leaking forks

[yz250rider250]

hi,
i have a 91 yz250 and my front forks are starting to leak and im not sure what to do.

 

[TimberPig]

You could try the film trick to try and clean any dirt from under the seals out, which may or may not work, or you might have to bite the bullet and tear them down and replace the seals.

 

[76GMC1500]

91 is pretty old, it's probably due for some new seals.

 

[Patman]

I would agree the fork seal are in need of replacement, very likely dried out & cracked. Might be a good time to do some service on the fork legs to get it feeling better than ever.

 

[FruDaddy]

What to do? Replace the seals. While you are in there, go ahead and replace the bushings as well. You have to pull the old ones off anyway. This is probably part of the service Patman speaks of, but I don't know how deeply he is talking about diving.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Also check the fork slider to see if there is a nick or burr on it. That can cause even a brand new seal to leak.

The 'film' trick is shoving a strip of film under the seal, moving it around the fork to dislodge any grit that is stuck under the seal. This will only work if that is what is causing your leak. In my experience, old 35mm film strips are too soft and flimsy. Cutting a spear shaped strip out of a plastic milk carton works much better.

 

[FruDaddy]

Cut that milkj carton to look something like this product:
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp;?store=Main&skuId=149121&productId=p149121