Fork Seal Replacement!

[Micah]

I'm going to be riding my motorcycle 1200 miles, halfway across the country in two weeks, and I need to replace my fork seals.

What special tools do I need? And are there any good ways to improvise those tools?

Thanks,
-Micah

[Nigel Marx]

What bike is it?

Regards

Nigel in NZ

[Micah]

Sorry - It's a 1990 XT600E.

[wrussell]

hello that is an interesting question because i am just trying to do my fork seals as well. i have taken my forks off the bike and i dug out one seal which was very corroded with a screwdriver to find a clip holding another seal in place so i took the clip out but cant get at the seal it is too deep in the housing so i have undone the bolt in the bottom thinking it would all come apart so i could get to the seal but it doesnt seem to,also when i took the top caps off one was ok and the other spring popped out like a jack in a box should it do this ?? any info would be very helpful thank you
:confused1s my forks seem to be from an 1987 1vj.

[Micah]

Yeah, they're supposed to fly out like a coiled viper, just have to be careful when you do that.

Apparently you take off the top cap, remove the fork spring, then dump out the oil. At which point you take off the snap ring holding the seal in. Then you take off the bottom bolt and you can use some sort of tool (?) to run down the inner tube and another (?) into the bolt hole. That will loosen the damper rod bolt so you can yank the inner tube out.

The part I don't get is what the special Yamaha-issue tools are, or what I could improvise.

[Micah]

That information came from the XT600E service manual that Kentfallen kindly posted, to give credit.

[DAVSATO]

(assuming you dont have air filled tenere forks?) when you take off the top cap the spring only pops up 1/2" or so under light pressure, dont worry about it. some sports bikes try to take your face off. then you simply upend the springs and oil in a bucket. both springs should be the same length, dont know about older models with air damping.
if i remember right, you need a special tool to hold the stanchion locked while you undo the screw in the bottom, this can be VERY stiff. then take off the clip at the top holding in the seals and use the stanchion like a sliding hammer to pull out the seals neatly.
putting them back in without damaging them is easier with a tool like a thick walled tube that slides closely over the stanchion and has a lip turned out so it only touches the driving band around the outside, do you know someone with a lathe?

i borrowed a mates homemade tools to do it ages ago, so the old memorys a bit sketchy, but if i recall the tool that goes down the stanchion tube is a big hex on a long extension, the tool that goes up through the bottom is a long reach hex wrench, a hex bit holder wont fit through the hole in the fork leg. if you look at the beginning of the service manual in the 'special tools' section you will find pictures of the tools

[MARK.F]

If the damper rod turns and you do'nt have the service tool to lock it (as usually happens to me), I just flick the dust seal from where it seats on the fork leg then flick out the circlip that holds the fork seal in place.I then get a screwdriver or something similar knock it into the seal and flick the seal out, it's coming out anyway so damaging it is no problem,but be careful not to mark the stanchion.I then clean up the part of the lower leg that the seal is going to sit in, fit the new seal and refit the circlip and dust seal.I last did this a fortnight ago on a old FZ 750 that I have and everything works fine.

[wrussell]

hello thanks for all the input guys,my forks are air filled tenere forks but i have now dismantled one of them and i had to pull/bang the inner shaft hard to force the seal out and a ring at the top of the outer lower section came off as well now i am wondering have i damaged it? and inside where the oil seal outer edge seats in the tube it is corroded should i use a sealer of some sort to make sure it stays oil tight?

[Micah]

So it looks like the T-Handle (the thing that locks the damper rod on the inside of the inner tube) has basically a 27mm nut welded onto it? So it would fit into a female 27mm hex slot, sorta like a hex key?

And the tool that goes up the bottom, how long of a hex wrench is it? My dad has a set of T-handle hex keys, would that work? Or are we talking a really long reach?

Thanks for the replies, they are very much appreciated.

[DAVSATO]

yes thats the kind of thing, but it must be pretty strong theres a lot of torque there. the allen key that goes up the bottom (hahaha) was just an ordinary long reach one, T-handle wrenches may well be long enough they are usually longer than normal ones