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MG MGB Technical - Dampner (shock) oil

What type of oil is used in B shocks? I need to service mine and can find no reference to which kinds of oils are required or acceptable. Hopefully I can use something available locally, as shipping on the 'right stuff' is expensive.

Thanks
Tom
Tom

I ordered a bottle from Moss for cheap.
nap

Call a motorcycle shop and see if they have Bel-Ray motorcycle fork oil. It's mineral base and comes in different weights - I'd suggest 20W (just put some in my rear shocks).
Glenn

I used 30 weight shock oil (BelRay fork oil) in mine - it seems to work better than what was in there before - 20 year old something or other.

Jeff Schlemmer

Hi,

Let's hear some yowlin' from the purists.. Recently I put the "B" back on the road after it spending the winter in the garage. We have section of road here in Seattle called Alaska Way Viaduct. Thats where you test your front shocks. Sixty five MPH on the viaduct, and the shocks are out of oil,.. can get exciting. Its a forty ft drop to the street below, should you lose control and bite the big one. I had read in the past, on this board, about what the right weight, of the proper front damper oil, should be ... and that the seals require that only mineral oil,yada yada... Well being that the oil has vacated the resevoir in my dampers, I would guess my seals leak already. So lets try this here stuff on the shelf.. hypoid axle oil... 90 weight or thereabouts, if the seals don't like it- I will buy new dampers later. Well. After driving about 100 miles or so.... I LIKE this here "hypoid oil in the front dampers" stuff...tightens everything up a bit... great ride now.Dead smooth and not too jarring... I like it. So before you chuck out the dampers, try some good old diff oil. Alan
Alan

Armstrong shock absorber fluid 624 is the recommended fluid - or 20W mineral oil ( but not in low temps)

PS 90 weight gear oil is the same as 30W engine oil in viscosity!!
Chris at Octarine Services

Who's got the nerve to pack one full of Crisco?
Glenn

Glenn, doesn't Crisco lose viscosity as it heats up? I'd have to lean towards olive oil or maybe one of those high temp synthetic lithiums... You could pack the shock full with a grease gun! Or you could just go with Spax shocks on the highest setting...
Jeff Schlemmer

Hey - just weld up the arms and let the tyre do the work....
Chris at Octarine Services

No joke, parted out a B a few years ago and the shock was packed full of wheel bearing grease. The spindles through the body had 1/8 inch of clearance! Talk about your bad DPOs.......
I just threw it out - didn't have the nerve to send it off to the rebuilder!
Tom Sotomayor

This thread was discussed between 27/04/2004 and 29/04/2004

MG MGB Technical index

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