How To: replace fork seals
#1
10-17-2008, 07:41 AM
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: terrorizing southeastern norf carolina
Posts: 2,092
How To: replace fork seals
ok! this one has two ways. i'll explain each of them... its up to you which one you wanna do. the first is longer and more involved.
I'd read the easy, faster, better way unless you're unsure of the integrity of the fork unit or it's alignment and parallelism. if you decide to remove the forks to inspect them, do the more involved method.
do both seals at once! don't be cheap and do just one...
once again, i suggest the proper tools for safety.. i have a shop at my disposal so the customers bike cannot be compromised to me.. it's worth the cost for the right tools. and, you'll always have em for later..
anyways, you'll save alot of money by doing the seals yourself.
the shop here charges $178.00 (65./hr i think)
i charge about $80.00ish ($40./side) depending on who it is...
still, you'll save money..
proper tools
-front stand
-seal driver
-all the tools to remove your front tire and fender
-all the tools to remove the nosepiece or front fairing (for involved method)
-internal snap ring pliers or tiny flat screwdriver
-magic marker
-plywood piece about 2'x3'
-oil drain pan
-crescent wrench or BIG wrenches or a 43MM socket.. (for the top fork cover)
-dial caliper, depth micrometer, or a precision metal ruler (for involved method)
-rags
ghetto tools
-ratchet straps and jackstands
-piece of round plastic to act as a seal diver
-most of the tools to remove your front tire and fender
-most of the tools for the fairing removal
-long nose pliers with sharpened points to act like snap ring pliers
-sidewalk chalk you stole from the neighbor kid
-big pan
-ruler of some sort
universal tools
-beer
-workin music
-people hangin out
parts
-fork oil
-new seals
ok. this is the drawn out one.. theres a simpler version and better, IMO, .. but i got that later at the end.
"Involved" (forks OFF bike) method
* go on and put the bike in gear and put the front wheel up in the air a few inches with the stand i hope you have..
* commence with the removal of the front fairing to gain access to the triple clamp (if you have to.. you may get lucky)
* remove the fender and front wheel
* take a measurement from the top clamp to the top of the shock, and write this number down somewhere.. this is very important.
* ok. now, if you look where the axle goes thru the mount, youll see an allen screw facing up towards the top of the shock.. take that out with a pan under the shock. this will drain some of the fluid. be careful, theres a copper washer on that bolt! do this for both sides.
* now, after you've drained out the fluid, you can go to the top of the shock and loosen the cap. don't take it off just yet. do this for both sides as well.
* loosen up the bolts that retain the shock in the triple clamp. you can mark the shock with a line if they're a lil tweaked and you want them to go in the same way they're gonna come out. i'd suggest replacing them, really!!!
mark a "t" for throttle side, and "c" for clutch side as well on them..
* slide the entire fork tube down and out from the clamps and set it on the plywood. i'd mark the wood "t" and "c" as well, just in case the markings get rubbed off the shock
* now, you can remove the top cover of the shock.. theres still gonna be some fluid, so keep your pan handy. take it carefully straight out and set the entire valve and spring assembly aside for both sides
* slide off the dust cover at the bottom of the fork. inside will be an internal snap ring. take this bad boy out.
* now, grab the bottom of the fork, and give a few light yanks while supporting the fork tube, and the fork, seal, and dust cover will come right out. its gonna come way ot before it bottoms out inside the tube, so just do it slowly and guide everything to keep it straight.
ok.. the seal is way at the bottom of the fork. its the little round thing with the spring in the middle. the dust cover is the seal that keeps is from getting chewed up from road crap. the seal is a type of whats called a "mechanical seal", just fyi.
* there will be a bronze bushing on the fork shaft that stabilizes the upper part of the fork while in the tube. it has a slit in it.. remove this carefully without stretching it.. just slide it down to the end of the fork shaft and set it aside..
