help with replacing fork seals

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radiofun

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Hello Everyone,

Fork seals are leaking badly so need replacing. I have never done this before and when I read the procedure in my old Haynes manual it is a bit confusing...like a lot of things in the Haynes manual. They imply that one needs to remove the forks from the frame and clamp it in a vise in order to separate the stanchion and the lower leg. Seems like I should be able to hang the front end from the rafters and remove the lower leg that way. Does anyone have a better, more concise procedure for replacing the seals?

Thanks ahead of tiem for your help.
 
The problem is in driving in the seals.

You could take the forks apart leaving the tube in the triple trees but you would have a real challenge getting it all back together that way. I would pull them apart, clean them up and replace everything that shows wear.
 
jsouthard said:
The problem is in driving in the seals.

You could take the forks apart leaving the tube in the triple trees but you would have a real challenge getting it all back together that way.............
Click to expand...

not really..... I've done it many times and it pretty easy - 60 minutes to remove and replace seals, put back together again. need to jack bike up in the air a bit.

basically

take tire/fender off/ out/brake caliper if disc type (hang from yoke w/ bunjie cord). put axle back in and loosen top nut on fork leg (the one that hold the seal etc in - not the one on the top of the tube on the triple tree)). Once loose, remove bottom bolt from fork leg (need to take axle out to get it). Completely remove top fork leg nut, slide off fork tube. Remove and replace seals/bushings as needed. reassemble - pretty much going backwards. Only thing you will need to do is one assembled you will need to remove the fork cap nut to add fork oil.
 
That's a new one, taking the sliders off the bottom. Never thought about that. It's really not much of a job just to take the whole front end apart and rebuild each tube and slider. See the manual. If you only need seals, it's pretty easy. If you need new bushings and tubes things get funny right away, because not all bushings and tubes are alike.

Dave
69S
 
DogT said:
That's a new one, taking the sliders off the bottom. Never thought about that. It's really not much of a job just to take the whole front end apart and rebuild each tube and slider. See the manual. If you only need seals, it's pretty easy. If you need new bushings and tubes things get funny right away, because not all bushings and tubes are alike.

Dave
69S
Click to expand...

no your right its not that difficult to take the entire fork legs out - but with this way you can use the triple clamp as a vise to hold the tubes to remove the sliders. Just because it's in the manual (i know him, he works down on 5th with his brother miguel) don't means theres other ways - I have figured this out from blowing fork seals in my ruffian days of jumping and wheelie's -
 
Learn something new every day. Sometimes you have to work outside the box (manney on 5th street).

Dave
69S
 
This is the way I replaced Trixie's rotted out gaiters, but didn't lift via my rafter sky hook this time, as that's a bit too tipsy, so just use conduit rectangle lever lift under frame and didn't remove the fender or brake caliper, just stuck thin hose in the pucks to space for replacing wheel. Its a bit fussy to shove both sliders back as a unit but not nearly the hassle of fender and caliper removal, so not much a task.
Seemed like I only needed 6-8" lift of tire to have room. I've also knocked the stanchions out of yokes with the whole lower part still intact, which is whats needed to get gaiters on with out spilling the filling. Most maddening thing can be if you distrub the thin o-rings that keep the headlight ears from rattling. ugh.
 
thanks all. now that winter is fast approaching i am lining up the repairs/maintenance/upgrades that I'd like to get done while the snow's on the ground. the advice is much appreciated. regards.
 
Well, finally go around to tackling this job and have a couple questions. The bolt at the bottom of the right fork leg came out easily and the oil drained out. However, the bolt at the bottom of the left fork turns but does not un-screw. i.e., does not come out. Bolt has to come out in order to remove lower fork leg, right?
 
radiofun said:
the bolt at the bottom of the left fork turns but does not un-screw. i.e., does not come out. Bolt has to come out in order to remove lower fork leg, right?
Click to expand...

You need to prevent the damper tube from turning along with the bolt, or shock the bolt out (with an impact wrench etc..) or do both? [Edit] It should still be possible to separate the fork without removing the damper.
 
radiofun said:
Is it even possible to somehow grasp the damper tube?
Click to expand...

The damper cap has two flats which could be held with a piece of tube slightly flattened at the end and long enough to pass over the damper rod, hopefully the lower bolt will then unscrew from the tube before the damper cap loosens!

Sometimes, just compressing the fork leg as much as possible with the spring and fork top bolt in place is enough to prevent the damper tube from turning when shocking the bolt if the bolt isn't too tight in the thread.
 
Lab, not sure how it came off. I tapped the wrench with a hammer while putting pressure on the washer . At any rate, that fork leg came off easily. However, no matter how hard i pull I can't get the right leg to come off. Suggestions?
 
radiofun said:
Lab, not sure how it came off. I tapped the wrench with a hammer while putting pressure on the washer . At any rate, that fork leg came off easily. However, no matter how hard i pull I can't get the right leg to come off. Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Here is a down and dirty option which is neither down nor really dirty.
This bolt is a generic 5/16-24. You can center punch the head of the bolt as center as possible. Straight and square, drill with a 1/8" drill a little deeper than the thickness of the head. Then finish it off with a 5/16 drill and the head of the bolt should separate from the rest. Removing the innerds, you can then pliers off the rest of the bolt from the bottom of the damper tube. Just a suggestion.
 
radiofun said:
Lab, not sure how it came off. I tapped the wrench with a hammer while putting pressure on the washer . At any rate, that fork leg came off easily. However, no matter how hard i pull I can't get the right leg to come off.
Click to expand...


As I understand it, you have removed the L/H slider from the stanchion after releasing the damper tube, but I'm not exactly clear about whether you have managed to release the R/H damper assembly from the slider-or not?

The only thing that should prevent the slider from being pulled off the stanchion (once the seal retaining ring has been unscrewed) is the fit of the upper bush inside the stanchion unless the damper assembly is still fixed to the slider and the damper rod hasn't been separated from the fork cap bolt?
 
The damper assembly has been removed from the fork and the nut above the seal has been unscrewed. This what it looks like under the nut. It looks like a washer with the #50395S on it. I assume the seal is beneath this. When i pull down on the slider it make a distinct metal on metal sound. Whatever that is it is preventing the slider from coming off.

help with replacing fork seals
 
That metal the metal contact is the bottom bushing of the fork tube hitting against the upper bushing in the slider.

An abrupt strike against each other is how you separate the upper bush from the slider. Enjoy!
 
radiofun said:
The damper assembly has been removed from the fork and the nut above the seal has been unscrewed. This what it looks like under the nut. It looks like a washer with the #50395S on it. I assume the seal is beneath this.
Click to expand...

50395S I think is the seal type number (not the Norton part number)?
 
radiofun said:
So what your saying is that I need to man-up and really reef on it.
Click to expand...
A couple of good pops ought to do it. It's kinda hard the tell you how hord to do it. I would have to say, just hard enough.
 
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