Fork seals leaking after replacement
#11
#12
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..
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..
Cheers, Steve
#14
Hey guys, thanks for all the advice and tips, as you may have guessed the leaking didn't stop
entirely and my bike failed the MOT test today. The inspection guy wasn't happy with what he saw..
He told me that If you fill too much oil in the forks they still shouldn't leak at all. What happens then instead
is that you get a very "hard" damping, he said.
I'm in a pretty bad mood now so.. but I went back to the workshop and talked with the owner and
asked him if it was him who did the job - he wouldn't answer me and just told me that replacing
fork seals were no big deal.. he has several employees. But he or the workshop wasn't
to blame, it had to be something wrong with the seals he said, and sure enough, they used aftermarket
seals. I didn't tell them to do that and there's not so much difference in price anyway.
If I had dared I would have done the job myself but I was under the impression that you needed very
expensive, special tools for that kind of job. Now I've already paid the workshop and I'm gonna
wait until they decide what to do. Money back or do a proper job is what I say.
You know, I didn't even get any kind of excuse for this sloppy work, instead he let me know that now he would
have a loss of profits on the job. Don't know if to laugh or ... over this whole matter.
entirely and my bike failed the MOT test today. The inspection guy wasn't happy with what he saw..
He told me that If you fill too much oil in the forks they still shouldn't leak at all. What happens then instead
is that you get a very "hard" damping, he said.
I'm in a pretty bad mood now so.. but I went back to the workshop and talked with the owner and
asked him if it was him who did the job - he wouldn't answer me and just told me that replacing
fork seals were no big deal.. he has several employees. But he or the workshop wasn't
to blame, it had to be something wrong with the seals he said, and sure enough, they used aftermarket
seals. I didn't tell them to do that and there's not so much difference in price anyway.
If I had dared I would have done the job myself but I was under the impression that you needed very
expensive, special tools for that kind of job. Now I've already paid the workshop and I'm gonna
wait until they decide what to do. Money back or do a proper job is what I say.
You know, I didn't even get any kind of excuse for this sloppy work, instead he let me know that now he would
have a loss of profits on the job. Don't know if to laugh or ... over this whole matter.
#15
Sorry you're having to deal w/ this. Not so sure I'd trust the same shop to redo the job.
There are no special tools needed other than a *fork seal driver*, which is only about $40. However, you can fab your own out of PVC if you're so inclined. Other than that, you just need a stand to lift your front end by the lower triple or use an engine hoist or strap from your shop ceiling. The factory shop manual covers the removal/service/reinstallation pretty well.
Good luck w/ everything.
#16
#17
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If I had dared I would have done the job myself but I was under the impression that you needed very
expensive, special tools for that kind of job. Now I've already paid the workshop and I'm gonna
wait until they decide what to do. Money back or do a proper job is what I say.
we'll walk ya through it !
Required -
one pack of seals and new dust covers of your choice - most Guys prefer oem
i set of lower fork bushings (teflon coated)
1 litre of fork oil
long reach hex wrench and sockets and a clean workspace and some pvc pipe
to make you own seal driver
About 3 hours of time if all done in one go.
Oh and us egging you on ... drinking beer while you do it !
The upside of all your frustrations when all your "fairly normal issues" for 25 yr old +/-
bike , are worked out - is pure Hurricane heaven
Use nothing but PCMG's suggested quality beer suggested below
- only problem with that routine is - you'd probably only get to
complete one for per session which may turn the job into an
all weekend experience
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Last edited by Sprock; 06-27-2012 at 05:29 PM.
#19
If ya do get your money back and decide to give it a shot ----- no big deal
we'll walk ya through it !
Required -
one pack of seals and new dust covers of your choice - most Guys prefer oem
i set of lower fork bushings (teflon coated)
1 litre of fork oil
long reach hex wrench and sockets and a clean workspace and some pvc pipe
to make you own seal driver
About 3 hours of time if all done in one go.
Oh and us egging you on ... drinking beer while you do it !
The upside of all your frustrations when all your "fairly normal
we'll walk ya through it !
Required -
one pack of seals and new dust covers of your choice - most Guys prefer oem
i set of lower fork bushings (teflon coated)
1 litre of fork oil
long reach hex wrench and sockets and a clean workspace and some pvc pipe
to make you own seal driver
About 3 hours of time if all done in one go.
Oh and us egging you on ... drinking beer while you do it !
The upside of all your frustrations when all your "fairly normal
And don't forget, some very stable way of holding the bike vertical whilst the forks are removed.
I use a rattle gun to release the bottom bolt - always have, and never had a problem. The bike shop mechanic here in Mount Pleasant put me onto that method years ago. Hence, no special tools needed at all! Assuming you have the right diameter pipe available to carefully bang in the seals
Cheers, SB
#20
You're all so nice in here so I would get a trunk full of beer to all of you if I could
I don't know why but somehow dealing with the forks kinda scares me, maybe I'm afraid I'll ruin
something and of course making a mistake with the front suspension and then driving off could lead
to some bad things happening.. But I believe you, I managed carb removal and valve adjustments for the first time
a couple of weeks ago so why not changing seals in the fork too
Late here now, I'll see how it goes with the shop tomorrow.
Thx to all of you again for your support and, BaronIsle, for your suggestion about air pressure too, but for now
I'm not touching anything concerning the forks, Who knows what that shop has done to my poor bike..
I don't know why but somehow dealing with the forks kinda scares me, maybe I'm afraid I'll ruin
something and of course making a mistake with the front suspension and then driving off could lead
to some bad things happening.. But I believe you, I managed carb removal and valve adjustments for the first time
a couple of weeks ago so why not changing seals in the fork too
Late here now, I'll see how it goes with the shop tomorrow.
Thx to all of you again for your support and, BaronIsle, for your suggestion about air pressure too, but for now
I'm not touching anything concerning the forks, Who knows what that shop has done to my poor bike..