*next, note the orientation of the seal and which way its facing..remove the seal, and sell it to a little kid down the street for $5.00... tell him it'll make his huffy faster..
oh, no need to remove the dust cover, unless you wanna replace that, too..
* now, lube up the new seal, make sure its facing the same way as the old one was, and very carefully slide it down to where the old one was. (if you're afraid of tearing the seal on the steps and guides on the fork shaft, slide the seal over some paper or thin plastic)
if you lost which way it goes, usually the seal has the spring on the inside of the fork tube from what i can remember.. seals without a visibly spring will still have a poscketed side and a "solid" side. the solid side goes towards the dust cap.
* now, go ahead and reinstall the bronze guide bushing. it'll click into place..
* you can start re-assembly at this time now! just feed everything back in in reverse and get the appropriate tube back into their holders.
** if the seal and bushing give you trouble, take your time, it took me a few attempts to align the bushings on the 954 forks for the stuntbike...
*reinstall the snap ring !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the dust cover....
* now, go on and reinstall the little bolt back into the bottom of the fork down by the axle. and touue to spec.. don't overdo it! you'll mangle the copper gasket.
* take the tubes, and roughly place them to their levels they were at in the triple clamps upon removal.
* take your new fluid and add the exact amount your forks need. it varies form bike to bike, so i cant give you a number here..
* take your valve assemble and cap and slide it back into the fork tube, and tighten it down.
* now, with the cap in place, loosen the bolts that retain the shock tubes, and reset the height to the number you wrote down easlier using your ruler or caliper set, and tighten them down.
*give the cap one final snug, and double check the shock height again to make sure they're good.
* reassemble and ride!!
easy, faster, better method
with this, i can do seals in 15 or 20 minutes all day long....
ok!
*put the bike on the front stand
*remove front fender and brake calipers
*remove the front wheel
*(usually, this is an 8MM allen bolt, but your may differ) remove the bolt that sits vertically up inside the axle carrier. fluid will start to come out.. BE CAREFUL not to lose the copper washer or get it dirty.
**note** sometimes, allen sockets won't fit up in there, and you'll have to use an allen wrench and a cresent or fitted wrench on that to turn it. they're pretty tight in there..
*cycle the shock up and down in a dirty, perverted motion to force out the shock oil. (make sure theres a pan there!!!!)
while this ones draining repeat the other side
*during the draining, slide the dust cover up and out of the top of the shock tube to access the clip holding the shock together
*remove said clip with the appropriate tool. if its a wire clip, use the flat screwdriver and DO NOT scratch the shiney part of the fork. if its an internal ring, grab your snapring pliers with the 90* bend in them.
*ok.. retainer out, give the fork a few light pulls and it'll come right off.. hold it good as to not fumble the shock assembly, then drain the remaining fluid out into your pan.. that way they don't pee all over yor floor when you lay them down.
* now, remove the inner guides, washers and seal prescribed (on the bike)..
(repeated instructions from above)
* there will be a bronze bushing on the fork shaft that stabilizes the upper part of the fork while in the tube. it has a slit in it.. remove this carefully without stretching it.. just slide it down to the end of the fork shaft and set it aside.. flat scredriver in the slit can usually give you enough expansion to allow removal.
*next, note the orientation of the seal and which way its facing..remove the seal, and sell it to a little kid down the street for $5.00... tell him it'll make his huffy faster..
oh, no need to remove the dust cover, unless you wanna replace that, too..might as well
* now, lube up the new seal, make sure its facing the same way as the old one was, and very carefully slide it up to where the old one was. (if you're afraid of tearing the seal on the steps and guides on the fork shaft, slide the seal over some paper or thin plastic)
--> MAKE SURE ANY WASHER THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BETWEEN THE SEAL AND DUST CAP MAKES IT BACK IN THERE. it usually goes (from the top) dustcap, thin aluminum washer, seal, (sometimes another thin al. washer) thick steel washer, lock bushing/guide.
if you lost which way it goes, usually the seal has the spring on the inside of the fork tube from what i can remember.. seals without a visibly spring will still have a poscketed side and a "solid" side. the solid side goes towards the dust cap.
