Fork Seal Installation

[donmurray]

My Montesa 315 manual shows a tube type driver for installing the seals. Is this necessary or can I carefully tape it in by working all around in small increments? Maybe a narrow piece of wood to prevent damage?

[alan bechard]

A properly sized peice of very squarely cut plastic pipe often makes a nice driving tool.

[drop5]

try taking all the plastic and rubber off the old seal (blowtorch), this will leave you with a metal ring, this is slightly smaller than the seal. sit it on top of the new seal and tap in. hope this helps.

[donmurray]

try taking all the plastic and rubber off the old seal (blowtorch), this will leave you with a metal ring, this is slightly smaller than the seal. sit it on top of the new seal and tap in. hope this helps.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why didn't I think of that? No reply required.

[charliechitlins]

I just use the whole old seal.

Done hundreds.

[copemech]

Charlie,

A properly sized peice of very squarely cut plastic pipe often makes a nice driving tool.

I know this it tough, but what Alan is trying to say here is "go spend a dollar and buy a piece ov PVC pipe to use as a driver", it works!

So do those SEAL SAVERS, keeps the crud out so you don't have to jack with them in the first place. I think the 1 3/4 size are the ones for trials at www.sealsavers.com. or Lewisport. They even come in colors. The more expenseve DELAY ones work too and cover the entire tube.

I have had no seal problems on my '01,'03,'05 bikes, but the wifes little '02 1.25 has the longest track record.

MC

[copemech]

Yea, I know,

THIS, from a guy that uses very expensive Snap-on sockets to install bearings?

Remember, I said it was only about a bucks worth ov PVC, of course with current prices? Can you knock that rubber off the old seals with a grinder the same way I trim down OLD timkin cups to use as installers? Of course you can! They don't stick as much that way!

Ha!

Remind me sometime to tell you about that little Russian made tapered bearing at the bottom of the steering stem! OMG!

I need a beer now! Got to go! Wayne is probably in spasms by now!

CHEERS!

MC

[rhaines]

I couldnt find a bit of pvc pipe with the correct diameter so I used a plastics plughole from B&Q. break of the grill where the water drains away and you have a tube with a lip on it that fits perfect. use an old seal on top of the new one to drive it in so you dont damage the new one and put new one in boiling water for a minute to soften the rubber so it goes in easier(remember to dry it well first as you know water dont mix with oil)

[charliechitlins]

Charlie,

A properly sized peice of very squarely cut plastic pipe often makes a nice driving tool.

I know this it tough, but what Alan is trying to say here is "go spend a dollar and buy a piece ov PVC pipe to use as a driver", it works!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even I am not so cheap that I wouldn't buy a piece of PVC...I just don't think it would work any better,

Also, I work on lots of bikes, and I don't need all those different pieces of pipe around.

And, I know that the old seal is going to be an exact fit every time.

[kevin j]

one thing I like about the plastic pipe is that you can use it like a slide hammer, over the inner tube, and it guides itself absolutely square to the axis of the slider when you tap the seal in. This is when putting seal into a bore with forsk still assembled.

I have a set of seal drivers (for auto & industrial seals) that work well installing seals when the inner tube is not in place. They are a giant metal washer 3/8 inch thick about 3 inchoes OD. A round rod sticks out the back side to drive with hammer. Various sizes of plastic inserts to fit seal ID screw onto the front. Tap things in, works nice and square, and the big metal plate bottoms on the houseing, doesn't overdrive the seal.

generally I end up spending the money for good tools, but usually only after having spent hours, and wrecked at least one set of good parts, doing a job I never intended to do again..... I'm a slow learner.

kcj

[donmurray]

The new seals arrived today and I used a 12" piece of 1 1/2" pvc to drive them in. A slightly bigger diameter would be better, and maybe you could get that outside the US.

[alan bechard]

I do not know about the UK, but in Germany, Israel, and Egypt, they used standard pipe. I think it is a world standard.

What sometimes works for me is to find the various coupler sleeves, and then things like drain pipe (same OD's different Id's)

Over the years being the pack rat I am, have just picked up an assortment of those type pieces, but I must admit, it seems I never have exactly the right one, and end up back at the store buying another.

Glad you got it back together.

[totalshell]

like the idea of warming up the seal in warm water,

on my cub i cut the top rubber away and burn / cut away the rubber closest to the tube so that i can get at the seal tension spring, pulling this spring out usually brings the rest of the rubber out only leaving the steel ring to get out ..

apply heat to outside of fork and the thing nearly jumps out, if not apply a small screwdriver to 'wiggle' it out ..

heat up outer ring again to insert, warm but not hot, so that the rubber does not melt and the new seal will virtually drop in when it cools it shrinks and its in for ever... if you have to resort to a yorkshire screwdriver dont use a big one more along the lines of a toffee hammer and use a drift /old pipe/or curtain rail ...