fork seal replacement

[eldrm]

hey all,
i'm preparing to do my fork seals as i have a leak in one.i usually am able to get all the info i need by doing a search,which this time has gotten me more confused! do i need to remove the bottom hex nut to pull out the inner tube? or will removing the top cap and springs allow you to pull it out? do you replace bushings as well as seals and wipers? i've changed oil and springs but thats as far as i went with the forks,any tips,advice welcome,thanks-ed

 

[canyncarvr]

I'm sure there is more than one point of view in this regard. Unfortunately (once again) they are all wrong if they aren't the same as mine! ;)

Thassa joke, son!

Yes, you need to remove the bottom hex nut (the main valve) to take the tubes apart. **edit** I don't mean to infer that is all you have to do to get them apart. There is a retainer clip the holds the seal in. This clip must be removed, the base valve (the 14mm hex piece) removed and then the tubes are 'popped' apart. This 'pop' part may take more oomph than you may think necessary. CAUTION should be exercised to absolutely avoid any scraping, nicking or dinging of the downtube when the retainer clip is removed.

Removing the cap and springs will not allow you to 'pull it out.'

re: 'Do you replace the bushings as well as seals and wipers?'

That would seem the wise choice. What are the chances the bushings are perfect? ..with no discernible wear? ..about zip. Of course this assumes a couple of things..like you didn't replace the bushings last week when you had the forks apart!

The bushings aren't cheap, but if you're taking the forks apart after (likely) some years of service, NOT replacing them seems foolhardy to me.

To get the valve out of the bottom tube you will need (likely) either the cartridge holder tool ( 'how-to' described on CDave's site, or you can get one from FRP for example) or an impact device (air/electric/whatever). Uh...don't use a MANUAL impact driver (the type you pound on?). It takes a 14mm allen. That might be somewhat hard to find. It took some shopping before I found one, then it was only because they were nice enough to break a set for me. With an airtool, the valves came right out.

**Note** Some pressure applied to the spring may make removal of the valve easier. It will be less likely to spin.

**Note** If the bottom of your forks are smushed from contact with Mother Earth (and the rocks and roots she carries along with her), try to 'un-smush' the edge of the fork away from the valve before you whack it with a 120psi 1/2" impact wrench. Use something like a mechanic's scribe to do that. Failure to do that MAY result in metal fractures in the lower leg. Don't want that.

You can fabricate your own driver from pieces of PVC and such. Another imo....buy the MotionPro tool. Yeah..it's $45 or so, but it will make driving the seals much easier. Besides, it's nicely halved (it's a two piece unit) so you can more easily stack the stuff together on the tube you need and drive them as needed and easily remove the driver when you're done.

Piece-'o-cake!

Have fun!

**edit**

HA!! I copied it all THIS time!! Lost the thread agin, but could just paste it all back together! Neener neener Vbulletin boardware!! (or whatever it is)

 

[eldrm]

thanks cc! i was hopin you'd chime in.have you ever used the pivotworks fork seal set? oem's? i don't think they've ever been done (1995) so i might as well set it up right,thanks again-ed

 

[canyncarvr]

I've replaced seals in other bikes..not on the kdx. So, no. I'm not familiar with PivotWorks fork seal sets. I just recently got the bushings for my next fork maintenance. That was a painful process...ordered them a few times from a local shop..weeks later they were still 'on the way.' I bought them from the local kawi shop. Had them in a few days.

Yep...bought a MotionPro driver myself.

I've heard from a local suspension tuner that there are a number of seals available for the kawi that are junk..that he chooses OEM seals on his kawi work.

Probably far more chance of 'failure' due to improper install I'd suppose.

Cheers!