I have done f4i forks seals a bunch of times, i put 1000rr forks on my f4i and blew the seals out a few months in, took the forks apart to put new ones in and i cannot pull apart the tube from the bottom section, yes i did take the snap ring off the hold the oil seal on, and the internals are out as well, anyone ever run into this problem that they can get the tube out from the lower section?

 

The outer fork bushing is probably trying to pull through the seal. If you have a seal puller tap it into the fork seal then put a rag on the outer leg where you are going to lever the seal puller so dont scratch it. Then just try working it out even if you get it started it should slide out. That or you can just slam the **** out of it and pull the bushing through.

 

yank the dog shiat out of it, it will come apart. it takes two people.

 

ya, i tap them apart a bunch of times.

sometimes the outter bushing gets stuck. i helped wiggins with his 929 forks and the outter bushing was stuck so bad that the inner bushing actually pulled through the outter one and destroyed them both. took us almost a week of beating them and pulling to get them to come apart.

i can almost bet money the seal has nothing to do with it. if that bushing was free it would knock that seal out fast. the bushing is stuck. keep pushing the tube in and yanking it out harder until it finally gives out.

you could try to put some heat to the tube where the bushings are also. don't put too much because you don't want to burn the tube or the seal that's in it....just heat it up enough to cause the outter tube to expand a little and then try yanking.

 

thanks, yea i pull on the fork for like 3 hours last nite, i deff. think the bushing is stuck i have all new **** allready, both bushing seals and rings i just have to get them apart now just want to make sure im not ****** anything up by doing this

 

realy stupid question , but you did remove the bold on the very bottom of the fork right ??? think its like an 8 mm allen key

 

Yeah that's what I was trying to say. You just explained it better, but sometimes when you dig the seal out it lets the bushing slide through easier. This is really ******* caveman but get a long piece of round wood shovel handle whatever wrap it with a rag or tape whatever so it does not splinter put it inside the leg and drive it the fork into the ground. Now take the handle out the forks are probably stuck coming apart flip them right side up and drive them back together by smacking them into the ground. Keep doing this it will eventually come apart. Alot easier than trying to keep pulling them. Also make sure you use a rubber matt or something for protection. But exactly what binder said is what is going on. I see this pretty often at work.

 

yea i woulnd even be able to slide the tube in or our more then an inch with-out removing the interenals of the fork, but anyways i got it out, bushings were shot i guess when i got the forks, some idot slaming down power wheelies on his 1000rr did them in but, i talked to a guy at honda and he said thats a common problem. The bushings overlap each other and you can't get them apart sometimes, told me to use a heat gun around the fork seal area but nothing more then a heat gun, anything else would damage it. I did that and about 15 more wacks later the ****** came out. New bushings,rings and seal in and everthing is mint, just never had this problem before

 

yep, they stick.

it's actually pretty common. especially on bikes that are more than a couple years old and haven't had any fork service. i service my suspensions yearly (dirtbikes more often than that) to keep from having problems and to have the best suspension.