Topic: Now I can't get that *$%* lower fork bolt torqued back on!

[Tugboat]

I've got everything put back together and have the bolt snugged up, but can't torque it down to 14 ft/lbs. As with disassembly, the plunger it screws into inside the fork just spins. I've tried shoving a broom handle down there to hold it still but to no avail. Any other ideas?!?

[ekpent]

Broom handle has always worked for me but I do put some wraps of duct tape on the end and cap of the handle to aid in and give better 'traction' or friction and have the broom handle on the ground with the fork tube standing upright for better push. Good luck on it.

[grcamna2]

Get an air impact gun and put the tightest fitting allen socket into the allen head bolt you can fit in there and then carefully ("straightly"so you won't strip the allen head) give it a real small couple of quick bursts with the 1/2" air impact wrench(a low power one set on 1/2 power)while holding the fork tube in the vise with soft jaws and having some one else hold your slider w/ a very large adj. wrench on the caliper mounts and compress the fork a bit...that done carefully will torque it close to spec & you can get it tight enough to torque it more once it's tightened that far.

I recommend taking it off first and carefully running a tap into the end of the damper rod where the threads are...and also cleaning the threads on the bolt...if you do this first, you may not have to mess with the above(non recommended procedures  .

[dragon79]

did you try putting the spring and cap back in and then tighten? sometimes the pressure from the spring helps.

adam

[grcamna2]

did you try putting the spring and cap back in and then tighten? sometimes the pressure from the spring helps.

adam

+1 

[Johnie]

I have only had that happen once which was 2 weeks ago. The broom handle just spun. So I put the spring and cap back on, but still spun. So I took a thick bolt and put that on top of the spring to create more pressure, put the cap back on and that did the trick.