Fixing front fork leak - '93 800

[hillsy]

.... there was "a lot" of loctite on the bolts....

Yep - PO has stuffed it up for you.

Glad you got it sorted - now, after all that are the forks OK? As in, not pitted?

[navigator]

Reuse the brass washers if possible, they are softer than steel and will seal better.
A little heat will soften that loctite on the other fork...don't get carried away though, the lowers are cast aluminum.

[panamaniac]

Thanks all. Yeah he was able to save the washers so I’ll make sure to reuse them (he drilled out BOTH bolts). And Hillsy, I don’t think they are super pitted (see pic) but I bought 0000 steel wool + contact cleaner to clean em up before reassembly, so that should be good, yeah?

Nav: what size do you cut the spacers for the progressive springs? And you’re saying I should use neverseize on those bolts? Should I use it on other components too? The manual didn’t mention that. OR are you saying that you prefer it to loctite when you need to use one of them, generally speaking?

[navigator]

IIRC the directions with the Progressive springs call for a 2.875" spacer.

I use never seize on bolts I plan on removing again. Just a thin film, a dab on the first few threads, then it spreads out.
Never seize is a good lubricant.

I rarely use loctite, only in places where I witness bolts loosening up on there own. I just torque everything to spec and it usually stays in place. Blue loctite is removable, Red loctite requires heat to break it loose. You only need a drop with that stuff. Don't lather them up.

For this job, I'd put a dab of never seize on the bolts you replaced, the fork clamp bolts on the lower tree, the caliper mounting bolts, the fender bolts, and the axle pinch bolt.
Rub a light coat of grease on the axle and threads before you slide it in, wipe off any excess later.
Also lube the lip of the oil seal with a drop of oil where it contacts the tube, and a touch of oil on the fork cap O-rings.

JMO

[panamaniac]

Thank you, Nav. Got some anti seize to use!

Hillsy—Would this be considered “pitting” or are we looking good?



This is after cleaning it pretty thoroughly with contact cleaner and 0000 steel wool.

[hillsy]

Thank you, Nav. Got some anti seize to use!

Hillsy—Would this be considered “pitting” or are we looking good?



This is after cleaning it pretty thoroughly with contact cleaner and 0000 steel wool.

Hard to tell which part of the fork has pitting from that pic. The important part is the area where the seals travel across. If there is pitting in that area then they will more than likely start leaking again (may not be immediately, but soon).

[navigator]

Can you feel the pits with your fingernail?
Are they in the seal area?
The pics look like the clamp area.

[panamaniac]

Good question. I put the inner forks inside the stantions all the way down, and would say that to the extent there is any putting it’s ABOVE that part (and thus shouldn’t interfere with the seals) so I think I’m looking good!

One more question—do any of you clean out the inside of the stantion before reassembly? Given that we had to drill out the old bolts, I ran a bunch of water thru mine and let them air dry, but am concerned there’s probably still some shmutz in there. I guess as long as it stays in the bottom of the stantion it should be fine tho?

[navigator]

Good question. I put the inner forks inside the stantions all the way down, and would say that to the extent there is any putting it’s ABOVE that part (and thus shouldn’t interfere with the seals) so I think I’m looking good!

One more question—do any of you clean out the inside of the stantion before reassembly? Given that we had to drill out the old bolts, I ran a bunch of water thru mine and let them air dry, but am concerned there’s probably still some shmutz in there. I guess as long as it stays in the bottom of the stantion it should be fine tho?

Sounds like you are OK in the pitting not being in the seal area.
Since you have them disassembled, Just use a long rod with a rag to wipe out the bottom interior.

[panamaniac]

Success! Cleaned all the parts, rubbed them down with fork oil, and reinstalled, with the new Progressive springs and my DIY spacers, which ended up being about 1/8" short of the 2.875 recommended, but the instructions said I can adjust by 1/4 inch at a time to change up the ride, so I don't think 1/8th will matter much. Only been on a short ride so far but it definitely feels better to me!

Thanks again so much to everyone for all the tips. I'm switching to getting my scooter back to riding condition, then switching back to the intruder to do valve clearance and finally remove/clean/rebuild/sync the carbs, which I've wanted to do for many years.

[hillsy]

Nice work

[panamaniac]

Final issue: I torqued off the head of the bolt holding my front left (when sitting on the bike) turn signal. Used some left-handed drill bits etc. and extractors to no avail. So looking for a new clamp (also posted in the Flea Market forum).