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Message started by jbrough7 on 10/24/05 at 11:27:29

Title: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by jbrough7 on 10/24/05 at 11:27:29

My fork seals are toast and everything is getting quite messy. friend of mine said no way I can do that myself. My mechanical ability is about 5.5 out of 10. Do I need a special tool? Should I just go to the stealership??
Thanks for your help Guys and Gals!

Edit: I thought the info below might be useful (should anyone in the future actually bother to look for it), so I moved it to the Technical Corner.

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by torque on 10/24/05 at 13:13:02

its not hard too do,just tricky.ive done mine twice now(damm wheelies)and the only "special tool" you will need, is somthing to slide down the inner fork tube to keep the bolt from spinning when your undoing the bottom fork allen screw,i used a cheap old sword i had laying around,just cut the tip off, ground it down a little till it fit perfect,works like a charm.

hope this helps. ;)

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by Max_Morley on 10/24/05 at 13:42:45

Broom handle (or = sized dowel) sharpened to a tapered square shape holds the inner shock tube when you spin the bolt out of the bottom with an air wrench. With some help you may get it out w/o the air wrench but it is loctited when assembled so needs much power to break it loose and turn it. Special tool listed in the factory manual will NOT fit down the newer tubes and second tech schools recommended tool is only a 3/8" drive version of the broom handle which the parts guy told me about after I had purchased the 2 nd version of the special tool. Use care to drive the seal into the lower tube. I only removed one fork at a time and be careful to route the turn signal where they belong. I didn't on one side and ended up piching them between the fork stop and the lower triple tree. Also you will need a big socket or wrench to loosen the top nut on the tubes as they retain the tube in the upper triple tree. Max

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by slavy on 10/24/05 at 23:11:37

If You play Your cards right it is a piece of cake.

You will need a piece of PVC pipe with an inner diameter 38mm to drive the new fork seal. You can get it in the plumbing section of almost every ACE or Home Depot
Put a jack under the bike and remove the fr. wheel and fr. fender. Unscrey the top fork caps. Remove one of the forks.Put the cap back and tighten it lightly. Turn the fork upside down and put it into a vise.DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TUBE. Squeeze where the axle goes. Take a long alen socket. Install it in the alen bolt that will be facing up and wack it nice about 10 times/this will loosen the tight threads. If You have an impact driver , use it to take the darn bolt out. Pull the fork from the vise and let it drain in a pan. Pull the dust seal up, using a small screwdriver. Using the same tool pop out the retaining clip that is under the dust seal and holds the fork seal. Grab the Alum. part with one hand and the chrome tube in the other and slide them in oposite direction as many times as it takes to take the assy apart. Slide the old seal out. Install the assy back. Using the PVC pipe install the big washer that is under the seal. After the metal washer is installed all the way in, install the new seal the same way /MAKE SURE THE LETTERS AND NUMBERS ARE FACING UP/. Install the retaining clip and the dust seal. Turn the fork upside - down and fill 441 ml /14.9 oz/ thru the bolt hole on the bottom. put the alen bolt back in the hole and tighten it good. Repeat the procedure with the other fork. Have fun !

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by franch on 04/30/07 at 02:49:41

If you have a battery or air impact wrench you can likely loosen the bottom fork bolts by compressing the shocks while you loosen ,this provides resistance.

The oil seal stopper that fits in the groove above the seal is really a piece of wire open at one end and so can be pried out carefull like without denting the inner top of the slider (lower fork tube).

don't under any circumstances try to separate upper & lower tubes without removing this first.

a piece of 1.5 " diameter white schedule 40 pvc works perfectly to push the oil seal into it's seat.
$1.79 for a 2 ft length at H.D.

you may also need this pvc to drive home the bushing that sits below the washer that sits below the oil seal.
simply place the washer between the bushing and pvc pipe and rap the pipe.

when putting the fork tubes back on make sure you route the clutch, throttle cable etc. between the forks .

