Fork Top Plug Stuck

[Yikes]

Working this weekend on replacing my leaky fork seals.  I’ve got the forks drained, got the leks pulled off the bike, got the fill plugs out, got the circlip out, but the top plug will only come out about 1/4 inch past the circlip groove.  At this point the innards are supposed to come out at the top of the tube, but it’s no go.  I tried threading one of the long bolts that hold the brake caliper assembly to the fork into the fill plug threads and clamped some pliers onto the bolt giving me a place to tap with a hammer.  Even with some gentle tapping it’s no go.  I’m wondering if the bottom of the top plug may be flared from years of use and can’t get past the top of the tube.  

Darkness has closed my open-air shop for the night, so tomorrow I either have to try some more persuasion or put it all back together till I can take the tubes to a shop to be pulled apart, goodness knows how.  Anybody else have a similar experience?  Did I miss  step that’s keeping everything bound together?  Am I destined to just live with leaky seals till I can find some replacement fork legs?  Gee I hate getting stymied like this!

Thanks for any thoughts

John

[montmil]

You may be on the right track as to your fork cap issue. As they are aluminum and the legs are sturdy steel, you may have to force the caps off (a shop would probably do the same thing and charge you for destroying the caps!) and replace them with new ones. Have you tried "unscrewing" them - so to speak. Sorta winding them out as you somehow apply a lifting force to the caps.

I've never seen a problem that a small amount of explosives can't fix  [smiley=wall.gif]

Monte

[Yikes]

Guess tomorrow I'll try a bigger hammer.

[nhmaf]

Can you push down on the plugs (Against the fork spring inside)?   I've noticed that often these will become ever-so-slightly tipped or cocked toward one side or the other, and the tension of the spring jams it against the inner fork tube wall hard enough that it doesn't slide out properly.   Be careful of your eyes/face and use a wrench extension and try forcefully pushing down on the top of the plug with some reasonable size socket on the end of the extension.   Do it several times pushing it down at least a couple inches and letting it "pop" back up.
After several tries I usually get them to sproing themselves right out the tube - be ready to catch them !

[Barry]

You can change the fork seals without removing the top plug if you can get the bolt loose that secures the lower fork leg without holding the damper piston still from the top side.  An impact driver would almost certainly do it but I've managed to shock it loose several times with an extension on the hex key and a light tap with a hammer. Worth a try.  

[larstorders]

I'd leave the hammer in the tool box for this one. maybe put the  fork leg back into the yolks and tighten the bottom one only, lightly snug the top one. This provides a very safe and firm way to hold the stanchion while you're working. Easiest and quickest way to push down the cap is to use an economy gear puller as in picture. While it may require a bit  more time consuming dissasembly of components around the yokes, it gives you complete control of fork springs and makes it very easy to fit n remove the circlip (which can otherwise be a right *****  fiddle). You can work the spring up n down  and have a look at the bore of the stanchions etc and lets hope the cap comes free. Of course the front end of your machine will have been adequately supported now the wheel is out.
P.S. I put a 6mm nut over the pointy tip of the gear puller to protect the threaded cap.

[Yikes]

Well, I took Barry's advice and pulled the slider with the seal off from the bottom, leaving the top plugs alone .  Luckily those big allen head bolts came out without too much of a tussle.   The old girl is back together again and ready to roll with her new seals and felts.  Hopefully now the front will stay cleaner without the constant oil bath from the leaky forks.  

Thanks to all for your help on another rocky but ultimately successful fix!  Always a learning experience.

John