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Hey guys....finally got the fork seals out yesterday by boiling them in water for 15 min. and using a seal remover(screwdriver with a hook). But when I put new seals in should I drive them in dry or with some syl-glide? Thanks
You've prob already done it, but if you haven't I typically use engine assembly lube for this sort of this. That stuff is a good to have in there, will seal tight and wipes up pretty good after you get it on there.
I can't say if engine lube is good or not, but i use red-rubber grease. It's safe with rubber, prevents cracking and sticking and has good tack. Basically its designed for use with rubber seals and it's not very expensive.
I recently had to remove and replace the fork seals on my XS650 SH. I tried filling the forks with oil to give a hydraulic lock and then hammering, but this did not work so I took several ideas from this forum and others:
I prepared a tool from a 600mm length of steel tube and welded a 17mm nut to the end. This allowed me to undo the dampener bolt without it just rotating/slipping (I saw this in the Haynes manual).
I then drilled a 2.5mm hole in the seal and screwed in a wood screw with the point ground off (See YouTube). I used a manual hand drill so I would not cause damage if I slipped. I then used a claw hammer to pull the seal out by the screw. You must place a piece of wood or aluminium under the hammer to avoid damaging the fork. I had to drill three holes before the seal would come out because it was so tight. Left on the seal were small specks of aluminium suggesting the seal had bonded to the metal.
Using a lathe I made a seal hammer from a piece of oak wood. The centre bore was approximately 35.5mm to fit over the stanchion and the overall diameter was approximately 65mm. The oak was dimensioned at one end to fit into the seal housing. The hammer was made from a piece of lead sheet rolled up to the diameter of the stanchion and held together with tape. I used lead because it was available, heavy and soft so will not scratch the stanchion.
When putting the new seal in make sure it is heavily covered with oil and the seal housing also. With the stanchion in place carefully press the seal into the housing using your fingers. When the seal is level, drive it all the way in with the piece of oak and the lead hammer. Hit softly at first then increase the force to ensure the seal goes in straight. This hammer action is done simply by sliding the lead up and down the stanchion as you would with the commercially available versions.
Note: The oak does not make contact with the entire seal surface. It has been sanded in the lathe near the bore so that it does not contact the seal in the area where it meets the stanchion. In the past I have used oak to make tools for hammering in engine seals. It is strong and does not compress or splinter. Be careful not to damage the seal when you put it on the stanchion. I prefer to heavily oil the seal and thread it on from the bottom where there are a couple of machined tapers.
Note: When the dampener bolt has been removed the stanchion can be completely removed to give clear access to the seal. Then a 2.5mm hole is drilled in the seal.