* now, go ahead and reinstall the bronze guide/lock bushing. it'll click into place..
* this is the fun part. slide the seal up a few inches above the bronze bushing, then grab the fork tube you removed and kinda wiggly it up on the fork to settle the bushing and washer as far down as you can get them.
you might need the seal driver to finagle the bushing to the bottom. i've found it's easier to get the bushing and washer in first before driving the seal down into the shock.
*with the bushing settled to the bottom, lower the seal down into place and drive it in. keep the fork up high as to not reverse all that hard work by pulling the shock back off the bike. keep the aluminum washer on the seal so you don't distort the seal while driving it in.
the seal will be in place when you can see the groove the retainer ring sits in inside the shock tube.
*remember, DO NOT let the shock fall. it'll come right back off the bike and you'll have to fight it all over again.
*ok.. now, install the retainer clip and assure it's seated
*slide the dust cap down and snap into place
*raise the shock up and reinstall the bolt inside the axle carrier. torque to spec.
*reinstall the wheel, brakes and fender
*remove the upper cap where the suspension adjustments are made and pull out slightly to be able to add shock oil. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BUST YOURSELF IN THE FACE!! the cap is under spring tension sometimes it's not depending on the cartridge type and shoch style, but just err on the safe side. hold the wrench tight.
-> sometimes, the triple clamp holds down on this cap. you might need to loosen the top bolt to alleviate grip on the cap to be able to turn it.
*fill to spec and reinstall upper cap
*doublecheck everything and go ride!!
originally posted on Kawispeed..
hope this helps!!
have fun
I'd read the easy, faster, better way unless you're unsure of the integrity of the fork unit or it's alignment and parallelism. if you decide to remove the forks to inspect them, do the more involved method.
do both seals at once! don't be cheap and do just one...
once again, i suggest the proper tools for safety.. i have a shop at my disposal so the customers bike cannot be compromised to me.. it's worth the cost for the right tools. and, you'll always have em for later..
anyways, you'll save alot of money by doing the seals yourself.
the shop here charges $178.00 (65./hr i think)
i charge about $80.00ish ($40./side) depending on who it is...
still, you'll save money..
proper tools
-front stand
-seal driver
-all the tools to remove your front tire and fender
-all the tools to remove the nosepiece or front fairing (for involved method)
-internal snap ring pliers or tiny flat screwdriver
-magic marker
-plywood piece about 2'x3'
-oil drain pan
-crescent wrench or BIG wrenches or a 43MM socket.. (for the top fork cover)
-dial caliper, depth micrometer, or a precision metal ruler (for involved method)
-rags
ghetto tools
-ratchet straps and jackstands
-piece of round plastic to act as a seal diver
-most of the tools to remove your front tire and fender
-most of the tools for the fairing removal
-long nose pliers with sharpened points to act like snap ring pliers
-sidewalk chalk you stole from the neighbor kid
-big pan
-ruler of some sort
universal tools
-beer
-workin music
-people hangin out
parts
-fork oil
-new seals
ok. this is the drawn out one.. theres a simpler version and better, IMO, .. but i got that later at the end.
"Involved" (forks OFF bike) method
* go on and put the bike in gear and put the front wheel up in the air a few inches with the stand i hope you have..
* commence with the removal of the front fairing to gain access to the triple clamp (if you have to.. you may get lucky)
* remove the fender and front wheel
* take a measurement from the top clamp to the top of the shock, and write this number down somewhere.. this is very important.
* ok. now, if you look where the axle goes thru the mount, youll see an allen screw facing up towards the top of the shock.. take that out with a pan under the shock. this will drain some of the fluid. be careful, theres a copper washer on that bolt! do this for both sides.
* now, after you've drained out the fluid, you can go to the top of the shock and loosen the cap. don't take it off just yet. do this for both sides as well.
