Best Fork seal tool

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Neo
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Best Fork seal tool

Postby Neo » Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:09 am

Hi,

Does anyone know what's the best tool to prize out a fork seal, without scratching the living daylights out of the inside of the fork leg?

Also is one fork seal brand the same as the next. Or is there a "best brand". Or is it always best to get the seals from the bike manufacture?

Many thanks.

Neo



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Re: Best Fork seal tool

Postby David Lahey » Sat Jan 22, 2005 5:05 pm

Neo wrote:Hi,

Does anyone know what's the best tool to prize out a fork seal, without scratching the living daylights out of the inside of the fork leg?

Also is one fork seal brand the same as the next. Or is there a "best brand". Or is it always best to get the seals from the bike manufacture?

Many thanks.

Neo

Make a lever with an end that can lift the seal without scratching the seal seat. Often you can regrind a flat bladed screwdriver to do this well.
Use a protector (made of plastic or aluminium) to spread the load so the lever doesn't dent the top edge of the seal seat.
Another option is to use a slide hammer with a tip shaped to suit the underside of the seal.
Soak the seal for a while with penetrating liquid to help loosen it.



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Neo
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Postby Neo » Sun Jan 23, 2005 10:17 am

Thanks for your help David.

Anyone with an opinion of the BEST fork seals to buy?

Cheers.

Neo



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Postby Sherco H » Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:00 pm

Neo,
What type of bike are they for. Fork seals should last for many seasons, most problems come from scratched fork sliders, that is the chrome has been damaged , usually by a nice piece of Granite rock, as your bike slides off a ledge and into the canyon below. So check for any slight scratches or raised areas and polish them off with a fine grade emery. If you don`t , then the first time the seal passes over the damage, they are cut and start leaking on your first ride. I`ve seen also some bikes, where the seal fits into the alloy fork leg, damaged that bad that the seal was pushed out of round. Worth checking aswell.
Cheers,
ShercoH



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Neo
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Postby Neo » Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:41 pm

Thanks Howard,

My bike is an 2002 Sherco 290.

I can't see any scratches on the forks but for future reference what grade of emery should I use?

Also is it worth having those special coatings done on the fork legs?

It’s wired as they are very slightly damp and I’ve only seen oil leak out once, on one leg, so far (in 2 weeks). But I’m beginning to think that that was because I didn’t open the air bleeder for a few hours of use on a hot day. Could this have caused a temporary leak?

Many thanks.

Neo



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Postby keithj » Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:42 am

Howard Wallace wrote:So check for any slight scratches or raised areas and polish them off with a fine grade emery.


And if it's a groove in the slider, fill it with araldite and sand back flush.

From memory (it was a looong time ago) when I replaced a set of seals in my Gasser they were easily tapped out with a particular sized socket which fitted nicely. However I also vaguely recall that the seal was inside a section of the lower that screwed off, making it extremely easy to tap out the seal.
YMMV.


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Postby Sherco H » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:52 am

Neo,
Your on the right track with the bleed valve on the top of the fork. Check that your not getting a leak from it , that runs down the back of the fork and onto the seal. As for the best seal ??? cant answer that one , except that the factory ones are going to fit . The way I get the seal out is undo the bottom allen screw in the fork leg , remove the spring clip on top of the seal , then gently slide the forks like they were being topped out, and the seal and top bush are pushed out by the lower bush. I`m sure there`s a technical section on the Sherco website in the Ryan Young section that will be of great help to you, with the forks and many other areas of the Sherco.
Cheers,
ShercoH



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Postby Neo » Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:04 am

Thanks Howard, Thanks Keith - I appreciate your help.

I still haven't seem it leaking a second time, but it is a little damp on that one leg.

For future reference, is it best to change the seals as a pair (at the same time) or just wait for each seal to leak before changing that one?

Cheers.

Neo


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One or both

Postby BJ » Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:37 pm

Neo

It is just as easy to do both while the front wheel is out unles you have a particular cause that makes one seal more prone to leaks than another.

This could be the case with my 2000 250 Sherco which has preload spring setting on one fork and damper adjustment on the other. As I found out when playing with suspension settings, if you wind up the damper too much you will make the seal leak purely though excess pressure. I have never had it leak again once I backed off the damper. I would assume because of the set up the right seal on a Sherco does more work than the left. Am I right ShercoH????????

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Postby Sherco H » Tue Feb 01, 2005 8:33 am

BJ,
I don`t think that changing the damping rate will put more pressure on the seal. The volume of air on top of the oil is a constant, that is being compressed, by adjusting the damper rate, the rate that the oil goes through the damper valves is being varied. I feel that by making the fork act softer with less damping you would use more travel and quicker responce to bumps. Fellas, These things are made to jump off double story buildings without any damage, no joking, so look for other damage to be causing problems. I always change both seals at once, so as to get the oil in each identical. If I opened the seal pack and only used one, nothin surer than my Kids would end up with the other in the back yard , frizbyin it around as a chew toy for the Dog, they just don`t seem to work as well after that.
Cheers,
ShercoH
PS The Wayne Thais section on the Sherco website is well worth going through, has everything you`d ever need to maintain your Sherco.




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