I'm in Buenos Aires and the left front fork tube on my R1150GS has began to leak oil. It looks like there's a oil seal that will not be hard to change in the field, but has anyone done it, and is it more involved that I think and should be taken to a shop?

Be thankful you're in Buenos Aires and only a few KM from Dakar Motos !!

Javier will be able to order the seal and install it for you..

It's really best not done in a carpark. You may need to remove your forks.

If you've never changed a fork seal before, the hotel carpark is not the best place to learn....

Read this

Changing an 1150 GS fork seal - ADVrider

and http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-and-oil-24518

Ted

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Steam Turbine, mister ted, might like the info as to where Dakar Motos might be to help him get there and sort out his seal.
Javier and Sandra : TEL: 54-11-4730-0586
Carlos Tejedor 1379- Florida Vicente López
GPS S34 32.474 W58 30.998

Good thinking batman !!

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mmmm...am wondering when was the last time you changed a seal on an 1150GS Ted, without taking the fork out?

Never... But I saw a thread about it on ADV about it so thought it could maybe be relevant !

I'm not a BMW fan to be honest.

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Telelever equipped BMW's are probably the easiest bikes on which to replace fork seals. I've heard of it being done with the fork in place, I prefer to remove the fork & place it in a vice personally.

As the suspension is taken care of by the shock, once the fork assembly's out, the stanchion & slider can be separated just by pulling them apart, no special tools or knwledge required. If you're removeing the fork from the bike, you'll need to remove the dust seal that protects the fork seal firts as it won't pass through the lower yoke/fork bridge.

I normally heat the slider with a hot air gun to free the seal up & use an appropriately sized drift to knock the new seal squarely in to place. There's also a wire oil seal retaining clip to re-install. There's also a specer/washer beneath the seal but no need to bother with this if it's just a staright seal swap.

There's a bleed screw at the top of the forks, remove it when you slide the stanchion in to the slider & push the stanchion down until about 6" are protruding. then re-fit the bleeder screw - watch out for the tiny O'ring. Once the fork assembly is back in place, you need to pull the slider back up so that the 8mm stud at the top protrudes through the hole in the top yoke - have the relevant nut to hand as you're creating a vacuum in the forks as you slide the stanchion up, can take a bit of effort but easy with practice.

Torque settings for an 1150GS:

Wheel spindle: 30nm
Lower fork pinch bolts: 22nm
Lower fork bridge pinch bolts: 25nm
Top fork nut (8mm): 45nm
Caliper (early - M10): 40nm
Caliper (late - M8): 30nm
Bleed screw: no setting given but it's only M4 or M5 & sealed with an O'ring so not more than hand tight....

If you've got a damaged stanchion, the genuine items are about £200, Sherlocks supply pattern replacements for about half that.

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here's one i did earlier

A straightforward job. Which can be done in as little time as 10 minutes. No cycle parts i.e. tank etc, need be removed
The tools needed .

Start by removing the small plastic cap on the top of the fork leg.

The nut underneth can be corroded, so use a hex socket and not a bi-hex if you can

Hex socket.


Place a 22mm spanner on the flats at the top of the leg , under the top yolk.
And the 14mm socket onto the top nut. And undo the top nut.


With the nut removed, push the fork slider down and out of the top yolk.
The front end will be all sloppy, allowing you to push the bars around and out of the way, and the front wheel can be moved in any direction for conveniance.
Pull the fork slider up and out of the stanchion. Wipe the leg as it's removed, as it will have oil residue on it.


Prise out the dust cover - These can be split and deformed, so look before doing the job and have a new one ready if needed.

Underneth you'll see the seal circlip. Prise free with a small screwdriver.

With a seal puller, or similar instrument, pullout the old seal. This is easiest done with my puller by pushing the fork leg as far forward as you can . Remember, the front wheel can moved to almost any position.



There is a washer under the seal. Pick it out,and clean it - Again, this can be corroded.




New seal - Top

New seal - underneth

Locate the new seal in place with your fingers, you can push it home a fair way to start it off

Then with a correct sized socket ( i use a 1" 3/8ths) you want it to run around the outside of the seal, but be small enough to fit inside the slider lips. Fit an extension bar onto the socket, and tap home the new seal.


Refit the circlip .

Refit the dust seal, just a push fit.

Then with a 3mm allen key, undo the small air bleed bolt on top of the fork stanchion and remove it.

making sure you don't lose or damage the "o" ring on the bolt

Push the stanchion carefully back into the slider -remember the front wheel forks can moved around for the best position

Then pull the stanchion back up, so it's in line with the top yolk, in the same position where it will be when it's in place - Now keep the stanchion in place, and replace the air vleed screw.

Now position the fork stanchion back in place in the top yolk, and refit the nut.

Hold the stanchion with the 22mm spanner and do up the 14mm nut, replace the top yolk plastic cover. Job done.
[/QUOTE]

Nice pictorial.

The seal puller: is that a "proper" tool built for the purpose or designed for something else that you use because it works? Any idea where to get one from?

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I bought a Draper one off ebay for under a fiver, it made all the difference to how much dismantling I needed to do, Steptoe is right on the ten minutes using his method

Stewart

Cheers, got another seal to do soon, will buy the seal puller tool ASAP & give it a go.

Don't suppose you've got a link to the one you bought off Ebay by any chance?

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There you go Steve
Loads of them!
KENNEDY OIL SEAL PULLER TOOL on eBay (end time 04-Jun-10 17:33:14 BST)

12" Heavy Duty Oil Seal 'O' Ring Removing Puller Tool on eBay (end time 13-May-10 16:00:31 BST)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3931-LASER-TOOLS-Seal-Puller-Spare-Blade-/190389020389?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipme nt&hash=item2c5411e6e5

Thanks but already bought one off Ebay yesterday afternoon, already shipped, should arrive Saturday latest.

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