Installing Fork Seals

[Slingblade]

I need to change my fork seals on the blade. Never done it before but it looks relatively straight forward in the shop manual. Only thing worrying me is needing a oil seal driver. Is it necessary? i thought i could use a bit of correct diameter pipe to drive them in.

Any tips appreciated

[devo]

Do you have conventional forks on the Blade

Yeah, that'll do it mate.

I just do it by hand with a rubber mallet meself, but be very careful, they don't like going in at an angle.
Do you have the tools to seperate the stanchions from the sliders? You'll need 2 or 3 long extensions and the correct sized allen key on a socket to go down the inside of the pipe.
A cheap alternative is to get a bolt with the correct sized head, weld it to an inground water tap tool from bunnings, and you have a permanent dedicated tool for you're forks.

[devo]

Use your old seal as the driver tool but if you havent done it before just take of uoir forks and take them to a shop.
By the time you stuff around and if you fuck a seal trying to do it yourself and bleeding the forks and all the crap involved it simply aint worth it Bloke.

[Slingblade]

quote:Originally posted by devo

if you havent done it before just take of uoir forks and take them to a shop.



Sounds good to me. I couldnt be bothered getting them apart and ballsing it up.

cheers

[alfiestorm]

I use one of these when changing the seals on conventional forks with a small piece of wood to protect the alloy.
Seals can be done in record time without the need to seperate the stanchions from the sliders the chances are which ever shop you take them to will probably use this tool or something similar.
When fitting the new seals I use a small drift that will fit between the stanchion and the slider and gently tap the seal into place.
Works every time for me and saves money that could be better spent on beer or petrol :D

http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/upload/8833267427988.jpg

How's that work Alfie? never seen it before. Do you basically just gouge the old seal out?

[alfiestorm]

Basically yep. You tap the pionted end into the seal and using a small pice of wood or something to protect the alloy slider lever the old seal up and out and thats it job done piece of piss mate. :)

Well there ya go, you've taught an old dog a new trick :D

[alfiestorm]

Ay up lad good ting this ere tinternet int it

Tell me about it mate. I'm the only really active member in my area (300 k's to the next lot) so if it wasn't for Gix and the net I'd be buggered.

[Jockney Rebel]

quote:Originally posted by alfiestorm

I use one of these when changing the seals on conventional forks with a small piece of wood to protect the alloy.
Seals can be done in record time without the need to seperate the stanchions from the sliders the chances are which ever shop you take them to will probably use this tool or something similar.
When fitting the new seals I use a small drift that will fit between the stanchion and the slider and gently tap the seal into place.
Works every time for me and saves money that could be better spent on beer or petrol :D

http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/upload/8833267427988.jpg

ayyy i got one of them...but mines snap on so there....:Di use an old fork slider with the bottom cut off to tap the new seal in with then just compress the stanchion and fill it up with oil to about 110 mm from the top with the stanchion extended [pump it a couple of times and re fill it as neccesary until the oil stays at that level] then drop the spring in and do it up getting them aparts the hard bit

[Jockney Rebel]

quote:Originally posted by chalk10

Yeah, that'll do it mate.

I just do it by hand with a rubber mallet meself, but be very careful, they don't like going in at an angle.
Do you have the tools to seperate the stanchions from the sliders? You'll need 2 or 3 long extensions and the correct sized allen key on a socket to go down the inside of the pipe.
A cheap alternative is to get a bolt with the correct sized head, weld it to an inground water tap tool from bunnings, and you have a permanent dedicated tool for you're forks.
thats a wicked idea with the tap thing chalkie

[alfiestorm]

Snap on is that another name for rip off :D fuggin lot quicker doing it that way frank a'int it

[Jockney Rebel]

tis indeed mate anyway my boss at riverside m/cycles paid for it .....just so i could do hundreds of the fukin things on our rental fleet got sick of the sight of brake pads tyres and fork seals
but good bunch of aussies and kiwis i worked with there ...a couple of em from christchurch chalkie!

