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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Leaking fork seal revisited.
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Message started by och on 11/29/24 at 14:59:05

Title: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 11/29/24 at 14:59:05

About two years ago the left fork seal started to leak on my 2013 Savage with 7k miles. I had both seals replaced with OEM, but less than a year later the left one started leaking again - I noticed the leak back in the summer. I really don't use this bike anymore, I put on only about 100-200 miles in the last 2 years, so I just zip tied a paper towel to soak n the leaking fluid.

I'm trying to determine the cause of the leak. I noticed a nice scatch on the fork tube, but when the bike is sitting the scratch is more than an inch above the seal. Could the scratch have damaged the seal and it will continue leaking?

http://https://i.imgur.com/eMuqLvH.png

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by DragBikeMike on 11/29/24 at 16:21:31

Since fork travel is somewhere north of five inches, that scratch (and the nice burr at the bottom of the scratch) will enter the seal when the forks compress. The defect most certainly can cause the seal to leak. I might also add that the surface finish of the chrome on the fork tube looks terrible. That might be just the appearance in the picture, but to me it just looks terrible. That chrome should be smooth as glass, close to a mirror finish.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 11/29/24 at 17:37:50

66606F13111612220 wrote:

I would have to look at that chrome, right now its coated with a film of oil anyway, so hard to tell.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by JOG on 11/29/24 at 18:07:32

7,000 miles, leaking. First clue. Whoever did that work is a crap mechanic.
If you can feel that scratch ,and I'm betting you can, it's going to be zippin up and down, working on the seal . It will polish down, but it needs to be done by someone who has the skills to do it. I would clean it with brake clean, fill it with JB weld. Give it a day, get a piece of glass and put 1,000 grit on it and work the thing close,go up on grit and wet sand it down. Wet sand from the beginning.
If anyone thinks I don't know what I'm talking about, I did that work on my backhoe when I did the seals on six hydraulic cylinders. I fixed pits with ragged chrome edges and they don't leak.
You Gotsta get the high points down. And everything has to be smooove..

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 11/29/24 at 18:25:50

4B7E6D756E696D7E680C0 wrote:

Well, it started leaking with 7k, ironically after I installed the Superbrace, which might have been the cause or just coincidence. I had my mechanic replace the seal, but it started leaking less than a year and 100 miles later, while sitting.

I wonder if this little scratch was enough to damage the seal.

I own a pipe polisher, I can fill and smooth that scratch no problem, but I hate to have to replace the stupid seal again.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by JOG on 11/29/24 at 19:56:57

but I hate to have to replace the stupid seal again.

I Totally understand That. I replaced some a few years ago. I did not enjoy it. But now I have the tools..

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 11/29/24 at 22:03:20

I would replace the fork tube while you’re replacing the seal. Fix it right or do it again in the future.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 11/29/24 at 22:41:42

311617170F1A630 wrote:

I would replace the fork tube while you’re replacing the seal. Fix it right or do it again in the future.

You're not wrong. If I was to replace the fork tube, I would replace the whole front assembly at that point. My fork might be leaking due to the scratch or due to the outer tube being deformed by Superbrace. Or maybe because the bike just sits for months on end?

I don't use the bike much anymore, but I would like to keep in a decent working order. I'll probably try to clean the seal again and polish out the scratch.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by JOG on 11/30/24 at 00:07:28

I ran that backhoe for another fifteen years. No leaks.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 11/30/24 at 08:02:26

As a lifelong mechanic I tend to do a proper repair. Not that you’re doing it wrong , it’s just how I do things. However my 2 most active projects are vintage so a lot of stuff gets repaired rather than replaced. A 71 BSA 250 and a 55 Ford F100. I tend to believe that scratch is too deep to be polished out ( not that I wouldn’t try ). I just hate doing the job twice. Wish you luck.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 12/01/24 at 12:37:42

0C2B2A2A32275E0 wrote:

Considering that I don't use the bike, and really don't plan on using it other than an occasional short trip, I am not looking to invest much time or money into it. I will attempt to fill and polish the scratch, but I won't be taking things apart to replace the seal. If I have to keep a rag zip tied to the fork, so be it.

