From: "Ulf Bjarke" Via Ben Ros
Hi all Vixers,
Managing to adjust the valves made my confidense grow, so I was ready for
"manhood trial 2, the ultimate challange" namely fork seal replacement. I
know this is a favourite topic at this list and it has been penetrated from
all angles by previous posters. But this is list is like a soap TV series
anyway so here comes another episode...
I won't cover all steps because I think there are good instructions posted
earlier (in FAQ?), but more highlight the difficult parts.
Items needed + normal handtools.
1: Torque wrench, a must for the pro ;-) , helps a lot.
2: Suzuki service manual, also a must. Don't trust non factory ones, the OEM
Suzuki is the best by far.
3: Fork oil #10
4: Special tool, se text below
5: New oil seals (2)
Special tool:
The only special in this operation is to access the large "socket" inside the bottom of the fork. I know there are
"clever" ways e.g. using a broom stick, but this didn't work at all in my case.
The tool we need is easy manufactured:
Go to a h/w store and by a M16 bolt (which will have a 24mm head which fits nicely into
the socket) you US guys are going metric, are you not? Also get a approx. 500mm heavy rod
of that can be welded to the threaded end of the bolt. Weld these together and make a
handle on the other end of the rod. With this tool everything can by dissasembled easy.
The next "tricky" part was getting the antifriction metal ring that fits the
lower/not moving part of the fork leg back after the dissasembly . If you can get hold of
a plastic tube (plumbing or sim) that slides on the fork this is easy but I didn't have
access to one. After lubing the ring with fork oil I tapped it gently in place using a
large screwdriver/hammer with the oil seal retainer (large steel washer) as a guard. Be
gentle and observe the split in the metal ring so it seats symetrically.
Now its time for the oil seal, lube it and tap with the large screwdriver/hammer on the
outermost part of the seal which is solid. Takes patience and and a lot of checking.
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I have bought 2 new seals but before I put
them in..has anyone any advice on the best way to do it ?
I also got my local dealer to use his air driven hammer drill to undo the bolts in the
bottom of the forks. They are a pain to undo any other way. Took 20 seconds to do both. No
charge as I bought the parts off him to do the job. I took the forks back there to have
them tightened as well, and gave the mechanic a couple of quid for his help.
When I dismantled the front folks on my ZR550 (before the VX, and very similar to the VX
as I later discovered) I found that the bolt in the bottom of one folk leg was not fully
screwed in, because the copper washer had twisted when it had been assembled. This was
either done by a previous owner
or it might even have happened in the factory.
This had allowed the folk oil on that side to leak out into the wheel bearing. Naturally
the handling had suffered, but at least the wheel bearing is well oiled!!!
The bike had only 6,300 miles on it and the folk oil seals had already been replaced
(badly) by a previous owner.
So my tip is when you have reassembled the forks, leave them overnight standing upright on
some newspaper to make sure that they do not leak from the bolt in the bottom. The copper
washers are the same size as brake hose washers, so any dealers should have some lying
around.
I also polished the fork legs that the seals move up and down against with very fine wet
and dry (1600 grade I think) and lots of water to get rid of any lips where there were
stone had caused chips. I don't know what to do about the small dents still left on the
forks, hopefully the seals just glide across them.
Hope this helps.
Tony
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| I
have had the forks apart recently, and I remember no valves but there were these little
holes in the centre rod, called the damper.
It is the oil squeezing both ways through these holes that create the damping effect.
In my forks I have 10 grade oil, and they work fine. Steve has 15 grade oil in his forks
and he says they are hard. 40 grade oil would hardly move through the holes, therefore
making the forks very stiff.
IMHO the original 10 grade oil does the damping job very well.
However if the springs are too soft by moving a long way with a small bump, then the
answer is progressive springs which also give the effect of damping. The progressive
springs are multi-rate springs, soft under low compression (like small ripples in the
road), hard under high compression (like braking).
There is nothing wrong with 40 grade oil, it will work maybe, but you will increase the
chance of blowing the oil seals. If the oil cannot go through the holes quick enough then
it will look for somewhere else to go. The only place left is up through the oil seals.
As oil gets thicker in cold temperature you might have been looking for 5 grade oil in the
cold Norwegian weather.
Brian UK
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Remember to loosen the upper nuts before
you take off the legs(don't take them off). It's best to use an air driven wrench to
loosen the bolt under the fork. And DON'T use that tool when you fasten it cause it might
be to tuff . only use hand power. well after taking out the bottom screw, take off the nut
and have the oil in a pan.
Remove the spacer, spring and fork leg. Loosen the ring that hold the seal with a small
small screwdriver and take away that ring under.
If you take a quite screwdriver and use that bench tool (don't know the English name) that
spins fast round and have two stones on each side you could make a tool to take off the
old seals, just bend it out use a thin wooden pin between the screwdriver and the fork. .
Be careful so you don't get marks in the aluminum..
When fitting, first reconnect the leg , and thighten the bottom screw . Have help from a
friend and let him drag out the leg when you're thighting the screw. Find a tube that is a
Little bit wider then the fork leg and cut it(straight clean cut!) app. 3"(10 cm) .
Use that as a sledge to hammer the new ring in its place.
sorry bout my English
j.troli |
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