I had my fork seals replaced today and when I picked my bike up this afternoon I told the
mechanic that I had an MOT test scheduled tomorrow. Oh, he said and looked somewhat
worried, remember to wipe the forks off before you go there then because they're gonna
leak oil in the beginning due to the oil change and the amount he put in. Say what??

I thought he was kidding but sure enough they both leaked and much more than before.
Is that really common? Thought they replaced the dust seal seen in the picture too, mine
has some cracks (minor) but he didn't do that either. Now I took an extra long ride home and it
did get better after a while but they still leak..

 

This is why I always do my own fork work. Sounds like the 'mechanic' didn't do the job properly. Dust seals should always be replaced when oil seals are replaced. There's a reason why Honda sells the 4 seals as a package deal.

When seals are replaced, a tiny bit of fork oil can be used to help seat the seals. However, after assembly & test, it should be wiped clean from the fork tube & no more fluid should be coming/leaking out. If you are having fluid to continue to leak out, then the seals were installed improperly & will have to be redone.

Did you have any nicks or damage to your fork tubes? Sometimes, tubes can have pitting, rust, nicks, or other damage which can damage a new oil seal during replacement. However, any mechanic/tech worth his salt would have cleaned the tubes, inspected for damage, & taken steps to rectify it b/f seal replacement. Assuming your tubes haven't incurred other than normal wear, a few simple strokes on the tubes w/ emory cloth would've smoothed out the tubes for proper seal installation w/o damage.

If your seals are truly still leaking, he needs to redo the job asap. Its a dangerous situation to have them leaking. Other than obvious rebound & suspension issues it may cause, the fluid will leak down onto your brake calipers & pads, & your tire.

Good luck.

 

Thanks gotcbr, I have a bad feeling about this.. I drove away for a couple of
miles, stopped and had to wipe them clean. It was so much so it dripped to
the ground. Did that several times and in the end it wasn't nearly as much as
in the beginning. How the **** can a mechanic do a job like this, I payed a
good amount and did get a receipt so it's not any moonlighting.

No damages as far as I can see, if something didn't go wrong when they replaced the seals..

Well I sure hope it's gone tomorrow when I'm leaving for the MOT test.

 

There should be NO leak at all. The tiny bit of oil I mentioned above would only be to seat the seals on/down the tube & would in no way be anything more than a minor film on the tube. So, IF yours is leaking such that it drips, the seals are damaged or installed improperly.

Def keep an eye on it & have it corrected asap if indeed is leaking.

 

Hi Hojen, sorry to hear of your woes

The first question to ask is why did you need them replaced, were they already leaking?

Have you ever used this mechanic before? Sounds like he's a liar and crap as well. As gotCBR says there should be no leaks after the seals have been replaced.

From your picture, it looks like the chrome sliders are in good condition. But it is difficult to tell from a photograph. Check that there is no rust or pitting to the chrome where the seal slides up the stanchion (slider), by feeling with your hand for any roughness. It only takes a tiny amount for it to cause leaks by tearing the seal, however this would take more than a 20 mile ride.

If there is no damage, then the seals have been installed incorrectly, or he has used cheap non-Honda seals. I would say he hasn't used Honda seals, because, as gotCBR has pointed out, they are only available as a set (seals and dust covers).

Are both forks leaking? He may have installed them upside down, when mine leaked, they weren't so bad that oil would drip on the ground.

Ask to have the job re-done with original Honda seals. Or get your money back and do the job yourself. I have done mine, so it can't be that difficult.

 

I'm far from that but as you say I'll def keep an eye on them..

Thanks Hawkwind, yes it's beginning to be a bit too much for me, this being my
first bike and all..

First time I used this workshop, why I had them changed was because one of them
was leaking, the other one was okay but the shop told me that it would be
better changing both of them.

After my ride back, in the end, the one that was leaking prior to the repair
was still leaking, the other one seems to be much better. Wonder if he replaced anything at all..

One can wonder if there is any possibility that he filled too much oil in the forks? Well, I don't really believe that, more of wishful thinking..

Anyway, thx guys I'm gonna have a talk with that guy tomorrow if the leak
doesn't go away.

 

Don't get too worked up about it just yet

I'm betting he way over filled them through the tops of the tubes at the end.

Drain them out - keep the clean fluid - put exactly 1 pint ( little less than half a
litre) back in each and then see if it leaks. Hopefully he did not try any abrasives
on the chrome !

 

you could release all the air pressure in the forks - it might be that releasing the air pressure will reduce the pressure on the seals and reduce your leak rate.

to do this remove the dust caps on the top of the fork stems and press in the valve head.
riding the bike with no air pressure in the forks is fine - mine are with 0 pressure

but still, I'd check the amount of oil in them.

Hope that mechanic did not tear the seals installing over the sharp bottom lip on the tube.
I used teflon plumbing tape to slide them over when I did mine

 

+ 1 ^^^^^^ to what Baron said

me too I went with heavier weight oil and did not pressurize them one bit
still nice and firm

 

You should ask the shop if they used OEM gaskets, My friend just had his done and the shop used aftermarket and now they leak too, they are suppost to redo his forks with OEM but are stalling to get him in the shop now.