Fork Troubles...........Advice please!

Joined
Oct 6, 2014
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ST1100, 1998 non abs
Hi All

Well MOT time is a few weeks away so knew I needed to change the fork oil and seals.

The problem im having is the bolt at the bottom of the fork housing ie the one that screws into the damper rod, I cracked it off as it says in the manual, but the bolt will not separate from the damper rod, ive tried putting the fork back together and put pressure on it but no joy.

Any advice?

Also I had to cut the front mudguard/fender bolts off as they were solid, I will buy some stainless nuts, bolts and washers and make the little spacers etc...

The fork oil was knackered and had a nice creamy grey look to it, so don't think it had been done recently.

Cheers
Chris
 

ST1100Y

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...the bolt at the bottom of the fork housing ie the one that screws into the damper rod...
Ouch... since yours is a non-ABS no need to touch that bolt for changing the oil, as there separate drain bolts on the outboard sides of each fork bottom (just ensure to crack the top caps first!... ;-)
...the bolt will not separate from the damper rod...
Ouch-II... seems the threads are knackered...
Tried spinning it with a power/air-wrench yet?
 
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He needs to change the seals. For that job you do need to remove that bottom bolt. Put the spring back in and the cap on. Now try your air impact wrench with a new allen socket with a long enough shank to full engage the recess on the allen head bolt. I ruined the outer recess with a too short driver on one I was working on. A new one that was longer did the job but I then had to replace the bad bolt. There is probably some thread lock (Loctite) on the threads when it was installed. A little sealant under the head is all I use. That bolt isn't falling out once the axle is installed anyway.
If you are still unable to get it loose, you will probably have to get your drill out.
 
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I've had the same issue on a non-ST, not too familiar with ST-11 forks...... put it back together, put the lower fork in a vice (horizontal, put a piece of plywood on your chest, and compress the fork as much as you can manually. This will put pressure of the part on the bottom of the fork to keep it from spinning....... Have a helper loosen the bottom bolt out of the cartridge. Air gun that has some speed would perhaps work better.
Alternate if you know.... the cartridge may have a hex nut on the top of it, need to know the size. Make a special tool with socket welded to a hollow pipe that will slip over the cartridge and down onto the nut... assuming it is equipped with such. OR some other special tool for holding the cartridge from spinning.
 
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ST1100Y
I mainly want the bolt out to trip out the internal parts so I can clean all the crud out properly, +1 on the drain bolts:)

Mcreviver

I tried a normal drill on hammer to try and crack the bolt free, but no joy, to be fair I only gave it a quick blast, probably try it again:)
 
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I had the same situation some time back. Use a ratchet, short extension, and the mating tool...mine was Allen. Press the tool onto the bolt with some pressure, and whack the ratchet handle with the wooden end of a hammer. Eventually the bolt will loosen and enough to come right out. Kind of a Sunday-afternoon-and-the-impact-wrench-is-visiting-my-neighbor substitute.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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.... Alternate if you know.... the cartridge may have a hex nut on the top of it, need to know the size.
It doesn't.
Make a special tool with socket welded to a hollow pipe that will slip over the cartridge and down onto the nut... assuming it is equipped with such.
It isn't
OR some other special tool for holding the cartridge from spinning.
None that I've ever heard of. My Kawi ZL600's could be held from the top with a special tool; the ST1100, not.

John
via iPhone 6
 
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caddyman
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This might be of interest:
http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=907.0
Note the one tip about heating up the bottom of the forks in a hot bath first. HTH

John
via iPhone 6
Thanks John
That is a good step by step guide, I was thinking about using a small gas torch on the head of the bolt to try and melt the Loctite.

Its just annoying to be having so much trouble with one little bolt!!

Cheers
Chris
 
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So fast forward a few days and things are looking up, I managed to remove the bolt from the damper, had to get a bit Neanderthal and use some mole grips on the damper rod and an impact gun on the bolt and eventually it came away.

Will be putting it back together tomorrow, also had to weld up the exhaust shield, and make the spacers to remount the front mudguard.

Hopefully the ST will pass the MOT next month and that will be it for a while:D

Cheers
Chris
 
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glad to see you got it out. For anyone reading this thread in the same situation, back in the days when I didn't have impact tools, I'd just take the fork tube down to the local shop and ask them to break it loose with their air impact. Since I bought tires/oil/etc. from them they always did it free of charge since it only takes a few seconds. I'd put the new seals in and take it back to have them drive it back in. If you have any shop (even automotive) near the house this method is fairly practical.
 
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I've had luck on the really stubborn/stripped ones by drilling the head off, once the fork is apart the stub generally comes right out.
 
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caddyman
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The threads were completely covered in Loctite im afraid, ive not used thread lock on the assembly just annealed the copper washer and put a smear of silicon for added seal.

The forks are back together and all seemed well on the ride home tonight.

Cheers
Chris
 
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