DIY Fork seals

[MrMelon]

I've just had a go at replacing my fork seals, and it seems I've failed miserably.

I managed to get the old seals out, but there's no fricken way I can get the new ones in. I don't know if there's a special tool you need, or if it's just technique, but I'm stuck!
I dropped the fork legs into the shop around the corner this morning and they reckon it'll take them 2 days to get the new seals pushed in and the forks filled back up with oil, but I need the bike back on the road by Thursday morning!

Can anyone help me out?
Cheers.

[Paul in NZ]

I would not know a Kwaka fork from a dinner fork but I can rebuild the Guzzi front end in an evening? 2 days? Ye Gods.. You sure you have the correct seals. It should be easy peasy...

Paul N

[MrMelon]

Yeah I'm sure they're the right seals, just seems to be an ultra tight fit, and I don't have anything to bash them down into where they should be :(

[k14]

Get some PVC piping that fits around the slider and then give it a bash with a rubber mallet. That should do the trick.

[BUBBLE]

Seals should be tight. Im assumining that youve got the fork legs apart. I know that they are hard to put in when the inserts (chromed bit) are still in the legs.
Im a fitter turner by trade so I normally machine something the right size but I ve also found that the old seal if not too damaged is good, just the right size, nice soft rubber coating to reduce damage to the new ones. Use the old seal and a hammer to tap the seal in as far as possible, once the seal is in too far to hammer any more then you can use a punch or a socket to tap it further. Then you can flick the old seal out with a screwdriver. It also makes life easier if you put a smear of oil on the outside of the seal before you put it in.

[MrMelon]

The fork legs are still together.. popped the old seals out without taking them apart.

I tried putting the old seal on top of the new one and trying to use a punch to put them in place, but one side of the seal always tried to go down first which popped the other side way up. I tried for about an hour and a half to get them in flat, but wasn't getting anywhere that way, so gave up.

I think I'll go looking for some pvc pipe to fit over the fork leg tomorrow.

[Blakamin]

Get some PVC piping that fits around the slider and then give it a bash with a rubber mallet. That should do the trick.
thats the one!

[FROSTY]

The fork legs are still together.. popped the old seals out without taking them apart.

I tried putting the old seal on top of the new one and trying to use a punch to put them in place, but one side of the seal always tried to go down first which popped the other side way up. I tried for about an hour and a half to get them in flat, but wasn't getting anywhere that way, so gave up.

I think I'll go looking for some pvc pipe to fit over the fork leg tomorrow.
How the fuck did ya manage that?? --You pulled the FORK SEAL out without taking the forks to bits?? -are you frigging superman??

[k14]

How the fuck did ya manage that?? --You pulled the FORK SEAL out without taking the forks to bits?? -are you frigging superman??

Yeah thats what I thought. In my experiences, it was always harder getting the old one out than putting the new one in.

Are you sure you have the right fork seals? Sounds as though the outside diameter of the seal might be slightly too big.

[MrMelon]

Yeah I popped the fork seals out without taking the forks apart.

I'm just magic :D

[BUBBLE]

Ive also taken fork seals out without dismantling the forks, remove the dust cap, circlip & pump the forks to around 100psi, bang the bottom of the fork on a block of wood, compressing the fork at the same time (increases pressure) and if they are not too gunged up with age old crud they pop out. If they dont pop out, dont keep going till you munt the fork bashing it on the wood, youll have to go the whole hog and pull them to bits.

Tip: get a nut the right size and weld it on the end of a long bar, this can then be held in a vice and used to poke inside the fork and stop the piece inside from turning while undoing the capscrew in the bottom.

[MrMelon]

Yeah I just took the oil seal retaining clip off, then filled the forks up with oil and used the car jack to compress them till the oil seal popped out.. ez :D

I did it that way cos I didn't have any way of holding that inside piece while I undid the bottom of the fork.

