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I just replaced the seals in the rear shocks on my XJ for the second time thanks to this tech tip: http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-t...irrebuild.html
The first time, I took the spring/dampener assembly out. This time, I was able to unscrew the bottom eye by hand and didn't go beyond removing the inner tube.
What I found interesting was just how easy it was to remove the Leak Proof seals. I had figured it would have been significantly more difficult. I'm glad I tried before fighting the spring assembly. These Leak Proof seals (#5257) are flexible with no supporting steel ring like others have. This time around, I used All Balls #55-124 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/111084341310) because I just used the brand for my front seals and have been very pleased. They're holding oil and air even with the horrible pitting in my fork tubes!
My recommendations for anyone doing this repair:
1. Check for scoring on the inner tubes - use your fingernail
- I used 80 grit sandpaper to remove much of the scoring, however one tube, the 80 grit wouldn't even scratch it
I sanded the entire tube with 220, 400 and brown polishing compound. Overall, a huge pain.
2. Use All Balls seals #55-124 (look for a good deal on E-bay). These are Honda fork seals for Showa forks found on the 2006-2008 VTX1800, and others.
3. If you install the seals with the spring assembly on, you can use the same size PVC pipe (1.5" Schedule 40) you may use on your front seals. It's a snug fit over the spring, but still works great for driving the seal. Use the metal spacer between the PVC and seal to protect the seal from damage.
4. I did not do this, however I suggest checking the inside edge of the outer tube and smoothing/beveling it as necessary to prevent slicing the edge of the seal. It was a pain to get one of my seals in as it kept hanging up even though I oiled it up and it was going in straight.
5. Make sure the spring clip actually pushes completely back in to its groove.
In the end, I have a seal that has a much tighter fit in its seat in the outer tube and an extra lip on the inside diameter compared to the Leak Proof seals. So far it's holding air, which tells me it's probably not leaking oil considering I replaced the boots. I don't audibly hear air leaking anymore!
I got impatient and probably did more damage than good to one of my inner tubes when I took a file to it
. I suspect these seals would perform much better if I had exercised restraint, though I have no proof. I didn't take any "after" pictures of the inner tubes, but suffice it to say, they don't look like the picture below anymore.
At one point, I chucked one of the tubes in my drill press at low speed to speed up the polishing process with varying sandpaper grit.
The first time, I took the spring/dampener assembly out. This time, I was able to unscrew the bottom eye by hand and didn't go beyond removing the inner tube.
What I found interesting was just how easy it was to remove the Leak Proof seals. I had figured it would have been significantly more difficult. I'm glad I tried before fighting the spring assembly. These Leak Proof seals (#5257) are flexible with no supporting steel ring like others have. This time around, I used All Balls #55-124 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/111084341310) because I just used the brand for my front seals and have been very pleased. They're holding oil and air even with the horrible pitting in my fork tubes!
My recommendations for anyone doing this repair:
1. Check for scoring on the inner tubes - use your fingernail
- I used 80 grit sandpaper to remove much of the scoring, however one tube, the 80 grit wouldn't even scratch it
I sanded the entire tube with 220, 400 and brown polishing compound. Overall, a huge pain.2. Use All Balls seals #55-124 (look for a good deal on E-bay). These are Honda fork seals for Showa forks found on the 2006-2008 VTX1800, and others.
3. If you install the seals with the spring assembly on, you can use the same size PVC pipe (1.5" Schedule 40) you may use on your front seals. It's a snug fit over the spring, but still works great for driving the seal. Use the metal spacer between the PVC and seal to protect the seal from damage.
4. I did not do this, however I suggest checking the inside edge of the outer tube and smoothing/beveling it as necessary to prevent slicing the edge of the seal. It was a pain to get one of my seals in as it kept hanging up even though I oiled it up and it was going in straight.
5. Make sure the spring clip actually pushes completely back in to its groove.
In the end, I have a seal that has a much tighter fit in its seat in the outer tube and an extra lip on the inside diameter compared to the Leak Proof seals. So far it's holding air, which tells me it's probably not leaking oil considering I replaced the boots. I don't audibly hear air leaking anymore!
I got impatient and probably did more damage than good to one of my inner tubes when I took a file to it
. I suspect these seals would perform much better if I had exercised restraint, though I have no proof. I didn't take any "after" pictures of the inner tubes, but suffice it to say, they don't look like the picture below anymore.At one point, I chucked one of the tubes in my drill press at low speed to speed up the polishing process with varying sandpaper grit.
