FORK SEAL REPLACEMENT

I THOUGHT CHACAL (?) HAD POSTED A LINK TO HOW TO INFO HE HAD WRITTEN UP. I WAS HOPING THERE WAS A HOW TO FOR CHANGING FORK SEALS FOR A 82 XJ750J. THANKS FOR HELP IN ADVANCE.

 

Unfortunately I don't have any how-to on fork seal replacement.....it would be a small novel (and it varies quite a bit by model, not necessarily on the actual seal replacement, but on how you diss-asemble the forks on individual models in order to get to the point where you can replace the seals!).

The "basics" are the same for all models: drain the oil, empty the air from the forks (if yours are air-assited forks), remove the calipers and the front axle/wheel, remove the forks, loosen the lower damper rod retaining bolt, remove the upper spring cap or bolt, pull out the guts, pull the inner (chrome) tube out of the lower tube housing, replace the seals and other needed parts, and of course, "installation is the reverse of removal process."

The devil, as usual, is in the details.........

A service manual (either factory or aftermarket Haynes/Clymer) is unquestionably recommended:


lm1) Although it's fun to be adventurous, creative, and daring at times, wrenching on the bike is not one of those times......

The ever-popular Haynes or Clymer WORSHOP MANUALS line of "enhanced" factory service manuals cover all major service, repair, rebuild, and maintenance procedures (sometimes in excruciating detail, and usually with many more pictures and illustrations than the factory service manual does), and also includes wiring diagrams and other useful specifications.


HCP1093 Haynes Service-Repair-Maintenance Workshop Manual, for all 1980-84 XJ650 (except Turbo) and XJ750 models, softcover, over 275 action-packed pages, a must-have manual if you own one of these machines. Each:




lm2) Original reprinted FACTORY SERVICE MANUALS are also available. These full-size manuals covers all aspects of diagnosis, repair, and assembly for specific model bikes. These brand new, official Yamaha manuals are one of those "must-have" tools if you're going to be wrenching on your own bike. Plenty of photographs, diagrams, flowcharts, wiring charts (some of them even being correct!), torque values, etc. NOTE: cover design, color, and appearance may differ from originals.

NOTE: originally, Yamaha would not release a new service manual for each year's production, unless there had been significant changes in design, service procedures, features, etc......and even in those cases, even if there HAD been significant changes, they would not release an entirely new service manual, but merely a "supplement" to the past service manual for that model, and that supplement would highlight only the changes to procedures, etc. that would need to be followed.

For example: the 1980 XJ650 Maxim---being the first model in the XJ650 series---was issued a service manual by Yamaha. The 1981 XJ650 model, having no significant differences from the 1980 model, used the same 1980 XJ650 service manual. However, the 1982 XJ650 Maxim models had a number of meaningful difference in service procedures (first and foremost, the introduction of the YICS cylinder head design and system, which required a different synchronization procedure, a variation to the engine teardwon and re-build procedures, etc.).

Rather than publish a brand new service manual for the 1982 XJ650 Maxim models, Yamaha merely published a service manual Supplement and instructed dealers to use the 1980 XJ650 Base Service Manual along with the 1982 XJ650 Supplementary Service Manual to properly service those bikes.....after all, 90% of the procedures in the 1980 XJ650 "base" Service Manual still applied and were valid for the 1982 XJ650 Maxim models, so why publish an entire new manual, when just a "supplement" would work?

This same process applies to many of the original models and their service manuals. The 1982 XJ750 Maxim models, for instance, used that same 1980 XJ650 Maxim Service Manual as the "base manual", and had a 75-page XJ750J Supplementary Service Manual that was to be used in conjunction with the base (1980 XJ650) manual.

That was then.

This is now: all of the Supplementary Service Manuals are rolled into the front of the "base manuals" for the individual manuals listed as reprints below. So for instance, the 1982-3 XJ650 Maxim Service Manual has both the 1980 XJ650 "Base" Service Manual AND the 1982-3 XJ650 Supplementary Service Manual bound together into one book.....no need to acquire two different books to have all of the correct prodcedures for working on your 1983 XJ650 Maxim. Same thought applies to the XJ750 Maxim Service Manuals.....they have the "base" 1980 XJ650 Maxim Service Manual, and also the XJ750 Maxim Supplementary Manual all bound together into one book.

Some manuals, such as the XJ550 Maxim and Seca Service Manual, will be labelled (on the cover) as a 1981 XJ550 Maxim/Seca Service Manual, when in fact it covers all three model years.

So when you purchase one of the manuals listed below, rest assured that it will have ALL of the correct procedures and information that will apply to the specific models for which it is listed as covering.


HCP1152 Factory Service Manual covers all XJ750 Maxim models 1982.

 

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=8355/

 

So I can’t tell you how to completely do the job (The bike 1981 Yamaha maxim xj550) it takes to much writing but the two things I struggled with the most was the plugs I didn’t realize they move down so you can get at the snap ring and the bottom bolt that connects to the damper I eventually figured out that there is splines in the top of the damper like a socket and a nut that was 3/4 fit in there I welded the nut to a rod so I could hold it I’ll put a picture here and managed to get it loose like that hope it helps or gives you a idea

 

@chacal, that is almost correct, if one has the air assisted forks empty the air from the forks FIRST! I forgot and when I went to drain the oil with air pressure still in place I had the oil out all right........all over the garage, me and everything in the neighborhood!. A small point but one that I shall not soon forget.

 

Lucky you that your forks hold enough air long enough that it happened to you. I have to set my air almost before every ride It got better when I changed the schrader valve but still drains over a period of a week

On the topic of forks, do the seals ever leak "once" like spit out on a hard hit? I thought I had a fork seal leak and I may have just hit a puddle that splashed up. I cleaned the forks and rode 3 times and never saw the fluid on the forks.