27mm fork cap bolts, 8mm long allen for bottom
fork bolts

it's easier than it sounds.

if you're stuck P.M. me.

it's 4/30/07 as i write this,having finished putting her together this morning.
I used ATF type F and she rode great today !
Certainly a stiffer feel with the 30 weight type F; but interestingly enough I was riding through some good 30mph gusts and it was decidedly easier to deal with the wind.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by vroom1776 on 05/08/08 at 11:45:34

Don't mess around making a tool to get that bottom allen bolt out. There's a great tip in the Clymer manual.

Pretty much, if you leave the spring & spacer in there with the fork cap on, there is enough force to keep the damper rod from spinning. This applies when removing and installing the bottom allen bolt.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 10/04/08 at 23:44:39

Put new seals in my forks today.
Only trouble was getting the bottom allen bolt loose.
Had to put a different taper on the broomstick before it would hold the damper and tap it in real good. then it was a piece of cake.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by mick on 11/16/08 at 17:39:37

362532332C2127252E71400 wrote:

Vers,I want to put fork gaiters on ,the seals are ok so no need to change them,is that going to make the job easier?
Take the wheel off,the fender,handlebars, then what ?

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 11/16/08 at 19:31:23

40444E4659454841444048542D0 wrote:

Vers,I want to put fork gaiters on ,the seals are ok so no need to change them,is that going to make the job easier?
Take the wheel off,the fender,~~handlebars~~, then what ?

no need to take bars off.
drop the front wheel, fender, caliper,remove the cap, loosen the tree and signal and slide one tube down, put on the gaiter and replace the tube. Don't tip it! just slip the tube down, put the gaiter on and replace it. don't get fancy unless you want to replace the oil.

Now with that said, to replace the oil is only 1 step more. Turn the tube upside down into a pan and let it drain. replace with your favorite brand of snake oil.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by mick on 11/16/08 at 19:54:05

372433322D2026242F70410 wrote:

[quote author=40444E4659454841444048542D0 link=1130248382/0#7 date=1226885977]
Vers,I want to put fork gaiters on ,the seals are ok so no need to change them,is that going to make the job easier?
Take the wheel off,the fender,~~handlebars~~, then what ?

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 11/16/08 at 20:10:02

Nothing like a snake can to wake you up in the morning. ;D

There's a little preload, only pushes the cap off about a half inch.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 12/11/10 at 21:58:00

6C7A606F72606C6F150 wrote:

Hopefully this will save someone else some grief..

I HAD a leak in the left fork.

Then read something on the internet...
Take a piece of stiff plastic.. like camera film. Wrap it around the fork tube and run it down between the dust seal and the tube. Very careful to not scratch the seal. Twirl it all the way around. What you are trying to do is knock anything out of that dust seal that could be causing a leak to the outside air. I had nothing better to do while I waited for the parts. So.. did that.
I wanted to ride last weekend, so put new oil in the forks, put them on and.. no leak!
Rode all weekend.. no leak.. and rides just as good as ever. Boots look pretty nice too.
:D

61776D627F6D6162180 wrote:

I cut a piece from the plastic that is used to encase just about everything you buy these days. I also read that sturdy business cards would work, drivers license, etc.
3.5 inches x 2.5 inches (not critical). Round the corners off to avoid sharp points. Wrap around tube (about half way or so I think it was).
Wiggle it down between the dust cap and tube. Hold the plastic and lower fork still while rotating the tube. Then hold the plastic and tube still while rotating the lower fork.
You can do this with the forks on the bike as well.. but all you can move is the plastic around the tube in a circle. Not nearly as much fun.

One other thought. If it still leaks (and you have not removed the forks from the bike), try loosening up the forks (fork cap, turn signal, lower T) and rotating tube just a bit. Why? In case the grit that caused the leak put a small grove in the fork tube. Rotating the tube will move that grove away from the possible nick in the dust cap.
Can't hurt to try.

