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front fork leak

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by tabaka45, Mar 4, 2014.

  1. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    When I bought my XJ 700 one of the fork seals was leaking and I made the mistake of having the fork seals replaced by a local bike shop and they are no longer around. The same side seal is still leaking, and I suspect that the shop simply removed the fork, popped out the seal and replaced it without completely dismantling and cleaning it. Do you think that maybe they simply put too much oil in it and that is causing it to leak? Could there still be some dirt or trash in the oil? Whatever is wrong, I sure wasted $115.
     
  2. bmarzka

    bmarzka Active Member

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    If the chrome on the inner tube is pitted, it will always leak. I used cheap seals once and they lasted 2 seasons. Last year I replaced those with OEM Yamaha seals and dust wipers. We'll see how long they last.
    If I remember right, the forks use 13.4 oz. of oil per side. There was a thread not too long ago on changing XJ700 fork seals.

    The shop charged you $115...for ONE FORK???
     
  3. wizard

    wizard Active Member

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    If the inner tubes are pitted you can flat them down with 1500 grit & fill the pits with epoxy filler.
     
  4. OldBikerDude

    OldBikerDude Member

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    If they are still leaking after the so called shop that closed worked on them there is a good chance that they din't even do anything to them.
    Do them yourself. You can do it in a day and it will only cost you around $20- $30.
     
  5. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Maybe that's why the shop is now closed.......

    DF
     
  6. burger

    burger Member

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    There not too difficult to do yourself. I paid $80 at dealer for new seals and dust boots. But I Figured doing it with Yamaha parts is worth it
     
  7. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    And consider the $4/ea fork gaiters. O'Reilly's part number K6298 is a rack & pinion bellows, you need 2 of them. Gaiters will be a huge help towards keeping dirt, debris and crap off your forks. Simply warm the bellows in hot water to soften it and stretch the narrow bit over the fork tube. Of course you would figure the big end goes down, towards and on to the slider. There is a thread here about it recently. Good luck.
     
  8. Rayjay1959

    Rayjay1959 Member

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    I'm no mechanic, but was able to change mine with the thread here on changing seals. Mine don't leak and I have real firm front end now :)
     
  9. adrian1

    adrian1 Active Member

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  10. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    I tried that a while ago and it worked for a couple of weeks and then started leaking again. So I am assuming that the mechanic didn't remove and clean the components and there is still trash or dirt or something inside. But I'll try it again since I'm not in a hurry anyway.
     

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