Background - I picked up some powder coated sliders along with some midglide trees from mreed last fall. I put the trees on Labor Day weekend last year, but didn't bother installing the sliders till the offseason.

I had some a bit of difficulty getting the first set of seals in. I used a piece of PVC pipe to fit over the fork tube and a 3# sledge to get them in place. Anyway, the right side has been fine since day one. The left side had a slight leak that progressed enough for me to change it once again.

Since I had already gone thru the process once before, it didn't take more than an hour or so to tear down the front end. This time around, I removed the fork leg from the trees and put the seal in before installing the spring (Progressives). I also checked the tube for burrs and found nothing. The seal went in much easier than the first time. I also replaced the dust seal just in case. BTW, I took the time to file and sand any sharp edges off the PVC pipe to ensure that it wouldn't cut the seal during the installation.

Well, the operation seemed to be successful. I've put on around 4k miles this season and lately I've been riding about 125 - 170 miles per day each weekend and I've been watching for any oil seepage...Nothing of note. I thought the problem was solved.

The Problem -- Last night I took a quick ride to fill up the tank and parked it. This morning I backed the bike out of the shed and noticed oil residue on the left tube. I wiped it off and kept an eye on it throughout the day. A slight amount of oil has been present each time I check it. The friggin' leak is back!!!

Does anyone have any theories as to what could be causing this to happen? I'm at the end of my rope. The bike has been running strong so far the season, but the fork leak and my ongoing problems with brake light switches have been driving me nuts.

I'm trying to convince my wife that it's time to trade in the Sporty for a Dyna, but since that isn't likely to happen I guess I'm going to have to keep trying to work these problems out. As usual, I turn to the forum for suggestions. Please help me out!!!

 

Could be a bad seal or installation, but seeing as it takes a while for the issue to rear its ugly head again, I would suspect that something is micro-abraiding the seal.

Look closely at the fork as it fits into the slider. Are you certain you are getting the correct seals?

 

If you remember there is a washer, forget the exact name that is part of the fork seal package. If you are going to use the PVC pipe method, which I do to install the seal, then buy an extra one of the washers and use it between the oil seal and the PVC pipe when installing the oil seal. It will prevent damage to the seal from the PVC pipe. If you did not replace the slide bushing and the guide bushing, you may also be getting excessive play in the fork. Just some thoughts, may help I don't know.

 

He is onto something 46515-01 SPACER SEAL All. If you use a non petroleum grease or fork oil and coat the oil seal it will slide in easy. You also need to turn down the OD of the PVC to clear the inside of the slider or it will not seal/push down (I am sure the OP did this) far enough.

 

Belray Fork Oil with Seal Swell does wonders


http://www.roseville-yamaha.com/esho...E_FORK_OIL.htm

 

Perhaps the slider (chrome part of fork) is nicked from a rock and cutting the seal.

Perhaps the slider is "out of round".

Too much oil in the fork tube.

Installation errors, incorrect or failed part, not having right tools for the job...all valid reasons.

 

I had a similar problem and thought about it and came up with a solution that seemed to work ... I took a piece of regular paper from a note book and making a tube of it around the up fork stantion ... and angling slightly work it down in to the seal slowly and used it to polish the working face of the seals ... as I withdrew it also slowly rotating it it came away with dirt and grit ... paper at the microscope level is abrasive and can be used to polish things ... we have used this in a tool shop I use to work in for punches for a punch and die set ... it seems to have worked and it has been 6 months now and now leaking ... it sure saved having to take the forks apart again too. Good luck

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. As I mentioned in the original post, I was extremely careful in putting the seal in this time. I neglected to mention that I put in about 11 - 11.5 oz of fluid. I put the exact same amount in the right side with no problems.

Tonight I popped off the metal cap on the slider and the rubber dust cap to look at the seal itself. There was very little, if any, oil lying there. I replaced everything and I'm taking an extended ride tomorrow morning so I'll see if the leak continues. BTW, the leak wasn't extreme. Usually there's a sheen of oil on the tube which collects on the back of the tube due to the wind.

If I continue to see some oil, I'll try surazal54's suggestion. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions.

 

I took a close look at the tube today and found a few small nicks, some were hidden from view under the dust seal and metal cap. I used some sandpaper to smooth them out a bit.

I took the bike for an ~50 mile ride. Unfortunately I got caught in a downpour before I made it back home, which may have washed off some of the oil - if there was any. It seems as though it's leaking a little bit less.

Maybe the nicks have already done their damage and I'll ultimately have to replace the seal again. Hopefully this was the source of my headaches. I'm taking an extended ride tomorrow, so I'll see how it holds up.

 

On a ride this weekend I noticed that the right fork tube seal was passing fluid. I had the bike (05' FXST) up on a lift with the front wheel off the ground doing maintenance last weekend. Is it possible that air filled the fork tube and created pressure when I put the bike down causing the fork oil to pass the seal? The fork tube seals are only 7000 miles old. I pulled the dust cover off the tube and soaked up the oil with a paper towel. It wasn't a lot of oil, but just enough to grab my attention. Cause as you know, a little oil goes a long way in making one think it is worse than it is. Has anyone ever had this happen?