Fork oil leak... too much oil?

[Anonymous]

Hey- I changed my fork oil a couple weeks ago (the front end was really soft) I used a 10w oil and I used the exact ammount for the fork listed in my repair manual.

After parking the bike I noticed a luittle dripping down the side of the fork. It's coming out around where the top piston goes into the bottom of the fork. Its seeping out around the black seal.

Now, I have no idea what could cause this. I don't think it's anything i could have done.

Could I have not drained all of the oil from the fork causing too much pressure? Is this a serious problem?

Thanks for the help in advance.

[ddz]

Your gonna need new fork seals .Cheap & not hard to do.....good luck

[Anonymous]

Yep, you need new fork seals. Do both at the same time.
Change it as soon as possible, if oil gets on your disk brake rotor, then you may have a hard time stopping.
Its kind of a pain in the a s s job to do, but not expensive.
I do most work on my bike, except for changing the fork seals.
Just take the forks off and take it in to your dealer for repair. It might save you a bit in labor.

good luck,
Jeff

[Anonymous]

Do you know if it would help if I put in a heavier oil than 10w? If so, How high should I go?

[Hotblack]

I don't think that will help you. The leak is just going to get worse no matter what you do. The seals are cheap, not all that difficult, and even if you don't want to tackle it I couldn't imagine the job costing all that much especially if you brought just the forks to the shop. I don't think you have much choice.

[Anonymous]

I took the forks from my 850GLZ to the dealer in February. They charged me about $98 for a complete job. I figured this is worth it, considering how important the front end is. Someday, I might try redoing fork seals myself. For the money I did buy a lot of peace of mind.

You should have the forks serviced soon. I understand that bad things can happen if the forks don't have the correct amount of oil in both sides. I believe I've read that a bent axle can result. Whatever the result, it will probably be bad.

There have been quite a few topics on this forum about forks... fork springs, fork oils, etc. You might try a search if you want more information. Myself, I just go with the stock arrangement. I may try progressive springs someday, though.