I am more curious as to what is causing the leak. Could it be the scratch, could it be the superbrace had deformed my fork, or could it be the bike sitting for months on end?

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 12/01/24 at 21:00:05

The scratch looks deep , if it snags your thumbnail then I would bet that’s your leak. An odd scratch for sure. Would be cool to add dye to fork oil to ID leak with a black light/UV. The dye I used to use looked like orange lava in the light. Worked on A/C,engine ,trans,power steering,any gear box ,any thing that uses oil. Fun to use but $$$,when I worked at a dealership. I doubt your super brace cause the leak , a fork seal is designed for some deflection in the seal to allow for shaft deflection and imperfections. No way it could deform it enough to leak unless tube or slider is damaged.
You got a deal for my 2 cents.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 12/01/24 at 23:46:49

496E6F6F77621B0 wrote:
The scratch looks deep , if it snags your thumbnail then I would bet that’s your leak. An odd scratch for sure. Would be cool to add dye to fork oil to ID leak with a black light/UV. The dye I used to use looked like orange lava in the light. Worked on A/C,engine ,trans,power steering,any gear box ,any thing that uses oil. Fun to use but $$$,when I worked at a dealership. I doubt your super brace cause the leak , a fork seal is designed for some deflection in the seal to allow for shaft deflection and imperfections. No way it could deform it enough to leak unless tube or slider is damaged.
You got a deal for my 2 cents.

Yeah, that's what I am thinking, even if the superbrace deformed the tube by a miniscule amount, the rubber seal should be able to compensate.

The scratch would seem like the obvious culprit, however the fluid leaks when the bike is sitting, and when sitting the scratch is well above the seal. I guess the sharp edges of the scratch must have cut a small groove into the seal and it will continue leaking.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 12/02/24 at 07:05:47

Fork legs are cheap new for common forks , not sure if Savage fork is common to other models. I bought a kit for my 250 project that had tubes ,seals, wipers and sealing copper washers for under $200. Or a used one.
I was surprised how the prices on tubes were so reasonable. They used to cost upwards of $350 each. Even more surprising I’ve only bent one front end in over 50+ years of riding , was a head on collision with another bike.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 12/02/24 at 07:22:47

New fork tubes (2) on eBay $125 free shipping , not sure if they sell just one. Ask

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by och on 12/05/24 at 12:03:15

Found some old photos from when the original fork seal started leaking. From what I can tell, there was no scratch on the tube, so the mechanic who did the job must have scratched it.

http://https://i.imgur.com/YTDwXe3.jpeg

http://https://i.imgur.com/5oo2pDW.jpeg

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by ThumperPaul on 12/06/24 at 10:30:26

Need bigger pics! LOL.

You gotta quit riding on those salty nothern roads. ;)

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 12/06/24 at 23:38:17

Dats ugly. Most forks are easy , the more dampening adjustments the more complicated. Just makes it more of a challenge. I like rebuilding the fork once it’s off the bike ,the rest of the job is just time consuming and it ties up the bike too. Savage requires special tool , can be made with welder. Length of pipe with a nut welded one the end.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Surviving Philly on 12/09/24 at 05:39:12

You can make it without a welder also. There's a thread on it kicking around somewhere -- trying to remember as I only did this job once. I vaguely remember getting a long section of threaded rod with two nuts on the end that can crack the internal bolt and then a section of PVC that fit snugly in the tube ... Something like that.

Title: Re: Leaking fork seal revisited.
Post by Ruttly on 12/09/24 at 17:33:26

Tool was only used for holding dampning rod while Allen bolt is removed and installed. They are hella tight from the factory. After that it’s easy.