[bElliott]

hi all,

ihave had some boxxer teams for a good amount of time now and have been performing regualr maintenance. he forkhas been working great, but i have noticed that the lube oil on the spring side has combined withexcess spring grease that has gone intothe lowers to forma sort of mush... i need to clean it out and get some fresh lube oilin there!! how can i do this, can i use a parts washer? anysuggestions are appreciated thanks

 

[bElliott]

wow sorry about the spelling, and my spacebar is dodgy at best

 

[rewster]

i just used hot water to clean mine out on last rebuild, didnt want to risk any residue. i don't know if i'd suggest using parts wash, i try to keep degreasers away from the forks

 

[RUFUS]

I have a wooden dowel that is a little smaller than the inner diameter of the lowers. I wrap a rag around the dowel and move it up and down in the lower to clean off as much oil as I can. I then use a clean rag with 90% isopropyl alcohol to completely clean the lowers.

 

[illflip]

isopropyl alcohol is the only cleaning solution i use on my boxxer

 

[Eastern States Cup]

I have a wooden dowel that is a little smaller than the inner diameter of the lowers. I wrap a rag around the dowel and move it up and down in the lower to clean off as much oil as I can. I then use a clean rag with 90% isopropyl alcohol to completely clean the lowers.

haha you read the tech guide.

Boxxer Tech Guide

 

[RUFUS]

haha you read the tech guide.

Boxxer Tech Guide

Amazingly no. It is just something that I had lying around. I did read the tech guide to remember what to do for a normal re-service, I felt like an idiot. For some reason being away from the fork for 6 months made me forget every single thing. Damn head injury.

 

[danielsapp414]

I just shoot some wd-40 down there and run a rag thru it, works great! brake cleaner for cars if it's really nasty.

 

[RUFUS]

I just shoot some wd-40 down there and run a rag thru it, works great! brake cleaner for cars if it's really nasty.

It cleans it but now you have a foreign lubricant in your lowers. You don't need to go that far. Isopropyl alcohol works just fine.

 

[Racebike]

I strongly recommend you not to use WD-40 for cleaning out your lowers, actually do not use WD-40 for just about anything on your bike.

 

[DirtyMike]

Seriously, WD 40, Alcohol????

Guys its way easier and cheaper than that, this is my method when I am cleaning out fork lowers



Dawn dish soap, hot water, either a dowel and a rag, or when I am at home I use an 8 guage shotgun swab.

Cleans it super clean, its cheap, the soap lifts oils and breaks down the sludge, and to make sure you have no residue, you just run water through it for a bit. then some aire to dry it out and its super shiny clean.


Simple and effective.







Note. Rinsing after with alcohol would be a great idea if you dont have compressed air at your disposal

 

[RUFUS]

Seriously, Alcohol????

Rubbing alcohol is like a $1.39
With the water and soap you still have the opportunity to trap water in your fork even when you think that you got it all out. Water is a bad thing inside the fork. Stay away from water.
Read the tech manuals, watch the videos of the professional rebuilders and ask around, they all use isopropyl alcohol and nothing else.
Do it right the first time.

 

[Eastern States Cup]

rubbing alcohol??? crap to think I've been using vodka all these years :-(

 

[BigHitComp04]

rubbing alcohol??? crap to think I've been using vodka all these years :-(

Vlady is probably cheaper than rubbing alcohol

 

[buildyourown]

I strongly recommend you not to use WD-40 for cleaning out your lowers, actually do not use WD-40 for just about anything on your bike.

WD40 has it's place. It is a great degreaser/gum remover. I use it regularly on my drivetrain to remove that nasty black buildup that sticks in every crevice of a chain.
It also works great to displace the residual water on your chain and cassette after a proper soap and water bath.

 

[General Lee]

So when did rubbing alcohol become expensive, and shouldn't you already have some for cleaning your brake rotors?

 

[RUFUS]

So when did rubbing alcohol become expensive, and shouldn't you already have some for cleaning your brake rotors?

I thought that wd-40 was the best thing that you could use for the rotors?:huh:

 

[danielsapp414]

^no, white lightning is of course!

 

[Racebike]

buildyourown: I've found that cleaning anodized frames with the stuff (WD-40) does work, and I agree on the gum removal, but it's still nasty ****.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

WD-40 is a great cleaner.

 

[DirtyMike]

Rubbing alcohol is like a $1.39
With the water and soap you still have the opportunity to trap water in your fork even when you think that you got it all out. Water is a bad thing inside the fork. Stay away from water.
Read the tech manuals, watch the videos of the professional rebuilders and ask around, they all use isopropyl alcohol and nothing else.
Do it right the first time.

Yeah, I know how inexpensive RA is, but by itself it just doesnt clean good enough, It has its place, but I dont klnow about others, But when I rebuild a fork, it is friggin spotless inside. If I dont have an air compressor at hand, I will rinse afterwords with alcohol, even sometimes when I have the air available.

I know water=bad in suspension, But remember Alcohol, absorbs water. Soap and water breaks down the grime and crap inside the fork, the soap is easy to get out, and so is the water when your done.


Most shops I stop at are using a friggin solvent tank and a rough bristle brush. I think fresh hot soap and water is a bit better than that.

 

[bElliott]

awesome guys this is exactly what i was looking for...what about mineral spirits to degrease? and then maybe some alcohol to rinse it after. just an idea

 

[DirtyMike]

Hmmmm. Not sure about how the bushing would react to the mineral spirits.

 

[RUFUS]

Hmmmm. Not sure about how the bushing would react to the mineral spirits.

Agreed, plus depending on what type you might have a problem with getting it on your paint and ruining it.

 

[CountryBoy]

ARe you guys taking the seals out to do this?

 

[bElliott]

alright the deed is done. rinse with water with some dawn...then blow it out with air then some isopropyl alcohol then some more compressed air then presto!!!

it wasn't perfect but ill get the system down. thanks guys hopefully this is useful to others as well

 

[bElliott]

wait woooow in the tech guide it says to put 30 ml of 5 wt fork oil in the spring leg?is this in addition to the damping oil in the bottom of the lowers? i didnt think their was a seal between the spring and the lowers....

 

[DirtyMike]

YOu have the side with the Dampening, which gets X amount, and you add 20Ml to the spring side for Lubrication purposes

 

[DirtyMike]

ARe you guys taking the seals out to do this?

I try to always have new seals ready for a fork rebuild. It just seems silly that you would go through all the trouble of a rebuild<which really isnt much trouble> and not change the seals

 

[CountryBoy]

I try to always have new seals ready for a fork rebuild. It just seems silly that you would go through all the trouble of a rebuild<which really isnt much trouble> and not change the seals

I didn't realize you were doing a full rebuild. I thought you were just cleaning the fork.

 

[DirtyMike]

I didn't realize you were doing a full rebuild. I thought you were just cleaning the fork.

Well the OP was talking about teh grime that builds up inside the lowers over time, and I just like whenever I get the lowers off to go ahead and put seals in whiles its apart. Not sure if I would neccesarily call that a full rebuild or not, guess it depends on the fork

 

[- seb]

I used to use a long socket extension or screwdriver or whatever I could find with a rag wrapped around it. Go to a kitchen shop and spend $1 on a bottle brush and never look back.