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:Me]

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

[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

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 .