6A7C666974666A69130 wrote:

You can also buy the .. professional.. kind. ::)

http://www.sealmate.net/

4F594E534B5E53483C0 wrote:

Try cleaning the seals first... most seals aren't actually blown...
They just have grit under the seal...
There is a cheap tool for this, or you can make one from a pop bottle in 1 minute...

I just had a really bad gusher... and fixed it in 1 minute with a sliver of a soda bottle...
... or, if you aren't into cutting soda bottles... buy these guys plastic tool...

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wlzfoVroSY[/media]

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by MotoBuddha on 12/13/10 at 20:01:45

0428311604263B252C30490 wrote:

With some help you may get it out w/o the air wrench but it is loctited when assembled so needs much power to break it loose and turn it.

Thread lock loosens with heat. You can shoot the bolt for a bit with one of those small butane burners.

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by verslagen1 on 03/05/12 at 11:54:54

405F52454A330 wrote:

Turn the fork upside - down and fill 441 ml /14.9 oz/ thru the bolt hole on the bottom.

While franch says to fill from the bottom... I didn't. Just poured it in from the top.

Just a note, with the springs installed and the top tube colapsed, the oil come up to about an inch from the top... if I remember correctly. :-?

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by 533clive on 03/01/14 at 11:40:01

706374756A6761636837060 wrote:

[quote author=6C7A606F72606C6F150 link=1269865877/0#11 date=1270493135]Hopefully this will save someone else some grief..

I HAD a leak in the left fork.

Then read something on the internet...
Take a piece of stiff plastic.. like camera film. Wrap it around the fork tube and run it down between the dust seal and the tube. Very careful to not scratch the seal. Twirl it all the way around. What you are trying to do is knock anything out of that dust seal that could be causing a leak to the outside air. I had nothing better to do while I waited for the parts. So.. did that.
I wanted to ride last weekend, so put new oil in the forks, put them on and.. no leak!
Rode all weekend.. no leak.. and rides just as good as ever. Boots look pretty nice too.
:D

61776D627F6D6162180 wrote:

6A7C666974666A69130 wrote:

You can also buy the .. professional.. kind. ::)

http://www.sealmate.net/

[/quote]

great tip, did this today, and cured the slight leak I had!! :-)

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by Serowbot on 03/01/14 at 15:14:36

42544E415C4E42413B0 wrote:

You can also buy the .. professional.. kind. ::)

http://www.sealmate.net/

You can also buy a deck of plastic-coated playng cards from the Dollar Store... they work pretty well, and you'll have a lifetime supply, using a new one every time...

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by linwiz on 08/22/15 at 20:02:37

What parts should be replaced to stop the forks from leaking? Part numbers would help a lot as well as places that sell quality parts but are not too expensive.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/22/15 at 20:16:43

First step, eyeballs on the front of the fork sliders at and just above the seals. Clean? Smooth?
If so, try the card,
Putting seals in isn't too technical, but it is not fun.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by linwiz on 08/23/15 at 08:44:10

It's smooth, but there is grime where the dust shield stops when the forks bottom out. Also oil and grime on top of the fork seal. I will give the card method a try just as soon as I am allowed to start wrenching again.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/23/15 at 08:56:59

you may not wash it a lot, but that are needs care, dried bug guts, bump, crud gets jammed in the seal. Sometimes, the card trick gets it. If you get crud out but it keeps weeping, don't give up.
And whaddya MEAN

just as soon as I am allowed to start wrenching again.

Did somebody take your toolbox away? Is she holding it hostage? What are her demands?

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by linwiz on 08/23/15 at 09:12:45

No, I still have the toolbox but I'm not allowed to use it. I can't lift more than 10lbs as I had surgery on Tuesday.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/23/15 at 09:23:55

Yikes, dude, Can't ride now, either,,
Is it something to share or maybe a bit personal? I wasn't supposed to travel for six weeks after the appendix, but two weeks later I was on a bus, out of ODESSA, heading for El Paso. A pillow and a belt wrapped Tight made it possible,,,

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by linwiz on 08/23/15 at 09:31:12

Yeah, I had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair. lots of fun let me tell you. I was only told not to lift more than 10 lbs but I had a laparoscopic surgery so my wounds are pretty small.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/23/15 at 09:38:12

Ahhh, the old bilateral inguinal hernia trick, eeh, Chief?
Well, be careful with it.

