Shocks

Rebuilding-Shock Disassembly

Rebuilding your shocks is a fairly simple task, that should be performed from time to time. If you notice your shocks are leaking at the lower part of the shock body, it's a good indication that it's time to rebuild them.

This part of the article focuses on rebuilding the stock Traxxas shocks. However the basic principle is the same with nearly every other shock. When you rebuild the shock you are disassembling it and inspecting the components for wear. Normally this will be the o-rings, but there could be other components that are worn as well. So even though you may have replaced the stock Traxxas shocks with aftermarket ones, you may still be able to apply much of this information to the aftermarket shocks as well.

The first step of rebuilding your stock shocks, is to remove your shocks from your Rustler. You should end up with 4 shocks similar to the one shown below.

Next compress the spring towards the shock body with one hand. This will allow you to remove the lower spring retainer, which in turn allows the spring to be removed.

Now slide the upper spring retainer, and any preload spacers, off of the shock body.

Next remove the shock cap and dump out any oil that is in the shock body. Be sure not to lose the little diaphragm, as they can often be reused. It is often found lodged inside the cap. You can gently use a small screwdriver to remove it.

The next task is to remove the upper e-clip. Use a small screwdriver, and place it in between the e-clip and the shock shaft. Then pry the e-clip off of the shaft.

Next you need to remove the piston head. It's the disc shaped part inside the body that has either 1, 2, or 3 holes in it. The way I normally remove it is to tap it upside down on the table. If that doesn't work, I stick a slightly bent paper clip into one of the holes and then pull it out. Using this method allows you to remove the rod end after the shaft has been removed from the shock, when you can grip on a part of the shock that remains inside the shock body. This reduces the possibility of a leaky shock.

Alternatively you can remove the screw on rod end on the opposite side of the shock, and then push the shock up enough to remove the piston head. However I prefer to avoid that method. To unscrew the rod end you have to hold the shock still, which usually involves pliers. This can scratch up the portion of the shock shaft that moves in and out of the shock. A scratched shock will leak. You will needs to use pliers when reassembling the shock, and you're much better off using them as little as possible.

After removing the piston head, you can access the lower e-clip. Like before, use the small screwdriver to pry the e-clip off of the shock shaft. If it falls down into the body of the shock, just turn the shock upside down and tap it on the table to get it to fall out.

Next simply pull the shock rod out of the bottom of the shock.

After the shock rod has been removed, you'll need to once again tap the shock upside down on the table and remove a small object similar to the piston head, but smaller. This is a spacer that rides on the shock shaft under the lower e-clip. When you pulled the shock shaft out, this spacer slid off of the shock shaft as well.

The final thing you need to do, is to unscrew the cap at the bottom of the shock shaft. Then remove the o-rings and spacers inside the lower part of the shock body.