How to fill shocks with oil - The Right Way

[@DutchRC]

An instructional video on how to (and how NOT to) fill the shocks of cars :) The TFL Bronco I'm working on here: goo.gl/6kq7zt

[@ayiaman]

Very useful info there! Perhaps, one little contribution: the choice of oil is usually linked to the outside temperature one will run the truck in. The colder the outside temperature, the lighter oil you will need. Temperatures beneath the 0 celsius mark, demand a really light oil as the cold will make the oil denser (less fluid). Great kit, can't wait for more!

[@DutchRC]

Good point! I had not even thought of that :$ Probably partly cause I would rarely change out oil for that.. Interesting point this :) I think it would make more off a difference in faster cars.. Yeps.. simple chemsitry indeed.. Cheers & thanks! :D

[@laytonblance]

Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Sean Connery? Great video, it really helped me a lot!

[@DutchRC]

Thanks x2! I'll take both as a compliment :) and sorry to say, but you are Not the first :D haha.. I get that comment about once a week ;) Cheers & thanks for stopping by!

[@stevenmaness5153]

@@DutchRC I love a good Dutch accent. I'm American and I have a lisp and when I would get too buzzed my lisp would get bad and I would use a Dutch accent to avoid it lol. I'd turn my lispy S's into Sh's. Funny story lol. Good video!

[@DutchRC]

@@stevenmaness5153 LOL that was a funny comment ;) Thanks for that! :D

[@catlady8324]

Do you mean 007, Bond, James Bond?

[@martintrj5620]

Don’t pretend to tell him how to follow up!! (Medicine man)

[@NecronNb]

My suggestion to anyone filling shocks is to get a cheap plastic syringe from a pharmacy and use that to both pull the oil out of the container and into your shocks. Really clean, easy to measure and great at avoiding bubbles.

[@DutchRC]

That is a great suggestion sir :) Thanks for that addition.. I haven't used syringes for it yet, but will try :) (not sure how available those are over here by the way)

[@NecronNb]

@@DutchRC they're really common. The kind of things you use for kids paracetamol - no needle, just a nozzle

[@Polecat54941]

Very good job explaining this and not easy to do in a foreign language! great job and appreciation from UK

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much for the compliment sir! I appreciate that :)

[@danielmotas4962]

great tutorial video, fully explained, detail in view's clear audible voice, you have a great teaching skills.

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much Daniel! Highly appreciate the kind words :)

[@marsbase3729]

Thanks for this. Best shocks tutorial I've seen. It helped me alot. 👍😎👍

[@DutchRC]

You're welcome man and thank You for stopping by & the positive comment :)

[@keithd9705]

Lots of videos and opinions on this subject but yours was extremely clear and precise, thankyou!

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much Keith! I tried to shoot the video in a way that would help Me.. Looks like that worked ;)

[@FudoMyooTattoo]

Nice video that I'm sure will help newcomers (and probably some not so newcomers) to the hobby out a lot! A lot of build manuals that come with entry level kits go about as far as saying "add oil" or maybe a picture of adding oil and then you are on your own which as you know is far from ideal as really badly set up shocks can make even the best of cars hard to drive LOL! Look forward to seeing the rest of the build as this is quite an expensive kit that so far looks like it has the potential to be a nice scaler.

[@DutchRC]

Thanks sir! Yeah.. badly set-up shocks can indeed very much make or break a car :) Haha :D Yeah.. In this case the manual actually doesn't even mention it, but this is probably marketed as a 'advanced' kit.. Bit of a shame really as most everyone should be able to build it otherwise :) I just finished the build-video by the way.. that allways takes a Lot of time :P

[@FudoMyooTattoo]

DutchRC Adventures Great, the kit looks very comprehensive and I really like the whole idea of a decent cage with bolt on panels etc so the build video should be cool. However, its a fair old chunk of money so, do you think that its good value?

