Frozen Fork Cap Bolt...help!

Hey there everyone...getting ready to replace oil and springs in the forks on my project '82 650 Seca, and I've run into a problem I don't quite know how to remedy.

Bike is on the centerstand, with a jack under the front frame brace. Front wheel is off. Top T-clamp pinch bolts are loosened Removed the dust cap to see a haze of rust. Soaked the fork top with PB-Blaster, then used a clamp to compress down the Fork Cap Bolt...which stayed down.

I've removed the circlip easily enough, but I can't get the cap bolt to come back up. It is still soaking in PB Blaster in an attempt to penetrate any corrosion I'm not seeing.

So...to the experts on the board...how do I get that stuck fork cap out?

 

When that happened to me (4X, two bikes both forks) it was KROIL that got them free:

http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

And I USED to be a big fan of PB Blaster myself.

Be careful not to push the caps in too far, the fork tubes are tapered on the inside and you can "wedge" them.

 

Thanks for the tip on potentially wedging the cap. I'll make sure not to apply any more downward force.

I'll be hoping PB Blaster does the job for now, since I'd have to have to wait on another order/shipment to move forward on the bike. However, I think some KROIL may be in the immediate future.

Would application of heat/cold cycling be of any use? Just trying to come up with something that I can actually do...

 

Get the kroil even if you don't need it for this project.

For the fork I had a similar issue. I took the fork out of the bike, heated the end of the tube with a propane torch, flipped it upside down and slammed it into a block of wood while holding the lower fork. Repeated a few times and it came out and smacked the wood block pretty good. Keep the open end pointed in a safe direction, always.

 

I haven't tried this before, but can you remove the fork from the bike, then try compressing it and using the spring to force the cap back out(basically the reverse of what got you where you are now)?

I made a poor man's shop press to compress a fork out of some 2x4s and car-jack (to remove the seals, by filling with oil and hydro-locking, it's messy but it works well for some forks). Maybe that would work for you, just make sure to cover the top with some wood or something to prevent the cap from shooting out.

 

I guess if it's really stuck you could refit the clip (to prevent it launching into orbit when it frees up) and then put the wheel in & bounce the front end to compress the forks until it pops back up, then press down and remove circlip again when it's free...

EDIT-: manbot types quicker than me! could do it either way

 

I tried that-- for nearly 8 months.

PB Blaster didn't work. Nor did Liquid Wrench, JB80, CRC Freeze Off, heating, beating, etc.

KROIL worked.

 

KROIL has been ordered. In the mean time, the clip and dust cap go back in place. I'll ride with the old oil and springs until the shipment arrives.

 

Okay Bigfitz...The caps had a two-day soak with KROIL, interspersed with using a dental pick to work any rust/scale that I could get out of the edge gap around the top of the fork cap bolts. No upward movement from fork spring pressure, and no response to minor impact taps or prying at the edge gaps with narrow tools.

They are both sitting about 1/8" down from the circlip groove now. I don't think that would be far enough down to "wedge in the taper" like you warned me against. Or is it?

They seem truly frozen in...or at least too corroded to come up/out on their own. So...what is the next step? center-drill and use a puller? torch on the outside of the fork upper? How do I get these buggers out?

 

I would remove the fork and heat the top.

 

Easy fix. Use an impact. Problem solved. Noobs.....

 

These are just suggestions, as I haven't had your specific problem yet on my motorcycles:

Using a shop press to compress the fork might allow you to put a lot more force behind the fork cap than you can by just banging it or putting some weight on it. You can try to compress the cap until the spring binds.

If you are really desperate, can you fill the fork with oil form the drain bolt, and then try compressing. Hydro-locking the fork guarantees that something will pop...although the fork seal might go first even with the circlip installed (it can take a lot. I forgot to remove it once).

Keep soaking in kroil too. It can take some time to really work it's way in there.

 

Impact.

Support the Bike on Jack Stands.
Drain the Fork.
Remove everything in the way to taking the Fork Tube off the Bike.
Pull the Fork.

Slip two tight-fitting O-rings on the Upper Tube.
Slide them down until they are flush against the Outer Tube Dust Seal.
Duct Tape the Inner Tube preventing the O-rings from sliding, ... effectively immobilizing the Outer Tube.
[You can skip the O-ring's, ... but using them makes removing the Tape and cleaning-up the residue simple when using a Razor and Thinner].

Duct Tape a short piece of 2X6 to the garage floor.
Securely.

Kneel.
Grab Upper Tube confidently.
Have an assistant make a red dot bulls-eye at the middle of the wood before you strike the dot with a heavy blow exactly the way Vincent gave Mia the adrenaline shot in Pulp Fiction.
Having this recorded for possible use on America's Funniest Videos is a big plus.

Two or three smart pops on the plank and Newton's Laws kick-in.
A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
The Fork Tube comes to a sudden stop when it strikes the board.
The stuck Cap tends to stay in motion.
The Board saves the Upper Tube from sustaining any damage.

Lube the space it needs to travel to come-out.

 

I did what Rick suggests to free mine, minus the oring and tape but plus heat from a propane torch.

 

I'll include everything but the video camera from Rick's instructions. A modern theorem based on Laws of Murphy would suggest that the presence and activation of the video camera would guarantee a result worth of viral distribution, and I don't want to go there.

Sad to me that such action is necessary...firstly in regards to a seeming bad design and secondly due to me wanting to treat my equipment with more "respect."

 

Aww. Everything needs a good beating every once-in-a-while. :twisted:
That way it'll remember who it works for :roll:

 

I think any mechanic worth his salt has had to do more "abusive" things to a machine at one time or another to fix a problem. Mechanics just won't let you see them doing it to your vehicle.

Especially on 30 y/o equipment. For all intents and purposes, it wasn't designed to be abused by POs and neglected for decades, then by worked on like any late model rolling into the shop.

That's why these bikes are "cheap" to buy, and why many shops and dealers won't work on them, it actually takes a lot of man-hours to fix something that's "basic."

That's why there's a forum ;-)

 

It would make a good video either way.

Another way?
"Flat-rate"

Put a towel on the bench.
Lay the Lower Tube on towel.
Strike Upper Tube with Dual-rubber/plastic Hammer.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... =39869:4:0

Start whacking with the Rubber-end. What the heck?
You might get it.
If it don't, you use "Plan-B".
Anger.
Flip the Hammer over to the Plastic Head.
You are losing time.
And you hate that!

 

In addition to the rage face you put on, they always come loose when you start talking real dirty to her while your beating in her.

Lol works for me when performing auto maintenance.

 

I have found that the surest way to get something stuck, unstuck, is to let a smartass teenager work on it. "whatchya dooin dad?" "Trying to get this @#()##& unstuck. been trying for weeks." "let me try." The #()$#$)#)(* comes unstuck instantly.


#$#@*&$ smartass kid of mine. :lol: