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Post by merkmadness on Jul 21, 2014 4:58:55 GMT -5
New to RCDR and off road fun. I've noticed it's time to replace the seals on my forks and have read many articles/forums on how it's more cost efficient to rebuild them yourself with the proper tools etc. Just curious how many people do it themselves and if you have any pointers before I dive in head first. Thanks in advance.
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Post by merkmadness on Jul 21, 2014 6:55:25 GMT -5
Has anyone used and/or had success with the 35mm film negative trick to clean out their seals?
Perhaps a rebuild/seal replacement is not required.
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Post by warrant on Jul 21, 2014 16:30:20 GMT -5
They may just need a little cleaning. Some film negative or other thin but rigid plastic run around the seal may clear the debris stuck in there and making them leak. There is also a product called sealmate. Basically a thin plastic piece with a small hook on the end.
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Post by timr on Jul 22, 2014 6:29:43 GMT -5
If the seals are weeping due to debris, then the film negative trick works well. If you've lost more than a teaspoon or two of oil, then you'll need to deal with that as well. Forks that use a measured amount of oil, as opposed to measuring oil level in the tube, will require partial disassembly to drain and refill. If you do a partial disassembly, consider replacing the seals. It would suck to go through that much work and find that the old seals still leak. Also, remember to replace the bushings when replacing seals. As often as not, it's the worn bushing that are causing the leak (forks wobbling in the bushings while riding cause oil to seep by otherwise good seals).
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Post by merkmadness on Jul 22, 2014 10:47:02 GMT -5
Thanks timr. I did the seal swipe three times last night and it appears to have re-sealed. I'm keeping an eye on it. I've read that oil can be added thru the air bleed screw on the top of the fork. I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now. It doesn't seem to bottom out and I know some people run a little more or less than recommend in their forks. IF I add any it'll be a small amount. Eventually I'll probably start acquiring all of the tools and seals to rebuild anyway.
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Post by merkmadness on Aug 3, 2014 11:10:26 GMT -5
Rebuilt the forks with all new bushing and seals the other night. So far so good. Learned a lot and saved some $$$. Thanks for the help and advice.
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