzocchi's number is 1-800-227-5579. I haven't had the best luck getting a hold of live bodies over there, but maybe they can get you to someone who can email you a more detailed PDF than the std users manual that's on the site.

Good luck,
Chris

 

thanks chris, i reg. work on street bikes, MX bikes and a few harley's forks, but i heard that these MTB forks are a diff. breed. i dont want to tear into it and destroy a good fork ya know? what does adding a lil more oil do? i know in offroad, more oil is bad, how much more are we talkin here? im assuming since the owner bought these forks in 04, and the oil hasnt been changed because the guy was a dip doodle, its going to need atleast an oil change, no slop in it or anything, outer seals look great too, i just wanted to swap the oil out for now.. thanks again chris

i got a hold of marz... a fellow by the name of mike sent me a PDF of the exploaded view of my fork, whicch helps a little, so to change the oil, set adj. 15 clicks in from full, loosen the 26mm cap, then what? do i take the tubes out of the clamps and tip the bike over? after thats drained i cycle it with the caps back on or what? or do i remove the springs then replace caps then cycle then tip it over again? he didnt go into detail, so im still lost. a word for word step by step inst. is what i need. ill keep looking i guess..

 

Ryan,

You can dump it out the top like you mentioned, or you can pull the nuts off the bottom of the fork (I've never had my hands on an 888 so maybe they're different than a 66 or z1 but I doubt it) and drain it out that way as well. Those nuts hold the plunger (or whatever you want to call it) assmebly. You'll need to pull up on the internal assembly to make room in the hole for the oil to drain, but that's about it. There might still be some residual oil in the cartridges so be sure to pump em dry. If you're not doing maintenence on the fork other than the oil, then it's pretty much a matter of draining and replacing. I'd drain into a graduated resevoir so you know how much was in there for future reference. I.E. you like how it rode and maybe the guy ran more or less than the factory specified level. Just doing that, it would be pretty hard to break something or mess something up. The torque values are available on the website, so you should be able to get everything back together as it should be. If you're still not comfortable doing it. I'd call your local shop that deals with Zoke stuff, and see if they would be willing to do the oil change and let you watch. That way you can do it next time.

Glad to hear you got an exploded view from Marzocchi. I was going to post up one of 66 internals, but no need since you've got that now. The only other thing I can think to tell you is that you're probably better off buying your fork oil at a motorcycle shop as you'll get more for your money compared to buying in smaller packages in bike shops.

Chris

 

thanks chris... im actually heading to chaparral right now to get cart. oil. its like 14 for a quart, theres 946cc's to a quart and marz says 225 per leg, so i can do a couple with the 14.00... ill just tip the forks, i dont want to mess with that bottom nut deal, one more thing to go wrong. thanks for the help guys.

 

if you havent done the job yet,take the caps off the forks,same as mx,street bikes etc.then take them out of the clamps, turn them upside down over your old oil bucket,(remove the springs 1st)then cycle the fork(moving them in and out,caps off)then doo the other the same.try to put the springs back into the same legs they came out of.now refill,with new oil,overfilling too much will blow the seals.thiker oil makes the fork moov slower overall,thinner,moovs faster.put it back together the opposite,wipe them off and go eat your favorite peece of dirt.enjoi.

 

thanks for the info, i did it that night i posted the last question.. any reason why the compression side was almost entirely clean as compared to rebound (color of oil i mean)? im on the look out for firm springs for this bike, if you know any one with so, let me know, i dont really want to buty new ones. they are green, 04 model 888R, part number 5141305/c.. see yaaaa.