Help! Help! Help!

Started working on my front forks to replace the seals and stop the leaking. Things were going pretty good, got the right side done but the left side is giving me major issues. I have an xj 650 and the allen bolt on the bottom that hold the inner and outer tubes together is rounded out. Anyone have any advice on how to get this thing out?

 

Use one size larger allen and hammer it in there. You could also weld something to it.

 

If that does not work then drill off the head of the bolt then dissamble the forks. There will be enough bolt left to unscerw with vice grips. Be sure to re[lace the copper washer with a new one, its the gasket and you don't want any oil leaks.

 

Thanks I may end up drilling it off I think. The other thing is how do I know which side goes towards the oil for the fork seals? I have the red aftermarket ones I got from chacal. I think the old ones may have been in upside down.

 

Grind flats on the bolt head and turn out with a wrench or vise grips. It is likely the bolt has coroded in place, so try and squirt some weasel piss (pb blaster or kroil) in there and rap it with a hammer to set up some high frequency vibrations to break the rust.

 

cb it is a allen wrench style bolt ad recessed into the bottom of the lower suspension fork. Great idea though but in this instance that method would not work. I ended up drilling the head off and it worked perfectly. No rust either I just couldn't get enough bite to loosen it as it was so badly rounded out. I am sure the old oil seals or should I say new as they looked pretty new were in upside down which I think is why they were leaking. The new ones I have are the red oil seals from chacal and I am not sure which side goes up or down and i don't want to make the same mistake as the PO, who by the way is the one that rounded that bolt. Oh well need to order a new from Chacal now.

 

Creamsoda, here is what Chacal posts on his "OIL SEL" page, I've shortened it up for your benefit:

Oil Seals:

NOTE: when installing oil seals, make sure that the area where the seal will fit into is clean, free of any nicks and burrs, and that the lower tube metal slide bushing is fully seated. Oil seals install with the large opening facing down, into the tube, and on most seals, the small cast lettering and numbering on the seal faces upwards.


HCP1909 Aftermarket premium quality lower fork tube RED OIL SEALS, fits all of the following models: all XJ700 and XJ750-X models. Comes packaged as a pair of seals, enough to do both forks. NOTE: these seals are more difficult to install that standard OEM or aftermarket seals, as the additional spring pressure resists the flexing and "give" that normally occurs with standard seals. Make sure that the inside diameter of the lower fork tube seal seat is clean and free of nicks or gouges (it's not a bad idea to "polish" this seat with some very fine finishing paper), and then generously lubricate both the outer diameter of these seals and the lower tube seal seat area with fork oil or silicone grease. Install with the "hollow" channel of the oil seal facing down, into the lower fork tube.$ 29.95

Hope this answers your question.

 

Ah. In my experience if a socket head cap screw is rounded out its because it was rusted in. Maybe the PO used the wrong size hex key on it. Glad to hear you got it out.

 

Ah. In my experience if a socket head cap screw is rounded out its because it was rusted in. Maybe the PO used the wrong size hex key on it. Glad to hear you got it out.

 

Thanks Maxim-x thats answer my question perfectly, it also tells me that the PO did indeed have them installed upside down. No wonder they leaked fork oil all over the place