Sticky fork - any suggestions

In March (if I remember right), I got the 203mm Manitou Travis. From the begining, the first couple inches of travel have been sticky. I was told that it'd break in and that I shouldn't worry about it, but instead of breaking in, it seems to be getting slowly worse. Once it gets through the initial stick, it rides nice, but the last couple weeks it's gotten to the point that it's like I have no front suspension for small bumps. Yesterday it started doing this wonderful thing where it sometimes wouldn't actually rebound all the the way, it would stick about an inch from the top.

Has anyone ever had problems like this or have any suggestions on things to try? I've tried putting seal lubricant on it, but that didn't really help. I'm going to try to change the oil again and maybe change the seals if I can get them, but after that I guess I'll just have to send it back to Manitou and see what they think... I got this on a bro-deal through a rep, so it won't be hard, but I hate to bug him it it's something I can figure out.

I haven't had one apart yet. Unfortunately, I didn't see this post before I spent the whole weekend with a team of dudes that all ride Travis forks, and are constantly tweaking them. Only one of them is running the stock Intrinsic damper, the other guys dropped in the TPC plus. From what I overheard it sounds like the Intrinsic system has a spring in it (maybe two?)...this is just a shot in the dark, some fine e-speculation, but from what you descriibe it sounds like maybe something is goofed with the Intrinsic spring, maybe it isn't seated correctly and is binding???
I don't think it has anything to do with seals or oil, unless you are using the wrong weight or amount, but the symptoms you describe don't really sound like it.
I'lll ask my buddy who still has the stock set-up if he had any ideas or experience with this at work today.

Another thing I noticed (that I hadn't really thought about until now), is that the past few rides, I've had to speed the rebound up a couple times because it was slow. I always just thought that it got hit on something or it was because of the heat, although I'd think it would get actually get quicker because of thinner oil (due to heat)...

have you checked the oil level?

Not recently, but it isn't leaking on the outside. It could be leaking somewhere it shouldn't be on the inside though.

With the rebound issues...sounds like a bad cartridge. On the old SPV Shermans the rebound and SPV (compression) was all in one cartridge..that could be the case here, and you got a bad one....unfortunately thats par for the Manitou course. Are the rebound and compression adjustments on the same leg?
I guess I'll go check Manitou's site too.

Edit: From what I can see on their site, it looks like all the damping is in the right leg...call your rep/friend and describe both the compression and rebound problems and get yerself a new cartridge

stab in the dark, but possibly the crowns are slightly tweaked causing the stanctions to be out of alignment?

I can loosen it up tonight and see if that helps... A few week ago, I lowered the crowns a bit and the lowers just fell out, so I'm guessing that's not the problem. I talked to the guy I got it from at lunch and I think I'm just gonna send it back to Mantiou...

As luck (sorta) would have it I won't be riding the bike for at least 2 weeks and have a boxxer that I can throw on for the time being.