Dust Cover Removal

[ridicidonk]

Hello,

Replacing the leaky fork seals on a 1982 Yamaha XS 400 Maxim I just picked up a couple weeks ago. It's been going pretty smooth except now I have the fork tubes off but am unable to remove the fork seal dust covers. Trying prying from below and wedging a flathead in-between but was unable to get it to budge even a little. I've look online and it seems like this should be so easy most people don't even include it in videos of the demoing fork seal jobs. I thought maybe the retaining clip was causing issues but I was able to remove it before the dust cover and still no joy. I've also noticed that the dust cover itself looks different on some maxims with the cover being a larger conical shaped thingy. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Also does anyone know the correct diameter fork seal? I bought a pair of eBay and it assured me they would fit for the model but they were definitely too large. I guess my fault for not double checking the size before. I heard 33? Is that correct, maybe someone has a link to a cheap pair.

Thanks for any help at all,

 

[GuyS]

I just did the seals on my 82 Maxim 400J. It should be a very straighforward process. Easier than many other bikes. It is interesting that you left the tubes on the bike. I guess it’s possible to do it that way. I just took them off. Really easy to do and then perhaps makes it easier to do the re and re.

The attached photo shows a $10 tool to remove seals. This makes it easy. The tool pivots on the upper part of the tube housing so it’s pretty safe to use. Even so, take your time you don’t want to damage the metal around the seal. Keep an eye on where the pointed part of the tool is. It will get underneath the seal to lift it out.

The actual fork seal is under a circlip. It’s the one that does the sealing of the fork oil. Mine came out using the tool fairly easy. I gave up trying to get mine out with a screwdriver. Now back together the suspension feels better. But more importantly oil is no longer dripping on the my brake calliper! Make sure you torque the bolts holding the tubes properly. This very important. I torqued mine upper 8.5 ft lbs and lower 25.5…..but do your own research there’s some ambiguity out there. Let me know if you need any other help. Like I say I just did mine.

 

[ridicidonk]

I just did the seals on my 82 Maxim 400J. It should be a very straighforward process. Easier than many other bikes. It is interesting that you left the tubes on the bike. I guess it’s possible to do it that way. I just took them off. Really easy to do and then perhaps makes it easier to do the re and re.

The attached photo shows a $10 tool to remove seals. This makes it easy. The tool pivots on the upper part of the tube housing so it’s pretty safe to use. Even so, take your time you don’t want to damage the metal around the seal. Keep an eye on where the pointed part of the tool is. It will get underneath the seal to lift it out.

The actual fork seal is under a circlip. It’s the one that does the sealing of the fork oil. Mine came out using the tool fairly easy. I gave up trying to get mine out with a screwdriver. Now back together the suspension feels better. But more importantly oil is no longer dripping on the my brake calliper! Make sure you torque the bolts holding the tubes properly. This very important. I torqued mine upper 8.5 ft lbs and lower 25.5…..but do your own research there’s some ambiguity out there. Let me know if you need any other help. Like I say I just did mine.

Thanks for the help. I'll see about getting that tool and borrowing a friends torque wrench to get it to spec.

 

[ridicidonk]

I just did the seals on my 82 Maxim 400J. It should be a very straighforward process. Easier than many other bikes. It is interesting that you left the tubes on the bike. I guess it’s possible to do it that way. I just took them off. Really easy to do and then perhaps makes it easier to do the re and re.

The attached photo shows a $10 tool to remove seals. This makes it easy. The tool pivots on the upper part of the tube housing so it’s pretty safe to use. Even so, take your time you don’t want to damage the metal around the seal. Keep an eye on where the pointed part of the tool is. It will get underneath the seal to lift it out.

The actual fork seal is under a circlip. It’s the one that does the sealing of the fork oil. Mine came out using the tool fairly easy. I gave up trying to get mine out with a screwdriver. Now back together the suspension feels better. But more importantly oil is no longer dripping on the my brake calliper! Make sure you torque the bolts holding the tubes properly. This very important. I torqued mine upper 8.5 ft lbs and lower 25.5…..but do your own research there’s some ambiguity out there. Let me know if you need any other help. Like I say I just did mine.

I thought up a few more questions. Is it a good idea to replace the fork seals and not fully rebuilt the fork uppers? Also would it be possible to refill the fork oil without removing the uppers from the steering assembly? I'd imagine one could pop the caps and pour in from the top no?

 

[GuyS]

I suppose it is possible to replace seals at the tube/housing without removing the upper tubes I never heard of anyone doing it that way and also I think that would be awkward to do at so many stages in the process. Also to seat the new seals you need to slip something like a 1 1/2” ABS (like black plumbing pipe) over top of the tube to properly (and equally push) the new fork seals in. That alone would suggest you’d be much better off taking the tubes off the bike. See the video below.

 

[ridicidonk]

I suppose it is possible to replace seals at the tube/housing without removing the upper tubes I never heard of anyone doing it that way and also I think that would be awkward to do at so many stages in the process. Also to seat the new seals you need to slip something like a 1 1/2” ABS (like black plumbing pipe) over top of the tube to properly (and equally push) the new fork seals in. That alone would suggest you’d be much better off taking the tubes off the bike. See the video below.

Yea, the more I thought about it the less sense it made. I guess I will have to take them off fully after all. First time doing a fork job if its not obvious enough.

 

[GuyS]

The good news is it is really easy to take the tubes off. You just loosen the top pinch bolts (those get torqued back to 8.5 ft lbs) and the lower ones get loosened off and get torqued back to 25.5 ft lbs. When they’re loose, the tube will just drop down. Careful they don’t hit the floor!. When you reinstall the top of the tube lines up flush with the top pinch bolt bracket both sides. That’s the only “alignment” necessary. The black ABS plumbing pipe works perfectly when slipped over top of the tube and provides a nice tool to bed the fork seal into the lower housing. Get the seal in the right way. There are little sharks teeth that point down and physically form the seal when the shock is depressed. I did another bit of a write up on this forum and explains how the seal works with pictures.