[@DutchRC]

Yeah.. that's a good question.. IF someone values having something different (I do) then yes.. Compared to for instance RC4WD axels these TFL's are in a league of their own.. RC4WD would sell these in 4-ton truks I think... The design And production (manual) of that rollcage-chassis can't be cheap.. 1 thing that would add value by the way is them selling the body-shell seperately, so you could have say 3 shells, and effectively have 3 cars (?) (with a very different look) I had expected it to be top-heavy by the way, but it can sustain a sideways angle of 50-55 degrees..

[@FudoMyooTattoo]

DutchRC Adventures Yep, I've seen custom cages for crawlers and rock bouncers that cost about as much as this kit on their own but watching the unboxing its hard to tell if the axels etc were just average with some nice bling or, really decent with bling as an added bonus if that makes sense lol! I shall wait patiently for the build video as I'm sure you'll give your thoughts on the individual components in more detail.

[@DutchRC]

The build video will go life Today :) After that I'll be working on the body-shell, but that will take longer (the weather isn't to good, and I do my spray painting outside)

[@Benjamin_Reese]

Well done. I enjoyed your commentary and instruction style. I've subscribed for more! 😊

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much Benjamin! Highly appreciated :)

[@martinbeirute1048]

Oustanding explanation !! Thank you !!! and yes Sean Connery teaching !!! Regards

[@DutchRC]

LOL :D thanks Martin! Highly appreciated

[@KOL630]

Best explanation I have seen so far. Many thanks 🙏🏻

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much! Glad you found the video usefull :)

[@az_pit_viper4270]

Great video Mr. Connery 👍👍

[@DutchRC]

Haha :D thank you laddy ;)

[@InTheSh8]

😅 good one!

[@JIMJAMSC]

I have the hands and patience of a surgeon. The concentration, ability to focus of a bomb defuser. Yet I have never, ever changed shock oil and not made a mess.

[@DutchRC]

Hahaha that sounds familiar (that last part) ;) Just embrace it :D

[@MikeyGG34]

We used to use the little twisty balloons on the shocks. they work like shock boots to keep the shock shafts from getting scratched. Once they get scratched they don't rebound as well, then you tend to have to put too much oil in them to get the same rebound. Or if they get bent, they really don't work well then. Lol. That was on our 8th scale gas buggies . though. Probably not as important on the rock crawlers.

[@DutchRC]

Very true Mike :) bent or even Slightly scratched axles on these shocks doesn't improve things 1 bit :) It'll also make them LEAK :P no matter how big / fast / slow the car is :)

[@ShenRC]

the joy of building shocks, =) next time try leaving the cap loose enough so oil can come out and with the shock held up straight and gently push the shaft in and when it reaches the top hold it there the oil will come out and screw the cap on this usually works.

[@DutchRC]

Ghehe very true man! The thing is: I really dislike an oily mess, so I Try to never use more then needed :$ Well yeah, for the purpose of this video I had to :P

[@ShenRC]

Yea I hear ya, the way i told you about is the way so you don't get any air trapped inside at all.

[@DutchRC]

Check.. good point, and your methode indeed Does work :) When I was racing cars, I actually used to just submerge the shocks in oil, and build them In oil :P I allso used weapon-cleaning oil then though, which is a Bit cheaper :D

[@tonil6604]

to get a shock stand you can go to your local flower seller and can ask him of foam for dryed flowers! I've seen this a lot, if anyone didn't wanna build something. cool video for beginners!

[@DutchRC]

Ohwww That kinda foam.. I first thought: What is he on about?! :P That stuff could indeed be usefull.. Heck, my mother probably has some of that stuff :D Thanks Toni! :)

[@eduardomalcom2228]

Hi Mikey, Great vísep Tks... I have done everything like example 4, but at the moment of placing them in the car I press and they don't go up, they stay down, what will be my problem. ??

[@DutchRC]

Who is Mekey? Anyway... that sounds like "vapor lock".. you have probably overfilled the shocks.. try leaving a bit more room for the blather

[@craigware2462]

Very helpful. Just what I was looking for.

