'84 RS forks question

from Tom Cutter via the airlist, just in case it helps anybody with the same issue on this forum. BTW I am going to follow Paul Glaves' suggestion before I do Tom's fix. So far the first one is not leaking, with 5-weight oil and vigorous plunging of the damper, slider in vise. I'll let it sit overnight, repeat a few times in the morning, then do the other slider.

"That bottom piece is not supposed to be removed. Since you have blundered in there, There IS a chamfer inside that takes the o-ring that BMW does not offer.

I have the replacement circlips and a fat bag of the o-rings in stock. You will also need a tube of Loctite 579 to re-seal and secure that plug when you re-install it. That stuff is $$.

To remove the plug, use the fork tube as a tool from the inside. Heat around the outside of the slider outside the plug, (slip removed, obviously) and tap the fork tube against the inside gently, which will dislodge the plug. "

Now I know

Now I know why I never bothered to try to remove it. LOL, St.

I pulled the bottom plugs out of a set last year for powdercoating. Those plugs are very difficult to remove, with the sealant that the factory used. I got them out pretty much like Tom said; I used a lot of heat and basically beat the plugs out from the inside. Once I cleaned up the sealant the reassembly wasn't nearly as bad.

Yes, they were not intended to be disassembled and BMW does not sell the O-ring.

ezwicky said:

I agree Steven. I just worry now that *if* there is an O-ring, maybe I corrupted it my heat and PB Blaster cycles. The when I put it back together I could have a leak.

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I think the most important thing is to be sure you get that circlip reinstalled and fully seated. On mine, once it was in place, I had to push the circlip into the groove to get it fully seated- it didn't want to just snap in (it was super tight coming out also), so I made sure to double-check them before reinstalling the sliders. Based on what Tom and Anton said, I doubt you'll have a leak if you didn't get that plug to budge (seeing as it apparently requires heat to remove). But, I think that circlip being secure is the safety net ensuring the plug doesn't loosen over time while riding.

I am thinking the same way you are. That sealant is doing its job.

Thanks for the tip on the circlip seating, I will make sure the new one is in there well-seated.