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Fork Seals - Help!!!!

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Madone1, Jul 16, 2008.

  1. Madone1

    Madone1 Member

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    Did the tear down and everything based on the awesome How-To I followed here on the site, and now I am ready to install the new oil seal. How the heck do I do that? The seal is hard rubber on the outside. How do I get the dang thing to fit? It's bigger than the opening it has to go in.
     
    Madone1, Jul 16, 2008
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  2. chadwickm

    chadwickm Member

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    How much bigger? I use an appropriate size and length of PVC pipe with a rubber mallet to seat the seals.
     
    chadwickm, Jul 16, 2008
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  3. Madone1

    Madone1 Member

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    It is more like the size of the dust seals.
     
    Madone1, Jul 16, 2008
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  4. stereomind

    stereomind Active Member

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    is it not the same OD as the old seals?...
     
    stereomind, Jul 16, 2008
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  5. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    Get some pictures of this adventure on here so we can see what you are dealing with.

    Either you have new Dust Seals or the wrong Fork Seals. Pictures about now would be very helpful.
     
    RickCoMatic, Jul 16, 2008
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  6. Madone1

    Madone1 Member

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    The old seals were so bad I had to rip them out in pieces. so I have no way to match the diameter. The seals are the oil seals, not the wiper seals. I ordered them from my Yamaha dealer and I verified that the part number is correct.
     
    Madone1, Jul 16, 2008
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  7. Altus

    Altus Active Member

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    They should ALMOST fit into the groove where the old seals were -- you want to set them in place and use a seal driver to seat it properly and evenly. I've used large sockets for this, a piece of pvc pipe, or an actual seal driver - they're all good.

    If what you've got is larger - almost the size of the dust seals you mentioned, then they've given you the wrong part - I don't care what it was labeled, it's wrong.
     
    Altus, Jul 16, 2008
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  8. Madone1

    Madone1 Member

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    What I'm thinking is that maybe I didn't remove all of the dust seal when I was tearning them out. I was scrapping rubber out and I think maybe where the hand up is is that the base (bottom) of the wiper seals is still logged in. It looks like a machined part of the fork, and I did my best to make it look nice as shiny. Is there any chance that I was so far out of my mind that I cleaned up the metal portion of the seal I was trying to remove?
     
    Madone1, Jul 16, 2008
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  9. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    When you look at the top of the tube ... you should see the Aluminum shelf that is the Oil Seal Seat.

    Take a Magnet and see if it sticks to the Inside Diameter of the Fork Tube where the Oil Seal seats.

    If the magnet sticks to the seat ... you left-behind a portion of the old seal.
    Look for the Outside Diameter of the old Oil Seal within the Inside Diameter of the top of the Fork Tube.

    If you see a metal ring in there ... its got to come out.
    Grind a sharp point on big nail and drive the nail between the old seal and the top of the tube.

    Pry all of the old remnant of that old seal out of the top of the tube.
     
    RickCoMatic, Jul 16, 2008
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  10. Madone1

    Madone1 Member

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    Yep, I was as foolish as I thought I might of been. Rick, thanks for giving me the low-down. Last night I looked at it again and realized I had a portion of the old seal in there. A firm tap with a screwdriver and I popped it out. New seal goes in nicely now! Tomorrow night I should have the time to finish the job.
     
    Madone1, Jul 17, 2008
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  11. oldtimer

    oldtimer New Member

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    I had similar problem with 84 XJ750. Some oil seals are shallower, and the space up to where the snap ring goes in needs to be filled with washer. However, sounds like your question related to diameter of inside of seal not being compatable with the outside diameter of fork tube. On my tube the top is chamfered, so the seal squeezed on relatively easily. However, I'm still waiting for input from all readers regarding the correct oil volume to put into mine, so hope you have accurate info on that. One of my new seals is already leaking, and I ;suspect too much oil, but I tried getting info here, and nobody has come up with answer.
     
    oldtimer, Jul 17, 2008
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