[@DutchRC]

Excellent! Glad the video helped you out Craig :)

[@scottbusby12]

Hi. Thanks for the information. I don't know if you are into RC flying but I have an eflite Draco and wish to replace the 4 80mm standard fake shocks (just spring only) to oil filled ones as it can bounce on landing. Any suggestions as it weighs 5kg so quite a bit heavier than RC cars etc. Many thanks

[@DutchRC]

Howdy man :) yes.. have a browse through my channel.. I kinda do Every kind of RC-ing ;) okee sooooo.. there are cars in that weight-class but on an airplane you would probably need a longer "stroke"... And the shocks for heavier cars (look for 1/8th scale cars) tend to be heavy.. I think your best bet would be the shocks of the HPI Savage Flux.. google them and you'll see they are pretty long.. plastick and not super Thick... What do you think?

[@scottbusby12]

@@DutchRC thanks bud. I'll give them a try. 👍

[@sooolion9820]

Hi, anyone have had experience changing or putting oil in an HBX16889 replacement oil filled shocks? I cant seem to open the end cap off of the one i got. Thanks in advance!

[@Custompc48809]

Can u explain why having air bubbles is a bad idea? U should do an updated video and use some of the comments questions in the video but at the end. Just an idea, good job.

[@DutchRC]

thanks for the suggestion! I will keep that in mind :) in short: air can be compressed more And faster then oil.. so having air (bubbles) in your shock impacts their performance quite a bit.. And besides that a bubble would kinda "explode" through the vent-holes in the piston-ring.. that doesn't make for a smooth ride :)

[@kevinj5293]

I have watched a few videos on this subject basically most of people are having quarter of the shock coming out for the rebound. Watched a video and the person said you need all of the shock shaft coming out for the rebound that was from a rc shop your thoughts. Just got a ftx outlaw.

[@DutchRC]

Okee.. but what do You think? To me the Spring is there to do the rebounding.. if a shock has any kind of rebound, it will dampen things differently along it's stroke.. (which is not what you want I tihnk)

[@Michael666CA]

New subscriber today because of this Awesome explanation. My thought on this. Is maybe the reason thinking it should rebound all the was out is because automobile, motorcycle and most or all bigger shocks do. Just a thought. Great video, going to search for some more that spark my interest.

[@rickyhits6547]

Great tutorial! Very helpful

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much Ricky! Glad the video helped you out :)

[@PlaneNose]

Thx for the video engeneer, but I've a question.. Is this procedure applicable for hydrolic shocks or gas pressure ones? Also some ppl instead of removing the cap as you did, they just drill a hole in the shock's metal and inject the oil throw it, then just seal it with a screw, is that correct?

[@DutchRC]

That last method I have never seen and I would say it is sure to have you end up with a leaking shock :) hmmm you ment hydrolic actuater type there? I really have nooooo idea how those are filled :D I would think you would not want Any kind of air in those? :$

[@PlaneNose]

@@DutchRC yes that is correct, Thx for the info

[@HarleyForMayor]

VERY informative! Thank you good sir!

[@DutchRC]

Glad you liked the video Harley! Thanks for leaving a note :)

[@Dubbelep_NL]

I've seen other video's, saying that the rebound is because of air in the shock, not because of too much oil. They advice to fill the shock completely with oil and remove any bubbles. Your thoughts on that?

[@DutchRC]

It really is kinda simple: the oil used is non compressable (or hardly).. while air is.. In a well set-up shock the blatter is filled with air and it gets compressed at the end of the stroke.. If there is To much oil in the shock, that blatter is Always compressed, leaving no room for the shock to "settle" at the end.. (hence rebound)

[@eduardomalcom2228]

@@DutchRC Mr Dutch, in shock absorber 3 after removing oil at the end I noticed that there was a bit of empty space between the hood and the oil, is that correct ?

[@TD-357]

What oil weight would you suggest for a 1/10th scale trophy truck. Truck has dual shocks in the rear with one being internal sprung.

[@DutchRC]

interesting! I was actually looking at the same question, but for a very different car (monster truck).. it Does actually depend a bit on personal preference And truck weight.. but you don't want a high(er) speed offroad car to be Bouncy (right?) ... more less the same for my monster truck I guess... the heavier your car.. the thincker you want that oil to be.. I would say slightly above average.. say 60-weight.. (or 600 if your oils run from 100-1000)

[@markushohnstein7447]

Very useful, even today

[@DutchRC]

yeah.. not much has changed.. RC car shocks are mostly the same now :)

[@satorrotas]

Great video , excellent work !!

