[Healeys] What to fill your level shocks with

[Peter Caldwell]

We use a hydraulic oil intended for hydraulic rams and equipment such 
as jacks, etc. Usually available at farm stores and industrial 
suppliers. Jack oil works as well, but try to find some labeled as 
suitable for snowplow rams. It'll have some anti-foaming agents. The 
technical specification is AW68 or AWE68.It has a motoroil equivalent 
viscosity to 20W.
    The key, as I teach (and preach) is to not OVERFILL. Only top up 
if there is evidence of leaking... notably at the shaft seals. If 
there's too much oil, it will pressurize when hot and seep from the 
seals, attracting road grime, and eventually destroy the seals and 
erode the shaft. The oil in shock does not magically disappear, it 
either leaks, or not. If you feel compelled to "top-up" at every oil 
change, tighten the mounting screws instead. Honest, we see many 
failures due precisely to overfilling. It should not run out of the 
filler hole, like you expect with differentials and gearboxes.
      Peter C

Hypoid 90, btw, is close to 50W engine oil, and is NOT suitable in a 
lever shock. Things will breal.
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At 02:23 AM 7/31/2010, john spaur wrote:
>20 weight shock oil available from motorcycle shops and probably elsewhere.
>
>At 08:49 AM 7/31/2010 +0200, you wrote:
>>Use the specially formulated shock absorber oil.... I do not know 
>>the viscosity though....
>>Kees Oudesluijs
>>NL
>>
>>Greg Mandas wrote:
>> >  Hypoid 90.  Good idea or bad?
>> >
>> > Greg