fork oil change

[BigDick]

Quick question, yesterday while I was swapping my stock springs for progressive ones, I had a thought (scary huh?) Would it work if you removed the valve cores from the air caps and filled the fork leg with oil through there? This is my first fork oil change, so I don't know how much of a pain this normally is. Use a large syringe or funnel with some tubing connecting it and this should be pretty easy. I have a large syringe used to mix oil with gas for 2 stroke engines, this even has the cc measurement on the side and a length of tubing connected.

[GARTHXS]

maybe

I just changed the fork oil on my f and. I think you have to take off the caps to really clean them out , but with the pro springs you won't need air

[cajun31]

That is what many have said recently. The springs themselves are stiff enough without the air.

[BigDick]

I know they need no air guys, what I'm asking is if I can fill the forks with oil throught the air caps if I remove the valve cores.

[tinman905]

It's easier just to pour the oil in the top of the fork tubes when you change the springs than try to pour oil through the air nozzle.

[red bandit]

if I can fill the forks with oil throught the air caps if I remove the valve cores.

If the tip of the syring fills the hole that the valve stem is in, then there will be no place for the air inside the fork to escape and you will be trying to presurize the fork when you are putting in the oil. Unless you partially compress the fork to start with and extend the fork as you fill it w/ oil. Save yourself the trouble, put the oil in the fork before you put the cap on.

[wingnut]

I've filled the forks with a syringe from the drain port but I had them removed from the triple tree so they were upside down. I think your idea will work as the fluid is going to settle in the bottom of the tube regardless of where you insert it. Once you have those caps on correctly I'd try anything to keep from removing them just to fill it with fork oil.

[DGXSER]

I tried to do this on my 81SH. The hole that is behind the air valve is quite small, maybe an 1/8" or so. The oil basically ran down the fork tube making ane heck of a mess instead.

I ended up pulling the tops off the fork tubes and putting the oil in that way. I would not call it easy to put the fork caps back on, but I have certainly had much more difficult task.

[b.walker5]

I tried to do this on my 81SH. The hole that is behind the air valve is quite small, maybe an 1/8" or so. The oil basically ran down the fork tube making ane heck of a mess instead.

I ended up pulling the tops off the fork tubes and putting the oil in that way. I would not call it easy to put the fork caps back on, but I have certainly had much more difficult task.

That was my experience too, I did think about drilling out the holes a little bigger, after I took the caps off, for next time but I forgot to do it before refitting the caps, oh well, next time maybe.