Recon 351 hydro locked

[fat_boy]

Well I installed my new 08 recon 351 u-turn and it was pretty sweet…for about five minutes then it hydro locked. I searched on mtbr.com and found this tread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t … =recon+351

It seems that there may be an issue with the 08 recon 351 u-turn forks. Luckily it is just a blown rebound dampener o-ring that failed. I was planning on changing out the spring to a harder one anyway so its not too big of a deal.

Now I already have a pdf for servicing the fork along with most of the tools I need. The instructions say to use "shock oil". Can I use high quality synthetic motor oil or does it need the special shock oil?

[steve32300]

Can I use high quality synthetic motor oil or does it need the special shock oil?

Use shock oil dude,motor oil would be a bad thing in there dude.At least I’ve never heard of motor oil being used in a shock,where did you get that idea?Really curious…….

[fat_boy]

ops that was supposed to say "motorcycle shock oil" not "motor oil". Is there recommendations on which brand of shock oil? Some people on mtbr.com recommend Golden Spectro.

[steve32300]

There’s a few brand shock oil’s out there,the spectro you already mentioned and there’s Torco oil which is listed on dirt labs as the oil of choice for there rebuilds.And of course,element22 probably has his own choice brand for sevicing forks and shocks.The Torco I’ve heard of more than anything although you can decide which one you yourself want to go with.

[Syd Patricio]

Hi

Well Steve is right everyone has their "own" brand..Ummm well Manitou actually use Motorex which I have tried and think is not bad. I personally use Motul which may be hard to find but I have used it for many years in motorsports and MTB great products. There is also Redline which has a variety of weights as well. And of course there is als spectra which some other manufactures use..Torco too 😉 Steve.

[steve32300]

Hey element,are there fork/shock brands that you HAVE to use a specific brand shock oil for?

[Syd Patricio]

Nope…However you have to make sure that the fork oil is what they are asking for. For example almost all forks must use a synthetic fork oil which is usually a straight weight. But make sure you purchase an oil with as high of an VI index as you can 170+ if possible and low to very low foaming. Foaming will cause the fork to not work consistantly, and the high VI index will ensure that the fork works well over a range of temperature.

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