Forks Leaking after new seals

[ams14]

I just had new seals put in my forks (2006 YZ450F) and on the first ride they are leaking oil at the area shown in the picture. When I push down on the handlebar and compress the fork oil comes out and drips down. Obviously I will take them back, but to educate myself, is this a seal area or something just didn't get torqued correctly, or is something cracked?

[grayracer513]

The aluminum fork axle lug is screwed onto threads on the steel inner fork tube, then locked in place with a set screw. It has to be removed, and possibly replaced, to correct that leak.  Removing fork lugs without damaging them is possible, but it has to be done correctly, and is best left to a suspension professional with the right tools for the job and a familiarity with the procedure.

 

The set screw must be removed, and the threads that it crushed must be spot drilled off the steel tube without destroying the threaded hole in the lug or drilling too deeply in the tube.  Best practice is to plan on replacing the lug.

 

The lugs would not have been loosened, tightened, or otherwise fiddled with in the course of a normal fork service and/or seal change, so it isn't likely in the least that the shop is at fault.

[ams14]

Ah, that makes sense, thanks for info!  Bummer though, as it sounds like more work and money:-(

 

It seems to be leaking pretty bad for it to be a coincidence, is it common practice to use the following technique (i.e. clamp the lug in a vice to torque the nuts), I could see this putting a lot of stress on that joint:

 

[grayracer513]

The lugs do get clamped in a vise commonly, but to stress the joint between the tube and lug, the tube would need to be subjected to a torque load while the lug was clamped.  That does not happen at any point in the process.  Torquing the rebound adjuster into the lug will not load the tube in any way.