Title: Re: fork seal replacement needed!!
Post by buster6315 on 02/19/17 at 14:45:41

072B3215072538262F334A0 wrote:

I removed my leaking shock leg (1988 Savage) Of course I cannot get the bolt out of the bottom. I tried unthreading it with the top cap still in place, no go, and inserted a tapered helper into the 'cylinder' with it apart, to do avail. It just turns. I don't have the proper socket to use with my air tool, so it looks like I'll take it to the dealer. I did order a couple of do-dads on amazon, so the day was not a complete bust!

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 02/19/17 at 15:50:48

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1365965809/0

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by buster6315 on 02/19/17 at 18:12:10

Thank you all for the suggestions! I finally was able to remove the bad seal. Now I will reassemble it and take a handful of ibuprofen before bedtime. Thanks again.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by Andy RN on 06/14/19 at 14:46:24

I found this video very helpful with the procedural part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjBYZIfo6Js

Also the diagrams on this page were helpful with the concept of how and what is going on with a damping rod fork:
http://www.racetech.com/page/title/Emulators-How%20They%20Work

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by SavageMan99 on 06/15/19 at 06:31:00

I had the same issue with bottom bolt. Here's what I did...
Find the right allen wrench and cut it long enough to protrude out an inch.
Use an impact wrench, I used a dewalt.
Came right out, and went right in.
Make very sure you note the reassembly process. That was my big hold up, the spacer at the bottom goes on the end of the valve pointy thing.
No oily front rim, priceless.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by WunGun on 06/17/19 at 14:57:44

This is what I did to stop the bolt, I used the bike itself and changed seals on the side of a road. So it is easy. You will need enough extensions and something to cover the wrench to protect your paint.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by WunGun on 06/17/19 at 15:00:05

This is what was attached to the bolt inside. A 15/16th socket with a coupling that fits. Now you can turn the bolt on the bottom while this keeps the nut secure and the fork itself keeps the entire thing from rotating.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by ohiomoto on 06/18/19 at 05:39:33

I like your style there WunGun. :)

I use a long piece of all thread and two nuts locked on each end. Just saves me from having to use extensions and fishing bolts and crap out of the fork. Same concept though.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by T And T Garage on 08/01/19 at 07:44:46

Prepping the fork tubes for paint and rebuild, we used the "broom handle" method of disassembly and it worked great!

Thanks again to this forum!

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by verslagen1 on 02/15/24 at 13:48:56

I found a different way to do this w/out buying any new tools... it just so happens that the rear axle nut is the right size to hold the inner damper tube on the inside.

You'll need a spare rear axle with the hex head end, a nut, and the axle nut.
You'll also need a 14mm socket, a 12" extension and ratchet.
And maybe some wire if you don't want flip the fork tube upside down to get your tools back.

I had another nut w/out the thread locker to use as a lock nut, using the rear axle as the bolt, spin the lock nut on then the axle nut and torque them onto the end of the axle.

Now you can wire the 14mm socket and extension together with the axle.

I put a 8mm hex wrench in a vise on the floor, sat the fork tube assembly on it, dropped the axle/extension assembly onto that and turned it with the ratchet.

Easier than doing it with the broom stick.

Title: Re: Fork Seal Replacement
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 02/15/24 at 15:17:49

There is even an easier way. After you remove the fork from the triple clamp, simply replace the fork cap. The compression from the spring will retain and hold the damping rod while you remove the hex bolt from the bottom. Once the bolt is out (don't forget, it's gonna leak oil) you can remove the fork cap and dump out the parts into a bucket (the bucket is there to capture the remaining oil).