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Hi all- my son's 03 XR70R is leaking oil from the top of the forks.
I'm pretty new to this stuff, just learning maintenance on my husband's CRF450X, daughter's CRF100F, and this 70... I'm enthusiastic though . Can anyone tell me why the forks would be leaking from the top, not down at the seals? As for whatever work needs to be done, I'm willing to buy the tools I would need, but I'm not sure if I should attempt a fork rebuild on my own??? I've watched some videos, looks involved, but not overly difficult?
Thanks for any advice you can give me!

Hi

If its like other XR's I have worked on then it is most likely the O Ring around the Fork Cap - the big nut at the top of the forks.

Probably been damaged when refitted at some stage - need to be careful when putting it back in as the O Ring sits out a bit and can get caught betwen the edge of the fork tube and the fork cap.



If you look at the above picture ( these are from an XL 175 but will be similar ) the black ring is the O Ring I am talking about.

So in answer to your question it is fairly easy to remove and replace.

Put the bike up on a stand so the front wheel is off the ground - takes tension off fork springs

Using the right size spanner / socket undo the fork cap - becarful as it is nearly undo - there will be some tension from the fork springs - keep downward pressure on top of the fork cap as you undo the last part.

Examine and replace the O Ring as required. Make sure you put a smear of oil on the new O Ring to stop it binding as you replace the cap.

When refitting fork caps - becarful as the thread is fine and easily "cross threaded" - start it using fingers - no spanner etc

And use a torque wrench for final tightening - not sure what the correct spec is - check with a dealer or Owners Manual

[quote="topgun"]Hi

"If its like other XR's I have worked on then it is most likely the O Ring around the Fork Cap - the big nut at the top of the forks."

Thanks so much for the detailed reply! I can certainly replace O rings, I'll give it a try and hopefully that all it is! Thanks for including the photo- I have a Clymer for this bike, but photos are
always better than diagrams .

My pleasure

The people on this site have helped me a lot so its nice to be able to return the favour ... Karma and all that stuff ...

Let us know how it all works out

Ok, the O rings don't look damaged or worn at all... if they were the cause of the problem, wouldn't they *look* bad? Decided I better drain and refill the oil while I was at it, very black, but not sludgy... no way the recommended amount came out, so level was low. Anyway, if the o rings aren't the cause of the leaking at the top of the forks, the only other thing I can come up with is that when I removed the fork caps there was very little resistance- probably could have done it with my fingers.. and I don't have very strong fingers! Maybe they weren't tightened properly last time... manual says 17ft/lbs. I don't know if anything's been done to the forks prior to us purchasing it last Spring. Now that I have the forks off and opened up, I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and replace the seals... sigh... decisions are not my forte, lol.

Sounds like the caps were loose and that was the problem

Yep good idea to change the oil - let them drain over night if possible

And just push down on the bars a few times to try and pump out any oil.

if you're going to do your own suspension work look on here for some great how-to articles. as well we have videos that show the process step by step. here's a link:

http://www.crfsonly.com/catalog/index.p ... ter_id=131

ken

If it 'aint broke, fix it 'till it is!

Just me wrote:If it 'aint broke, fix it 'till it is!

Oh wow, thanks for the laugh- that was too funny !
topgun- thanks again for the help, they've drained overnight and I picked up the fork oil today... hopefully that'll take care of it!
And thanks to Ken for the link!

How do I get my wife to work on my bike?Maybe just wash it?

Dale

dlpmx wrote:How do I get my wife to work on my bike?Maybe just wash it?

Dale

Initially I thought the same thing. But the more I thought about it....... no freakin way.

I kicked the rods out of my dragboat 14 qt. of 60weight oil all over the bottom my wife cleaned it all, she also scrubs the garage floor on her hands and knees, I will find that pic my son took .Loves racing stuff ,she likes to ride but not loves it ,still working on that one. How great do I have it!!! Bernie

Well, o-rings did not need replacing, oil was low by about 25cc, and my son syas the forks were bottoming out coming off of small jumps... hoping that maybe because the oil was low the forks were slamming and forcing what was left of the oil up through the rather
loose fork caps??? Does this sound plausible? Trailering out of the snow tomorrow for the first ride since working on the forks, they feel good just pushing on the front of the bike sitting in the garage, but I'm curious to see if my son will feel a difference out riding. As for getting your wives to work on your bikes... maybe you'd rethink that desire if you could see my resultant lack of housekeeping?!

Really it sounds like you have the fork situation wrapped up. I doubt you are going to have any more problems. If your son is still bottoming out, you can put in some stiffer springs.

I recommend doing simple fork maintenance yourself. I just replaced the seals on mine without problem (first time). I found youtube videos that spelled out the process a little clearer than the manual. If you're getting into racing or revalving, then you should consult someone with experience. Just my $.02