Need fork seal replacement instructions

1985 XJ700N Maxim -- is there a good set of instructions for changing my fork seals somewhere in this forum?

 

There are some really good guides, but not about our bikes specifically.

In general, the order goes like this:

- loosen pinch bolts at top of fork tubes, by the turn signals.

- loosen cap bolts, which are at the very top of the fork tubes, by the turn signals, under some chromed plastic caps. this requires a 17mm hex wrench. stuff may fly up out of the tubes when these are removed -- spacers, primarily.

- drain oil, by removing the drain screw at the bottom rear of the forks.

- loosen pinch bolts by the front "Yamaha" badge. these are covered by plastic caps which are very difficult to remove. a very small flat-head screwdriver might do the trick. i got irritated and just drilled them out, and prefer the look of it without them.

- remove brake calipers (you can leave them hanging).

- loosen axle pinch bolt, on right side of bike.

- remove axle, speedometer (can be left hanging), and then wheel.

- pull fork tubes down off the bike.

- remove: spacers, spring seats, springs, dust seal covers (the chrome bits between the inner and outer tubes), dust seals, wire circlips.

- remove bolt at very bottom of tubes. this is the dampening rod bolt. to get it all the way off, you may need to use an OEM or self-made dampening rod retainer tool. one or two long socket extenders combined with a 22mm sparkplug socket apparently does the trick.

- use the "battering ram" method to separate the forks. this is where you pull the inner tube hard out against the outer tube repeatedly, until the oil seal disengages and comes out.

- remove the dampening rod.

- clean the inside of everything with a long brush and a solvent.

- use this opportunity to polish all the tubes with 1000 grit sandpaper and wd-40 until it glows.

- check bushings for wear. sadly, replacement bushings are apparently hard to find. they should have teflon coating.

- reverse these instructions, replacing parts as needed, until the forks are rebuilt.

recommended replacement parts are: oil seals, dust seals and caps, wire circlips right above the oil seals, and o-rings in the middle of the cap bolts.

i'm in the process of doing mine right now. my bottom bolts (dampening rod retainer bolts) are seized on, and i'll have to borrow an impact driver to remove them.

good luck!

 

-DO NOT let the brake calipers hang from the hoses; yes you can leave them hanging but from a loop of wire.

-NO Sandpaper on any internal parts! Scotchbrite only, and only if absolutely necessary. If you plan to sand/polish the outer surfaces of the lower tubes, you'll need to strip the old clearcoat first. Since aircraft paint remover is so nasty, this would be a good opportunity to do so.

 

thanks, I'll order parts and give it a try. I let a shop do it a couple of months ago, and the left side still leaks badly. Hope I don't find something bad when I get inside.

 

Bitch out the shop... see if you can get it for free....