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Boxxer seals leaking problem

cmoney

Monkey
Jan 20, 2008
154
0
Hey Guys,

Just wondering if anyone could help me out,I have a 07 Boxxer Team and the factory seals puked a while back so I cleaned them out and reassembled the fork only to have them leak worse,Ok I thought I will just buy the Enduro seals because I have heard lots of good reviews about them well two rides in and they are seeping oil.Any thoughts?Yes I installed them properly going step by step off the Enduro website.Could it be a bushing problem?If there is some play in the bushings could that be allowing a gap in between the seals and the stanchions?I have not felt any play that I have noticed but what kind of feel will bad bushings give you?Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
Hey Guys,

Just wondering if anyone could help me out,I have a 07 Boxxer Team and the factory seals puked a while back so I cleaned them out and reassembled the fork only to have them leak worse,Ok I thought I will just buy the Enduro seals because I have heard lots of good reviews about them well two rides in and they are seeping oil.Any thoughts?Yes I installed them properly going step by step off the Enduro website.Could it be a bushing problem?If there is some play in the bushings could that be allowing a gap in between the seals and the stanchions?I have not felt any play that I have noticed but what kind of feel will bad bushings give you?Any help would be greatly appreciated.
did you put too much oil in the lowers? you don't need much.
 

illflip

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
548
0
Newark, NJ
2nd the too much oil. only need like 15cc's.

did you just replace the dust wiper? or did you replace the whole thing (wiper, foamy thing, and oil seal)?
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Something certainly seems 'off'...

What did you use to grease/lube the seals? What procedure? Any chance you somehow cut or scratched the seals? A burr on the bottom of the stanchion? Or do you pry the wipers back to clean/lube?

Seems like it is not super uncommon for people to instal new seals (not wipers) upsidedown..that would certianly cause a leak.

Big ol' scratch in your stanchion?

I suppose that if your bushings were REALLY worn, they could cause some leaking, but you would likely see scratching/wearing of the stanchions if this were the case. You would most certainly notice the knocking/slop in the bushings if they are that bad.

Too much oil could cause leaks for sure...might also blow your seals right out of your lowers....
 

cmoney

Monkey
Jan 20, 2008
154
0
Not to much oil just added 15cc/ml in each leg,no scratches in stanchions,and yes the oil seals are installed correctly with the garter spring facing the oil.The only thing I can think of is I just used some Park tools polylube 1000 green gease to assemble everything could this be affecting the seal of the oil seals?I guess my next step will be to get some of the proper Rock shox grease and clean and lube everything again.
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
Every DH fork I've owned has wept a small amount of oil, I don't consider it a problem until it starts running down the leg.

If anything, it good to have your stanchions lubed.
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Not to much oil just added 15cc/ml in each leg,no scratches in stanchions,and yes the oil seals are installed correctly with the garter spring facing the oil.The only thing I can think of is I just used some Park tools polylube 1000 green gease to assemble everything could this be affecting the seal of the oil seals?I guess my next step will be to get some of the proper Rock shox grease and clean and lube everything again.

thicker grease like the polylube could be causing a little issue I suppose. The film strength and viscosity might be enough to force the seal lip away from the stanchion.

Try slick honey, it works well for this application and is usually readily available.



Skatetokill.....unless you have only owned forks w/o a propper seal (some lower end RS, manitou, or fox) you need to do some more regular maintainance. Your forks should not be weeping oil, and although it may seem 'good' that things are visually lubed, you are in fact attracting dirt and grit and forming an abrasive paste/liquid when your stanchions are wet. This is NOT a good thing.
 
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skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
thicker grease like the polylube could be causing a little issue I suppose. The film strength and viscosity might be enough to force the seal lip away from the stanchion.

Try slick honey, it works well for this application and is usually readily available.



Skatetokill.....unless you have only owned forks w/o a propper seal (some lower end RS, manitou, or fox) you need to do some more regular maintainance. Your forks should not be weeping oil, and although it may seem 'good' that things are visually lubed, you are in fact attracting dirt and grit and forming an abrasive paste/liquid when your stanchions are wet. This is NOT a good thing.
Well, my 06 boxxer did it since brand new on two different sets of seals, and my super t while not losing as much still did leave noticeable oil on the uppers. Same with the drop offs and lets not even talk about the psylo . . .

I'm not saying that lots of oil coming out is ok, I know what a blown seal looks like, but a ring around the stanchion and even a little bit of seeping I would consider normal and nothing to worry about. I usually just wipe it off with my glove after a couple runs.
 

jerseydirt

Turbo Monkey
May 6, 2007
1,936
0
dirty jerz
i just got my fork completely rebuilt with new parts beside the lowers, and they would not warrantee it so i had to pay 400$ and now the forks dont even move. Makes me hesitate to buy another product of theirs, but at the same time, that new 2010 stuff is Fresh!
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
Digging up this thread because I read it when it started, and then had the same problem myself (for the first time) a couple of weeks ago. Managed to solve it.

Long story short, some replacement seal brands just suck. The stock boxxer seals are a bit average, I have a feeling they use more than one supplier (or they are just a bit inconsistent) because I've had boxxers go on original seals for years with no leakage whatsoever, and others that have pretty much done it out of the box.

Anyway, I recently replaced a leaky set with some new "NAK" brand seals. Put the fork back together, rode it, and it was leaking just as bad as before. What gives? Thought about this thread, and then remembered the last time I did the seal change I used "TTC" brand seals and had great results. Minimal stiction and zero leaks. Bought them again and what do you know, fork is sweet again...

Mightn't be a common brand, but anyway - moral of the story is that some seals suck and some are great. Different seal shops sell different brands. So try some, if they don't work, try something else. For the record, the boxxer pressure seal size is 32x42x7mm.

As an aside, I wouldn't bother with Enduro - their wipers are ultra hard and sticky, and I'm not sure that the pressure seals are much better. There are far better products out there for less if you're willing to shop around.

Hope that helps...
Udi
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
Just grab the phone book and look up 'seals' or 'o-ring'...

any city will have local suppler that will be able to get you just about any seal on any bike component.
 

CountryBoy

Monkey
Nov 10, 2008
163
0
Reno, NV
My boxxer are doing the same thing. The even after replacing the seals they still leaked a thick oil out. The guys at the shop said it is probably just the slick honey working out, but it still was doing it after 25 days a northstar. So I asked them again and they said it is probably just the grease that is on the coil. Any ideas what to do?
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
My boxxer are doing the same thing. The even after replacing the seals they still leaked a thick oil out. The guys at the shop said it is probably just the slick honey working out, but it still was doing it after 25 days a northstar. So I asked them again and they said it is probably just the grease that is on the coil. Any ideas what to do?
Err yeah, read my post (#11). :twitch:

Your seals are f/cked and you need new ones, go to a few seal/o-ring shops and try a new brand. It's not slick honey working out, and it's not coil grease. I love cover-up explanations for real problems.
 
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