Topic: fork seals why must you leak

[73nancy]

ok guys need some help. i have done fork seals on my 71 750 twice and both times leaked. first time i bought cheap ones and put them in backwards my bad and they poured out fluid. so i decided to try and save them and fliped them and put them back in. i redid my steering bearings so i decided to buy new fork seals just in case. went with the all balls double lip type. figured that would help my issue. put them in as they said and i think i had a little to much fluid in the forks because all was good untill i straped the bike on my trailer for the 1800 mile ride and tightened the straps and fluid blew out on of the forks then the other. had no time to fix so had to strap it down for the haul. now after unloading the bike and been sitting for about two weeks today looked at the forks and you can pull them up and they sag down like they have no fluid. so my question is what do i do? they blew the fluid out so you think the seals are junk now? the fork tubes dont have any nicks in them where the seal rides and they never leaked before i rebuilt the bike.

[Old Scrambler]

Common problem......your not the first...........New seals, yes!....CORRECT amount of 15w..........The K0-K2 models hold 220cc.  K3 and up hold 150cc.  '77-'78 F models hold 180cc.

Now........correct tiedown use..........as learned from ANKRA in 1973........Just snug the front straps about 1-inch of travel on the forks.  Then install the rear set of tiedowns pulling forward and not very wide. Get them as tight as you can.  Recheck the front but just snug. If you don't like the rear straps.......get a roll-on front stand from Harbor Freight or.....but still only snug the front straps.

[73nancy]

ya so seals are junk again im guessing?

[KingCustomCycles.com]

please explain how pushing excess fluid past a seal damages it?  I say refill to the propr level and ride.  BTW, I use ATF fluid in all my forks with zero problems.

[73nancy]

it seems it leaking all of the fluid out so i was going to try and re-fill them and see what happens.

[bollingball]

I don't see why it would have leaked any more than the extra out?

[73nancy]

i didnt think it did at first cause the bike stayed nice and tight all the way on my trip. but after its been sitting off the trailer i can pull up on the bike and get upward travel then let go and it just sags down with no resistance. the seals shouldnt be upside down installed then the way all balls said.

[73nancy]

just read another new thread that was posted. when i installed both sets of seals in the past i didnt have to drive the seal into place in order to put the snap ring into position. i just had to push them down in by hand? is this normal or do i have issues