How hard is it to change the fork oil?

[sldietz]

2001 YZ426.

Time?

I have to change out the springs and run the oil at 80-100mm.

Thanks for any help. ?

[unkle_george]

It's a little messy, but not too hard. I've had mine apart about 3x and I think I could do one in about an hour. I bought a cheap 17mm and took it to the bench grinder to get it thin enough to get between the spring and the top to get the cap off.

You can put Mobil 1 ATF back in. It's about 7.5 weight and is alot cheaper.

Also, I used the pump out of a windex bottle to get the oil height right.

Cheers

- Ryan

[yamajoe]

Get the right tools (listed in the manual) and just follow the manual like it says and to an untrained person it would take a few hours, less the next time etc...

[sldietz]

The $180 for labor the dealer wants is looking not so bad.

[grayracer513]

You don't nee a thin 17mm. Just pull the spring down a little and use a normal one. Depending on what all is on your bike, you should be able to crank it out in a hour after the first time or two. It doesn't take me quite that long even with the sub tank.

[jerryls]

Buy one of those 5 gallon plastic buckets at Home Depot for draining. Helps minimize the mess. The procedure isn't terribly hard, just messy if you aren't prepared.

Jerry

[unkle_george]

The $180 for labor the dealer wants is looking not so bad.

Nah .... You can have it done in the time it takes to drive to the dealer and back twice.

[Raven1911]

Aren't there special tools that are needed or can you do it with normal everyday tools?

[madday]

Save your money and listen to these guys. Its not difficult.

[grayracer513]

Aren't there special tools that are needed ...?

To change the oil, springs, and/or seals? No. Only if you want to remove the base valves and dampers, which is not necessary for these procedures.

If the forks have been together for a while without a cleaning or an oil change, there could be a build up of sediment around the valve that would be better to clean out, but if you change the oil once or twice a season, there won't be much there, and quite a bit of it can be pumped out with a little clean oil before you refill.