[@DutchRC]

Highly appreciated buddy! Thanks :)

[@trebor1841978]

Can someone explain why some shocks dont have any rebound at all? Point being generally Tamiya shocks.

[@DutchRC]

interesting Q :) Do you have a thought on it yourself? It's been a while since I build a Tamiya.. is the manual on building the shocks particularly good maybe? :)

[@trebor1841978]

@@DutchRC I have no idea, I just got back into rc cars after 20yrs hiatus. I had a Dirt Thrasher back then which I still have now and just recently bought the Neo Fighter and built the shocks without rebound and I remember was the same with my Thrasher. Some new shocks I bought online recently shaft would continually rebound all the way out after I changed to new oil. I cant say I am doing it any differently compared to the Tamiya shocks. Stumped...

[@DutchRC]

@@trebor1841978 interesting.... I actually build my first Tamiya when I was +/- 8 years of age... my first build and nope.. no rebound :P

[@ConditionZero76]

nothin like rotating your shaft while moving it up & down 😉

[@DutchRC]

there you go! should make sense :P

[@stevenmaness5153]

Don't forget to cup the pivot balls!!

[@DutchRC]

@@stevenmaness5153 Good point! Thanks Steven ;)

[@paulschryer9571]

... "OK....... SHALL WE" 😁👍 - This is what Jeff Nadolny says, at the beginning of every one of his... ...DOGMEN EPISODES !!!! 🤘😉👌.....🤫

[@DutchRC]

:D :D ohwwwwww well sorry but you need to try again :P hint: he actually says "ok...... Show me" :)

[@nunyadambidness1444]

Wow ok hand tight.... Thank you for video getting ready to do it to four shocks myself 👍💪✌️

[@DutchRC]

Yeahhh otherwise you end up squashing / damaging that seal :) Cheers and you're welcome :)

[@nunyadambidness1444]

@@DutchRC yes that makes total sense I sort of been overdoing it but I haven't messed them up yet but anyway thanks again ✌️✌️

[@nunyadambidness1444]

@@DutchRC because of your video I finally set up for shocks that are all performing exactly the same and they're hand tight and don't leak got the rebound just right on them

[@DutchRC]

@@nunyadambidness1444 ​ GOOD job then! :D happy to read that.. I'll have me some shocks to fill next week.. Hopefully I'll do just as well ;)

[@nunyadambidness1444]

@@DutchRC I have no doubts that you'll do just fine

[@scottfirman]

I am wondering what type of oil that really is. I plan on going through the shocks that Nate put together( if he did) on the wraith kit. I plan on going through everything because I am not sure where he was at when he quit working on it. I havent even opened the box. lol. Good demo on the oil filling level and how its done. I know guys that buy the oil say it lasts a life time. With me I would eventually forget where its at. lol.

[@DutchRC]

Ghehe :) I ordered up a complete line of all Losi oils from Amain-hobbies +/- 8 years ago, and I still use those :) Ohw by the way: in the past I allso used weapen-oil ;) Works like a charm But it is a very thin oil.. Why did he stop that project by the way??

[@DutchRC]

That should Indeed make for a nice project :) I just finished my build-video of this TFL car, and well... I knew this before hand offcourse, but building a car like this isn't complicated at all really.. Shooting a video about it though takes up 90% of the time :D In this hobby it sure is Very handy / allmost mandatory to be able to solder I think.. I used to dislike soldering Very much by the way.. but well, with the right tools and some practice it's not difficult.. I'll try and do a basic 'how to use a multimeter' video in the near future.. Hopefully that'll help a few people out :)

[@scottfirman]

DutchRC Adventures I think he gets overwelmed sometimes on anything that is beyond the simple stuff. Thats ok,we cant all be experts on everything. I havent gotten into FPV simply because I dont know what battery to use on my goggles and if I need some kind of regulator or BEC to set the voltage to 5 volts or whatever. I simply dont have time right now to mess with it anyways. I need to make another installment on my Kadet too. I have people signing up to watch the next video. Problem is,I have no work space right now. I may just do a quick one on testing the servos right now,just to make sure they work. They are futaba,should be fine but being this thing hasnt moved in 14 years,everything needs checking.

