05-08-18, 04:28 PM
(04-08-18, 10:37 AM)happycallis link Wrote: Also when refitting the dampener rods, is there a spefics way the go in or out it back on and do up the bolt on the bottomLifted from Ravenrider's post on freassembling forks:
Here is how it needs to be done and why. I have worked on probably 50 sets of Gen I forks. Many have had damage to the oil flow stopper due to improper installation. If you look closely at that stopper, there is a machined collar that faces down in the fork.
Many home DIY mechanics will simply drop that piece into the lower fork tube, then slide the upper steel tube down into the lower leg, and proceed with the fork assembly.
WRONG
I have seen these bent, crushed, tipped at all angles and even missing.
The "ONLY" way to assure this piece is oriented into the lower leg correctly is as follows.
Install the bushing or metal slide (manual doesn't cover this part very well) onto the inner steel tube. use assembly grease on the slider and lube the outside of the tube with fork oil or a shot of WD-40 will work.
Tip this tube UPSIDE DOWN.
The oil flow stopper (actually a re-stricter) is tapered with that machined collar oor lip on the other end. Place the tapered end into the end of the upside down steel tube with the small end facing up. It really won't fit in wrong.
NOW, slide the aluminum lower leg over the steel leg. Holding the steel leg firmly in place, trapping the tapered oil stopper in place, turn the assembly to the up right orientation.
The shop manual shows the fork on it's side. What they don't tell you is that the special factory tool needs to be installed onto the cartridge to hold the assembly together while installing the bolt through the bottom of the fork. Most of us do not have this tool.
Just keep the assembly vertical for the balance of assembly.
This is where having aluminum vise jaws helps. With a helper or if you have a vice that can hold the fork well with out marring it all to heck, install the damper cartridge down into the vertical fork assembly. Without moving the inner steel tube in the aluminum lower, install the bolt up through the bottom of the aluminum fork leg and secure the Allen bolt into the damper rod. I have a 27mm socket welded onto a 20 inch length of 1/2 inch conduit with a hole drilled through the top of the conduit for a Phillips screw driver to slide through. This will slide over the damper cartridge to hold it as you tighten the bolt. If the damper rod tips to the side in the steel tube during this process.....STOP. Wiggle the damper cartridge a bit to get everything into proper alignment. If you can't get it to stay straight as you tighten the bolt, remove the steel tube from the aluminum lower and "START OVER".
If you don't ......the aluminum oil stopper will be damaged, the damper will bind and the forks will surely suffer extreme stiction and internal wear.
The wear caused by a damaged oil stopper can be seen in post #6 above. The scraped area on the rod is due to binding (miss-alignment) during installation.
Once the damper is in straight and the bolt torqued to specs. Use assembly grease on the rest of the components before installation. Install the upper fork guide, with guide washer. Use a driver to set it in place in the aluminum tube. Now the seal, snap ring and dust seal can be installed. Add the proper amount of oil, as measured from the top of the fork with the spring out and the tubes compressed. Install the spring, don't forget the thin rebound adjuster rod down the center, then the pre-load spacer and the fork cap.