[BUBBLE]

Normally they are pretty close to a M16 nut, around 24mm Across the flats

[MrMelon]

Well I went and got some pvc, and the seal's still too fricken tight to fit in there. Might be time to pull the fork right apart and try putting the seals in that way.

[FlyingDutchMan]

Did you get genunie seals or just cheap after market jobbies? I found the after market have wildly varying dimensions and one was piss easy to get on and the other was like what you described. The worst thing is getting it out later on - it will be real bitch to do. (As I found after assembling the fork in the wrong order :o .

[MrMelon]

doh.
These are aftermarket ones.. One side just keeps trying to go in first... and now I can't get the fucker out to try and put it in straight again.
GRR!

[Sparky Bills]

Sorry to say dude...
Genuine seals are ALWAYS the way to go. The price usually puts people off.
They seem to last longer too.(rider permitting)
Honda fork seals are good! You should be able to match up the sizes with your original ones, to get some. :niceone:
Good luck!

[Dr Bob]

I use a piece of thick broom handle (hardwood) to hold the bolt in the leg when I undo the retaining bolt, in my experience this is enough to take apart and enough to do them up tight enough after - the trick of course is getting the right size end on the stick. I, like many others, are quite surprised that you would attempt to do this without taking them apart. But do take a note of the order of the parts, and also when you are removing the leg from the tube you often have to give it a little tug to pull the seal out. I made the mistake once of letting the chrome drop back into the tube and it squashed a washer that took a while to find a replacement for.

[MrMelon]

Yeah I was thinking about taking them apart last night, but I'd still need to have the fork legs together to install the replacement oil seal, so I didn't both pulling it apart.. I'd say I've given up now.. probably time to buy another set of fork seals and get someone who knows what they're doing to do it for me.

[Dr Bob]

You don't need to put them together to put the fork seal in - surely not. That's the whole point of the exercise.

[F5 Dave]

Putting the spring back in & compressing the fork usually holds the damper enough so you can undo that bolt.

If you have a compressor a rattle gun helps shock that bolt out quite nicely.

You don’t have a compressor? You should! Look how cheap they’ve got. Don’t know how I lived without one.

[MrMelon]

Looks like all the problems were caused by getting forks seals a size too big :/
argh
All fixed now tho.

[vifferman]

Looks like all the problems were caused by getting forks seals a size too big :/
argh
All fixed now tho.You gomer, Mr Melon! :Pokey:
I hope you gave yourself a good kick in the pants (or someone else, if it was their fault).

[NC]

*points and laughs*

:whistle:

[Bonez]

Looks like all the problems were caused by getting forks seals a size too big :/
argh
All fixed now tho.It happens to other folk too. I ordered fork seals for my Integra but was supplied the incorrect ones. Kept them as a gentle reminder ;) . Glad you got it sorted.

[Momo]

I just bought a GSXR 250 for 400 dollars. Good deal I think. The fork seals need replacing but i thought i could do it myself. Im in japan at the moment and finding a manual is very difficult. Im mechanically minded but havent realy touched bikes before. I really need a guide to follow so i dont f@#$ up to badly. labour here is expensive which is why i think i got it so cheap. Any help would be apreciated.
thanks

[White trash]

I just bought a GSXR 250 for 400 dollars. Good deal I think. The fork seals need replacing but i thought i could do it myself. Im in japan at the moment and finding a manual is very difficult. Im mechanically minded but havent realy touched bikes before. I really need a guide to follow so i dont f@#$ up to badly. labour here is expensive which is why i think i got it so cheap. Any help would be apreciated.
thanks

No. Thank YOU for posting in three different threads the same message. Very thoughtfull.

Full the forks out. Remove the dust caps (the top rubber bits over the seals), remove the wire clips that hold the old seals in. Get a big fucken screwdriver and hammer it through the old seal. Lever out. Slide new ones home. Tap 'em in. Replace wire clips and dust caps. Put just the right amount of oil in the forks. Pt em back in bike.

That's the short version, knock yourself out.

[Sniper]

Ummmm, get a shop to do it.