[@DutchRC]

I was just thinking today HK should sell a all-in-one FPV set again (they had a no-soldering set years ago, with everything you need.. that got me into FPV at the time).. What goggle do you have there by the way? Ah yes.. getting a video-able workspace setup can be a task indeed.. I'm in the same boat for a video in which I want to show some soldering..

[@scottfirman]

DutchRC Adventures Just got the last of the floor cabinets today as well as drywall and 2x4 for the half wall. This kitchen project is the biggest I have ever tackled next to our bathroom 4 years ago. We went without a bathroom sink for 2 years because I couldnt find a cabinet that fit. Then one day I found a combo cabinet,counter and sink,all custom made in brand new condition for $55 It was a $1'500 Setup. Someone remodelled their bathroom and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. It was solid Maple,no cheap plywood. The kitchen cabinets are prefabs with unfinished faces,still way better than the pressed wood cabinets they had thrown together when the trailer was built.

[@knowhere2014]

Usefull video sir! Thank you very much for sharing :)

[@DutchRC]

Thanks brother! I'm sure lots of people will allready know this, but this hobby sees new people starting out every day :)

[@knowhere2014]

Exactly!

[@mikesrccorner]

Great demo and tutorial buddy. Any particular reason you went with 70wt? I think the most i've ever used was 50wt in an RC. Anyway having good shock oil to dampen is one of the best things you can do for an RC car/truck! cheers brother :-)

[@DutchRC]

Thanks my friend :) Well yes: this isn't a fast car (just the Jeeps we have :)) .. And I just don't like the looks of a wheel just Slamming down after a tree-root for instance.. Seeing the car drive should give on the impression of scale weight (eventhough the car sure won't be 1/10th the weight of a real car... Cheers! :D

[@HappyDude1]

da is een zeer zwaar nederlands accent :) maar zeer duidelijke video :)

[@DutchRC]

Vlaams??? :P Die had ik nog niet voorbij zien komen ;) Dank u! :)

[@HappyDude1]

@@DutchRC Er staat nederlands 😜 Ik had het verandert Maar het klonk echt vlaams 😜

[@stepbackjack4194]

Would the filling procedure be the same for shocks that have no bladder or silicone cap as you put it?

[@DutchRC]

I have never really seen those to be honest other then in toy grade cars (WLtoys etc) .. I would wonder if those shocks are really ment to be oil filled?

[@stepbackjack4194]

@@DutchRC I did more looking around and apparently the shocks I'm describing are called emulsion shocks; uses both oil and air. Filling and bleeding them is fairly easy and no rebound is the desired condition after all is said and done. Thanks for the quick reply.

[@jk242903]

Very helpful video. Thank you.

[@DutchRC]

Thanks John :) glad you liked the video

[@rccarsandmusic2641]

Great video and explination

[@DutchRC]

Thaniks man :) glad you liked the video :)

[@garyrendano4717]

can you just use regular motor oil. say a 10W - 30 weight motor oil ?

[@DutchRC]

yes oil = oil.. just as long as it's thin enough.. I do not really know how the scales in RC-land translate to motor-oil weights..

[@jonnis240]

This video is great 👌😊👌

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much! I appreciate that :)

[@b.s.4478]

wouldn't be better to put the cap on with the shock compressed to 3/4, to avoid getting too much air inside?

[@DutchRC]

That really shouldn't matter as long as you don't rush things.. After a couple of times you'll know how much of a gap you need to leave for the cap :)

[@b.s.4478]

@@DutchRC thanks! 👍

[@MikeRCWorld]

great tutorial and chennel subbed

[@DutchRC]

Thank You Mike and SUPER Laro you have there! :D

[@GottiRC]

kan je ook cooking oil gebruiken?

[@DutchRC]

Pfew.. nooit geprobeerd, maar als het dun genoeg is zou et moeten kunnen...