Never been to Christchurch actually Frankie, never set foot on the South Island. Toooo fuggen cold and icy for me mate. I come from just south of Auckland, no snow, no ice, no fuggen fiords. Lots of bush, greenery, beaches instead of drops off cliffs, temp never even gets down to zero on the coldest of days, lots of natural thermal springs. And a big enough local population so that you don't have to date you're cousins :D.
Plus the North Island was settled mainly by poms, and a handful of Irish, the South however was populated by those damned Scotsmen, guess they felt at home down there :D you know a cold, barren, wind blown, hell hole, woulda reminded them of their women back home :D

[Jockney Rebel]

quote:Originally posted by chalk10

Never been to Christchurch actually Frankie, never set foot on the South Island. Toooo fuggen cold and icy for me mate. I come from just south of Auckland, no snow, no ice, no fuggen fiords. Lots of bush, greenery, beaches instead of drops off cliffs, temp never even gets down to zero on the coldest of days, lots of natural thermal springs. And a big enough local population so that you don't have to date you're cousins :D.
Plus the North Island was settled mainly by poms, and a handful of Irish, the South however was populated by those damned Scotsmen, guess they felt at home down there :D you know a cold, barren, wind blown, hell hole, woulda reminded them of their women back home :D


aww chalkie im gettin all homesick for ur info my home town has 7 miles of beautiful sandy beach unfortunately as u say the wind blows at about 300 mph most of the year you can see little kids getting blown out to sea ..local pastime we have bets on whether theyll make it to Arran:D..my brothers in a little town just outside auckland

Yeah, you're brothers got the right idea, best part of NZ is from the middle of the Nort Island and upwards, fuck that tourist shit down south. Which town by the way?

I'm planning on heading over their next Xmas with my daughter. Thought it was about time I took her home,as she's been to China 1/2 a dozen times, and did a 5 week tour of USA/Europe this year, but hasn't been to NZ yet.

[Hillsy]

Back on the topic of fork seals, I've always just put the complete fork leg in a vice (using the caliper mounts) and hit the bottom allen bolt with a rattle gun (the pressure of the fork springs keeps the damper rod from spinning). Then you can just pull the fork slider off the stanchion and replace the seals. This way you can clean out the fork legs as well (you'd be surprised how much gunk gets in there when the seals are blown).
Also just thinking that the castration tool that Alfie's posted might be a bit too brutal if you're a newbie and haven't used one before.

Unfortunately not too many of us have rattle guns at home though Hillsy, although, can you get electric ones? Would be damned handy at times.

[alfiestorm]

aye the old castration tool is a tool for grown ups :D

I wouldn't recommend using it unless you are confident that you can use it without fucking up your forks or ripping your own nuts out or if yar a women losing the tool all together [:0]:D

[Hillsy]

quote:Originally posted by chalk10

Unfortunately not too many of us have rattle guns at home though Hillsy, although, can you get electric ones? Would be damned handy at times.


Yeah - you can get electric ones. Don't know how much they are though. I ended up getting one of those $90 GMC compressors from Bunnings and a $20 rattle gun from SuperCheap. I was pretty surprised to find it actually worked......OK, I wouldn't try changing a flat on a Kenworth with it, but.........

quote:Originally posted by Hillsy


quote:Originally posted by chalk10

Unfortunately not too many of us have rattle guns at home though Hillsy, although, can you get electric ones? Would be damned handy at times.


Yeah - you can get electric ones. Don't know how much they are though. I ended up getting one of those $90 GMC compressors from Bunnings and a $20 rattle gun from SuperCheap. I was pretty surprised to find it actually worked......OK, I wouldn't try changing a flat on a Kenworth with it, but.........


Fuck that cheap? I ight have to go shopping.

Once I get another contract and some money that is, things are tighter than a duck's asshole at the moment.

Thanks Hillsy :)

[Jockney Rebel]

quote:Originally posted by chalk10

Unfortunately not too many of us have rattle guns at home though Hillsy, although, can you get electric ones? Would be damned handy at times.
me bro Col lives in pokanui or pokahontas or something :Du can get electric rattlers never used one tho ..and this supercheap gaff uv got here is a wonderous place loadsa really cheap stuff obviously the tools are just for the shed but ive bought and used some hefty big spaniards for work and their still in one piece after me batterin fuk out of em with a sledge[^]

Not Pukanui? small little coastal one dog town, well it was when I was there 20 odd years ago, probably grown heaps by now, given what I've heard about that area.

You should take a trip over there mate, it really is a top area, and if people here think that Tassie has good riding roads, they ain't seen nothing. NZ is covered in them, and the country is the size of England.

[alfiestorm]

Every time I hear or see that word England[xx(] it makes me wanna puke

What about Waikikimukau (Why kick a moo cow)

and what about Pukekoe