* loosen up the bolts that retain the shock in the triple clamp. you can mark the shock with a line if they're a lil tweaked and you want them to go in the same way they're gonna come out. i'd suggest replacing them, really!!!
mark a "t" for throttle side, and "c" for clutch side as well on them..
* slide the entire fork tube down and out from the clamps and set it on the plywood. i'd mark the wood "t" and "c" as well, just in case the markings get rubbed off the shock
* now, you can remove the top cover of the shock.. theres still gonna be some fluid, so keep your pan handy. take it carefully straight out and set the entire valve and spring assembly aside for both sides
* slide off the dust cover at the bottom of the fork. inside will be an internal snap ring. take this bad boy out.
* now, grab the bottom of the fork, and give a few light yanks while supporting the fork tube, and the fork, seal, and dust cover will come right out. its gonna come way ot before it bottoms out inside the tube, so just do it slowly and guide everything to keep it straight.
ok.. the seal is way at the bottom of the fork. its the little round thing with the spring in the middle. the dust cover is the seal that keeps is from getting chewed up from road crap. the seal is a type of whats called a "mechanical seal", just fyi.
* there will be a bronze bushing on the fork shaft that stabilizes the upper part of the fork while in the tube. it has a slit in it.. remove this carefully without stretching it.. just slide it down to the end of the fork shaft and set it aside..
*next, note the orientation of the seal and which way its facing..remove the seal, and sell it to a little kid down the street for $5.00... tell him it'll make his huffy faster..
oh, no need to remove the dust cover, unless you wanna replace that, too..
* now, lube up the new seal, make sure its facing the same way as the old one was, and very carefully slide it down to where the old one was. (if you're afraid of tearing the seal on the steps and guides on the fork shaft, slide the seal over some paper or thin plastic)
if you lost which way it goes, usually the seal has the spring on the inside of the fork tube from what i can remember.. seals without a visibly spring will still have a poscketed side and a "solid" side. the solid side goes towards the dust cap.
* now, go ahead and reinstall the bronze guide bushing. it'll click into place..
* you can start re-assembly at this time now! just feed everything back in in reverse and get the appropriate tube back into their holders.
** if the seal and bushing give you trouble, take your time, it took me a few attempts to align the bushings on the 954 forks for the stuntbike...
*reinstall the snap ring !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the dust cover....
* now, go on and reinstall the little bolt back into the bottom of the fork down by the axle. and touue to spec.. don't overdo it! you'll mangle the copper gasket.
* take the tubes, and roughly place them to their levels they were at in the triple clamps upon removal.
* take your new fluid and add the exact amount your forks need. it varies form bike to bike, so i cant give you a number here..
* take your valve assemble and cap and slide it back into the fork tube, and tighten it down.
* now, with the cap in place, loosen the bolts that retain the shock tubes, and reset the height to the number you wrote down easlier using your ruler or caliper set, and tighten them down.
*give the cap one final snug, and double check the shock height again to make sure they're good.
* reassemble and ride!!
easy, faster, better method
with this, i can do seals in 15 or 20 minutes all day long....
ok!
*put the bike on the front stand
*remove front fender and brake calipers
*remove the front wheel
*(usually, this is an 8MM allen bolt, but your may differ) remove the bolt that sits vertically up inside the axle carrier. fluid will start to come out.. BE CAREFUL not to lose the copper washer or get it dirty.
**note** sometimes, allen sockets won't fit up in there, and you'll have to use an allen wrench and a cresent or fitted wrench on that to turn it. they're pretty tight in there..
*cycle the shock up and down in a dirty, perverted motion to force out the shock oil. (make sure theres a pan there!!!!)
while this ones draining repeat the other side
*during the draining, slide the dust cover up and out of the top of the shock tube to access the clip holding the shock together
*remove said clip with the appropriate tool. if its a wire clip, use the flat screwdriver and DO NOT scratch the shiney part of the fork. if its an internal ring, grab your snapring pliers with the 90* bend in them.
