Wilsons Sandbox

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 9:31 am**

When I drained the oil in my forks to change the seals, the oil was very, very dirty. Somehow the tubes need to be cleaned before putting in fresh oil. Has anyone fhushed out their tubes with--? solvent? The only thing I can think of is putting in diesel and pumping the shocks, after draining, the residual should mix with the new fork oil. Any suggestions? Thx, Don, A2

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 9:43 am**

> When I drained the oil in my forks to change the seals, the oil was > very, very dirty. Somehow the tubes need to be cleaned before putting > in fresh oil. > > Has anyone fhushed out their tubes with--? solvent?

I'm not going to name names, or attempt a quote, I've recently re-learned my lesson on that score. Someone whose advice I would trust, (but don't recall now who it was), had suggested ATF as a flushing/cleaning agent. The only "gotcha," I believe, is that you must then "flush" with fork oil to remove any traces of the ATF. Wise men still seek Him... Mark St.Hilaire, Sr A15 Also: KLR6500@... HomePage: http://home.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html KLR650 Pages: http://klr6500.tripod.com/ Valve Check & Adjustment Guide: http://klr6500.tripod.com/valves.html

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 9:54 am**

I have rinsed out forks with WD-40, but that was when I completely disassembled them. If you are not removing the forks and stripping them, I suggest flushing them with more fork fluid. ATF was suggested, and it works well but as far as I know the ATF specification gives a range of acceptable viscosity, not a specific value. None of the manufacturers specify the viscosity on the bottle so you never know what you'll get. You could try three or four different brands, if you find something that works well then go for it. ATF is great for the bushings and seals, and will reduce "stiction" a little bit compared to fork oils. But, since it's not necessary the manufacturers may not bother to keep the viscosity consistent from batch to batch of the same product. Or, just buy a couple extra bottles of the right weight fork oil, and drain/fill/ride/repeat until it doesn't look so nasty. Devon dgswoodlands wrote:

> > When I drained the oil in my forks to change the seals, the oil was > very, very dirty. Somehow the tubes need to be cleaned before putting > in fresh oil. > > Has anyone fhushed out their tubes with--? solvent? > > The only thing I can think of is putting in diesel and pumping the > shocks, after draining, the residual should mix with the new fork oil. > > Any suggestions? > > Thx, Don, A2 > > Checkout Dual Sport News at > http://www.dualsportnews.com > Be part of the Adventure! > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 10:11 am**

Ditto !! to Devon Just change / ride / change until its clean, seems simple. really no different than me always pouring that 1/2 qt of oil (that always seems to be left over from something) into the filler when the drain plug is out, just to rinse the pan out some. If it flows out nice and clean looking, pan must be clear from build up right ? Then again I always run the engine prior to dumping the oil also, I know alot of people that dont for some reason unknown to me. Again just my $.02 worth And No I dont crack a seal just to do that, only when its handy. Duden A15 Pilot

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > I have rinsed out forks with WD-40, but that was when I completely > disassembled them. If you are not removing the forks and stripping them, I suggest flushing them with more fork fluid. ATF was suggested, and it works well but as far as I know the ATF specification gives a range of acceptable viscosity, not a specific value. None of the manufacturers specify the viscosity on the bottle so you never know what you'll get. You could try three or four different brands, if you find something that works well then go for it. ATF is great for the bushings and seals, and will reduce "stiction" a little bit compared to fork oils. But, since it's not necessary the manufacturers may not bother to keep the viscosity consistent from batch to batch of the same product. > > Or, just buy a couple extra bottles of the right weight fork oil, and > drain/fill/ride/repeat until it doesn't look so nasty. > > Devon > > dgswoodlands wrote: > > When I drained the oil in my forks to change the seals, the oil was very, very dirty. Somehow the tubes need to be cleaned before putting in fresh oil. > > Has anyone fhushed out their tubes with--? solvent? > > The only thing I can think of is putting in diesel and pumping the shocks, after draining, the residual should mix with the new fork oil. > > > > Any suggestions? > > > > Thx, Don, A2 > >

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 11:00 am**

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, dgswoodlands wrote:

>The only thing I can think of is putting in diesel and pumping the >shocks, after draining, the residual should mix with the new fork oil.

I'd be worried about seal damage. Maybe transmission fluid? Hell, some people use it as fork oil, so it must not be too bad for the seals...

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 11:05 am**

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, Walter Lesnowich wrote:

>If you want to avoid disassembly to clean them then I would suggest >using auto-transmission fluid. It can be used in place of fork oil >having about a 17W and is high detergent.

17W? I heard that Dexron is about 8.5W and Type-F is about 7W. How does ATF actually perform as a fork oil in the KLR? RM

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 12:19 pm**

> Why?? ATF can be used as fork oil if you wanted to. I've been using it

in

> the rear shock on my Concours for the last 3 yrs. Have used it in dirt

bike

> forks before as well. Its about an 8 weight. And can be had as a > synthetic.

I don't have a clue, Tom. A while back I collected a number of responses to my question about how to change the fork oil, and one of them said ATF for flushing, but be sure to flush it out with fork oil after. This KLR "self-maintenance" is a whole new thing to me, (the dealer always did the service on my other bikes), so I don't have any previous experience to fall back on when it comes to stuff like this. As a homeless guy once said to me years ago in Chicago, "I rely on the kindness of others to get by."

Wise men still seek Him... Mark St.Hilaire, Sr A15 Also: KLR6500@... HomePage: http://home.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html KLR650 Pages: http://klr6500.tripod.com/ Valve Check & Adjustment Guide: http://klr6500.tripod.com/valves.html

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2002 8:35 pm**

In a message dated 1/17/02 12:31:53 PM EST, lesnowich@... writes: >>

Posted: **Sun Jan 20, 2002 3:37 pm**

> > I tried to remove the through-bolt on my A3 swingarm and its a no go.

I'm

> > sure it has never been done. > > I would suggest the heating and cooling method. As we all know, metal

expands

> as it is heated, and contracts when it is cooled.

I like Jim's idea on this, saved me on lots of field service calls with a heat gun. One thing I would add is the use of Kroil Oil. This stuff is magic. I had three men and a boy on a 3' pole on the end of a wrench on a stuck bolt one time ( would you believe me and my 12 year old daughter and a 2' pole), I put the Kroil on for two days and the bolt came off with a 3/8 ratchet. Combine the heat and the oil. Voila! I swear by the stuff, my buddy at the radiator shop turned me on to it and I have it on hand ever since. Penetrates to a millionth of an inch or so. Worth the $5 for the can. Brian

Wilsons Sandbox

frozen swingarm bolt

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

changing fork oil

frozen swingarm bolt