Stuck Fork Oil/Wiper seal

Took some old Reba’s to pieces at the weekend and notice the lower oil/wiper seal was slightly damaged, so have been trying to remove it with little success – now it’s properly damaged…

There/It’s stuck solid, and am at a loss as to how to get it out, any idea’s?

Only thing I can think of, is using a blind bearing puller, but as it’ve over 32mm, finding one that can fit it is gunna be a bugger. Tried 2 local mechanic’s already.. moving on to local engineering firms if you guys can’t think of anything better.

Assume you’re talking about the black seal beneath the wiper?

heat it up with a hair dryer, then lever it out with a screwdriver covered with leccy tape. PITA but doable. Put something between the fork and screwdriver too to protect the paint.

Hacksaw down the side of the seal and carefully cut through the metal bit inside the rubber seal. If possible work with the uppers upside down so any bits don’t go inside them.

Complete PITA, so many stories of easy servicing (which it would have been, if I hadn’t had to do this job) sucked me in.

Yeah hot water/hair drier is on the agenda, but as it’s so easy to mark/damage the ‘lowers’, I’m grasping for a solution that doesn’t include levering off the casing.

Bigyinn, been there… assumed the metal inside the seal would only be a top band, so got a small file and nibbled away at it..nope it a L shape that follows the wall of the lower.
As far as I can see it will be impossible to cut without damaging the casing.

Wrag on upper edge of forks, 19mm open end spanner and work round seal, they can be tight ut haven’t had one I could get out yet, ohh I’ve said it now!

ok will try that & heating the outer casing next then.. unless the local ex-motorbike mechnaic has a blind puller that’ll fit

SUCCESS!
Wha-hey, got both the bugger out, a spanner is a much better tool than a screw driver (wrapped in tape), for this by the looks of things, especially when used in conjunction with a kettle of boiling water.

Cheers Loco, will be ordering a new set of seal from the your site in a mo.

shhh! don’t tell everyone 😉