*ok.. retainer out, give the fork a few light pulls and it'll come right off.. hold it good as to not fumble the shock assembly, then drain the remaining fluid out into your pan.. that way they don't pee all over yor floor when you lay them down.
* now, remove the inner guides, washers and seal prescribed (on the bike)..
(repeated instructions from above)
* there will be a bronze bushing on the fork shaft that stabilizes the upper part of the fork while in the tube. it has a slit in it.. remove this carefully without stretching it.. just slide it down to the end of the fork shaft and set it aside.. flat scredriver in the slit can usually give you enough expansion to allow removal.
*next, note the orientation of the seal and which way its facing..remove the seal, and sell it to a little kid down the street for $5.00... tell him it'll make his huffy faster..
oh, no need to remove the dust cover, unless you wanna replace that, too..might as well
* now, lube up the new seal, make sure its facing the same way as the old one was, and very carefully slide it up to where the old one was. (if you're afraid of tearing the seal on the steps and guides on the fork shaft, slide the seal over some paper or thin plastic)
--> MAKE SURE ANY WASHER THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BETWEEN THE SEAL AND DUST CAP MAKES IT BACK IN THERE. it usually goes (from the top) dustcap, thin aluminum washer, seal, (sometimes another thin al. washer) thick steel washer, lock bushing/guide.
if you lost which way it goes, usually the seal has the spring on the inside of the fork tube from what i can remember.. seals without a visibly spring will still have a poscketed side and a "solid" side. the solid side goes towards the dust cap.
* now, go ahead and reinstall the bronze guide/lock bushing. it'll click into place..
* this is the fun part. slide the seal up a few inches above the bronze bushing, then grab the fork tube you removed and kinda wiggly it up on the fork to settle the bushing and washer as far down as you can get them.
you might need the seal driver to finagle the bushing to the bottom. i've found it's easier to get the bushing and washer in first before driving the seal down into the shock.
*with the bushing settled to the bottom, lower the seal down into place and drive it in. keep the fork up high as to not reverse all that hard work by pulling the shock back off the bike. keep the aluminum washer on the seal so you don't distort the seal while driving it in.
the seal will be in place when you can see the groove the retainer ring sits in inside the shock tube.
*remember, DO NOT let the shock fall. it'll come right back off the bike and you'll have to fight it all over again.
*ok.. now, install the retainer clip and assure it's seated
*slide the dust cap down and snap into place
*raise the shock up and reinstall the bolt inside the axle carrier. torque to spec.
*reinstall the wheel, brakes and fender
*remove the upper cap where the suspension adjustments are made and pull out slightly to be able to add shock oil. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BUST YOURSELF IN THE FACE!! the cap is under spring tension sometimes it's not depending on the cartridge type and shoch style, but just err on the safe side. hold the wrench tight.
-> sometimes, the triple clamp holds down on this cap. you might need to loosen the top bolt to alleviate grip on the cap to be able to turn it.
*fill to spec and reinstall upper cap
*doublecheck everything and go ride!!
originally posted on Kawispeed..
hope this helps!!
have fun
#5
12-19-2008, 06:43 AM
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: terrorizing southeastern norf carolina
Posts: 2,092
i made my own seal press out of a teflon tape dispenser roll!!
the oyuter portion that kept the tape clean and rolled up on the spool was the PERFECT size for it.. i cut it with a utility knife to fit it over the fork itself and uniformily press-fit the seal into place.. CBR forks are impossible with just fingers.
the oyuter portion that kept the tape clean and rolled up on the spool was the PERFECT size for it.. i cut it with a utility knife to fit it over the fork itself and uniformily press-fit the seal into place.. CBR forks are impossible with just fingers.
#7
09-07-2012, 03:47 AM
Not really the different forks that are out there, but of the different sizes of tubes and of the tools to work on them.
Good ancient post find.
Good ancient post find.
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