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HOW TO: Change your fork seals

Discussion in 'XJ DIY How-To Instructions' started by Gamuru, Mar 9, 2008.

  1. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    If it's what I think it is, that's the oil seal. Dust seal, circlip, then oil seal. It looks like the oil seal is still in there, or at least part of it.
     
  2. maxhog650

    maxhog650 Member

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    thanks fitz, thats what im starting to think. all the seals were pretty shredded when i got in there. i can not get this thing out though, its soaking in PB but tottaly stuck
     
  3. plansea

    plansea Member

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    Hi, maxhog650
    I had the same problem with one on my seals. The metal ring you are seeing is the metal backing inside the old seal. There is a spring plus the metal piece you are seeing. One of my seals came out fairly easily but the other one ended up looking like yours. The seal was glued in with a yellow substance and I ended up taking the seal out in bits like you are doing. If you are real careful with a chisel you can cut and bend the metal band without marking any of the seal seating area and start it coming out that way. My old seals were as hard as rock and it looks like you are experiencing the same trouble I had.
    With care and patience it will all come out, take lots of breaks and don't get frustrated and mark the soft aluminum. Everything below the groove for the seal retaining clip has to come out before you fit the new seal
     
  4. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Wouldn't the up-and-down movement of the fork tubes have the same effect?
     
  5. maxhog650

    maxhog650 Member

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    Thanks plansea, exacly what i needed. Ive tried PB, Deep creep, and boiling water. nothing yet but i am able to rip out little pieces. I guess i'll be sitting with this a while
     
  6. plansea

    plansea Member

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    Hi, maxhog650

    Concentrate on getting the metal ring out, cut it with a chisel or good heavy side cutters, once the metal ring is out the rest is easy.

    Eric
     
  7. plansea

    plansea Member

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    Hi, Chacal

    You said" Wouldn't the up-and-down movement of the fork tubes have the same effect?" and I agree, there is way too much thinking going on here :)

    After riding my bike a bit and enjoying my new front fork action, I think I was stressing too much about installing the new seals. Next time I would just follow Don's advice to the letter. The new seals are soft and you don't need to worry about the lip of the seal getting bent. Just get the new seals pressed in straight, put a bit of fork oil around the seal, put the circlips in, and put the fork back together.
     
  8. wizard

    wizard Active Member

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    Some models have a bush around the bottom of the inner fork leg, this makes it impossible to pass through the oil seal.
     
  9. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Thanks plansea.

    Excellent point Wiz!
     
  10. joshua

    joshua Member

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    ok i got this problem as well but mine are the 'HARDER' version because they are the seca forks with more parts and the anti dive addition. are the procedures much the same as the 650 forks? i got these parts on order and am waiting to rip it apart but now it seems i may need to go ahead and get em opened up to prepare for adverse conditions as the left fork has been leaking a while and all the "BAD THINGS" you first described are present on my bike. Got my xj cd handy and printer printing these instructions out so i can have em handy by the bench. i am concerned about the 'bushing' i have heard about and wonder if they are available on this model as chacal was quite specific in sayin they are NOT available for most models...........hmmmmmmm sounds eeeeeerrrily problematic. i paid a jerk to do em and he screwed the pooch and me too, so now its up to me to do it right. sigh. guess i will be in touch soon.
     
  11. katrina

    katrina New Member

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    I followed this to change my fork seals and it wasn't to hard, very good explanation and pics... Thank you!
     
  12. andy1234

    andy1234 New Member

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    I'm changing seals on my 85 xj700x. I'm down to just the outer tube and the inner tube with the damper removed. I can't figure out how to seperate the tubes. The lower oil seal is still in place and the tapered spindle is loose inside. I've tried clamping the outer tube in a vise and pulling on the inner tube but it seems to hit something up by the bottom oil seal that prevents it from sliding all the way out. What am I missing???
     
  13. xj550

    xj550 Member

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    I am in the process of doing the fork seals on my 81 maxim 550 and have run into a problem. I have been able to take the top circlip (17) out but because of some rust buildup the bolt cap (15) will not come out. I have soaked it with wd40 and it doesn't help. will heat ruin the inner tube?

    Any ideas?
     

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  14. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    You're actually doing it the right way. You have to use the inner tube as a "battering ram" to pull out the slide bushing that is located at the top of the lower (outer) tube. This bushing is pressed into the lower tube and it's tightly located in there. The outer (chrome) tube has a similar style bushing on the very bottom, and it is the interference between that bushing and the one on the lower tube that prevent the inner tube from being removed and thus requires the battering-ram efforts.
     
  15. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Try using some penetrating oil instead of WD40, which actually isn't all that great of a lubricant. Some gentle application of heat can't hurt, just don't over-do it!
     
  16. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    If those Circlips are rusted so badly that they are seized in the Retaining Ring, ...

    See the Man about getting a couple of New ones.
    I think you are going too find that those Clips are going to need to be Pryed out.
    They usually come out in pieces.

    You'll have to "Clean-up" the Tube Top and the Groove that the Circlip fits into after you get everything out of there that needs to come out.

    (Make-up a solution of 50:50 Automatic Trans Fluid and Acetone.
    Brush if on the Circlip until its soaking in it.)
     
  17. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    Noted and logged.
     
  18. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Also, note (and log!) that such efforts are only necessary on models that use a slider bushing on the bottom of the inner (chrome) tube......not all models use these. All models DO use the guide bushing that is pressed into the top of the lower (outer) tube; but the models that do not use the bushing on the bottom of the chrome tube do not need to go through the "battering ram" effort to pull the inner tube out of the outer tube, since there is no inner (chrome) tube bushing to "interfere" with the removal process.

    Models which use the bushing on the bottom of the inner (chrome) tube, and thus which need the battering-ram effect, are:

    XJ550 Maxim
    XJ650 Turbo
    all XJ700 models
    XJ750 Seca and XJ750 Euro models
    XJ900 models
    XJ1100 models


    The following models do NOT use upper tube slider bushings, and thus the dis-assembly process does not require the battering-ram effort:

    XJ550 Seca
    XJ650 Maxim, Midnight Maxim, Euro, and RJ Seca models
    XJ750 Maxima nd Midnight Maxim models
     
  19. xj550

    xj550 Member

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    I have let penetrating lube sit on the bolt cap (15) for a week now with no luck. I have also just finished trying the heat method with no luck. Assistance is greatly appreciated!
     
  20. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    Xj550 are you sure you have loosened the top pinch bolt? Silly question I know but it has bitten more people (including me) in the bottom. I just want to ensure you aren't following in my footsteps on this one.
    Good luck.
     

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