[@brsrc759]

Hosted and narrated by Sean Connery

[@DutchRC]

Haha thanks :) well wait. that would have me dead & buried :$

[@brsrc759]

@@DutchRC oh geez I thought he was still alive sorry 🤣. I know you're not the same nationality but lots of your words sound like the way he spoke.

[@DutchRC]

@@brsrc759 I know.. well actually I don't hear it myself BUT I get this comment about once a week so who am I to argue ;)

[@brsrc759]

@@DutchRC 🤣🤣🤣😎😎🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@Ikcazem]

Fill your oil with shock 😳 got it

[@DutchRC]

Glad you got it ;)

[@OnTheEDge2011]

thank you Sir

[@DutchRC]

no worries man :) glad you found the video helpfull :)

[@billsellers9509]

Thank you very much

[@DutchRC]

Thank You very much for stopping by Bill :)

[@Bryansky8]

"Let's Get Ready To Rumbbbbbbblllllllleeeeeeee"

[@SimplexJaMaCoB]

You slowly fill your oil with shock 😂

[@DutchRC]

gotto check if people pay attention :P

[@rorymurphy27]

Thats a tough one. I dont see these socks you're talking about:)

[@DutchRC]

Discontinued maybe? There are lot's of shocks out there though :) You can find ones that fit

[@MikeRCChannel70]

Посмотрел, поделился, кликнул по рекламе :)

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much again brother! :)

[@darrellcuellar7861]

Fill your oil with shock?

[@DutchRC]

shocking :)

[@eyeproduction3754]

Vette video! :)

[@DutchRC]

Ghehehe yep.. beetje vettig allemaal hè ;)

[@eyeproduction3754]

DutchRC Adventures ja😂💪🏼

[@Cornelius456]

Are you trying to be Sean Connery!???

[@DutchRC]

LOL :) I'll take the compliment! and well.. I get this comment about once a week so you're not "hearing things" I guess ;)

[@OnTheEDge2011]

Very ussefull

[@DutchRC]

thank you :)

[@brianloftin9196]

Very detailed and great explanations! You do indeed sound a little like Sean Connery, but also like a Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola. Check him out if you haven’t yet. He does really funny videos on the multiple uses of English words like a$$ and $hit. Not to say all of his vids use foul language, but he is not nasty about it and it’s a hilarious take from a non English speaker’s perspective.

[@DutchRC]

Thank you very much Brian and I do get that Connery comment about once a week, so I guess there must be some truth in that ;) Ismo Leikola I had NOT seen mentioned though! I will have to then see if I should or shouldn't take that part as a compliment! :D Cheers & thanks for stopping by!

[@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE]

So... I stopped the video at about 4 minutes in order to go search for a better "right way" video. You did not mention how important it is to heat the oil FIRST. Instead of tapping on the shock etc just use hotter oil. Not only that... always good tip to oil every part when building a shock from the ground up. And... when pulling out oil of the shock in order to tweak it's recoil, use Qtips. There can only be one true right way.... sorry dude.

[@DutchRC]

I guess I'm simply so much on FIRE.. the oil always heats up from me holding the bottle :P or.. it's always SO hot in the Netherlands... no need to heat the oil :D

[@Ris-v4w]

thanks for the video, it is the right way but not 100%. you kind of eyeball the oil level if you try to set the right amount this way. certainly not all 4 shocks will have the exact same level. much better is to just fill it up to the max, get bubbles out, FOLLOWING THING IS THE SECRET: push the rod up inside as high as you can so that the silicone cap fits. set the silicone cap and accept that a bit of oil will leak out, but that is just perfect it means that there will be 0 air. and then screw the cap back on. you will realize that this way you gave the silicone cap just the right amount of extension it needs, your oil level is certainly completely full and no air, no excessive rebound, and just perfect. that is the actual better "right way" 😁😜cheers 👍

[@DutchRC]

Excellent addition / alternate way Cris! I have come across shocks for which your approach made the shock lock up and others in which it worked Well :$ Then again.. maybe I've done the 'by feel' way more so it works for me :D