used wd40 on forks

[locko90]

so yeah used wd40 on my forks (very bad idea I have found out) I was trying to keep the steel band around the dust seal from rusting and it has made the forks seals dry and hard and the shocks arnt working very good at all!

so I was going to remove the dust seal and clean under it.

what oils I can use to soften the seals up? like engine oil? or 3in1 multi purpose oil?

I know fork oil would be best to lube the fork seals but I cant afford it atm and I want to fix these fork seals as soon as possible.

anything eles I could use at all? I was even thinking some cooking oil lol?

 

[my67xr]

I don't think there's anything that will soften rubber and rejuvinate it.
I use Export tyre shine on my tyre's and rubber's on my bike's and car's, engine bays included.
It work's well at keep the rubber good, and make's it easier to clean after riding etc too.
A Whitewall Tyre guy put me onto it a quite a few years ago, and i've been doing it ever since
It doesn't turn white wall's yellow or affect the rubber in any harmful way's
And it's also cheap enough too, about $4 a can at most Cheap $2 type shop's etc

 

[locko90]

Ah yeah that stuff sounds good I'll have to get some for sure.
Well I'm in the process of taking the dust seals off atm and the inner seal has a heap of dust in it so I managed to get a lot of the dust out with a bit of plastic cut from a coke bottle. Looking all clean now but before I put the dust seal back up should put a bit of oil in there to help lube it up ? Or no oil ? What could I use ?
I got some multi porpuse oil here and I think it would be good its such a light oil. But on the other hand will it attract dirt and help it get under the seal?

 

[locko90]

Well after cleaning out the dirt and squinting some 3in1 multi purpose oil on the seal and pumping the shocks it seems better but still not that good, still a bit stiff, I'm thinking I need to change the fork oil, been seeing so Manny posts saying how bad the oil is from factory.
Seem like a really technical process from what I've seen on youtube.
Is there any vids or guides on how to change the fork oil on China forks for novices?

 

[my67xr]

Put the bike up on a milk crate or bike stand.
Loosen the side, top tripple clamp bolts
Loosen the cap's on the top of the fork tubes.
Loosen and remove the front wheel, taking note which spacer went on which side.
Remove the front brake caliper.
Loosen the bottom side tripple clamp bolt's
Slide one fork out of the tripple's and undo the top cap
Turn the fork upside down so that the oil drains out past the cap into a jug (so you can measure how much oil come's out)
Pump the shock a few time's and get most of the oil out.
Repeat with the other fork

Now to fill them,
put some fresh oil into the jug, using approximately the same amount that came out.
Pour around half the oil into the fork leg
Pump the fork a little up and down to get the oil flowing through the valving.
Pour the rest of the oil into the fork and fit the top cap, make sure you don't cross thread it
Push the cap into start the thread, and do it up a few threads.
Refit the fork back into the tripples
Same thing with the other fork.

Once both fork's are fitted to the tripples, refit the front wheel and caliper.
Check both the fork's are paralel to each other before tightening up the tripple clamp bolt's.
If the tube's aren't paralel, stand with one leg either side of the front wheel and hold it steady.
Then turn the handlebar's a little to the side to square them up
Tighten the bottom tripple clamp bolts.
Now tighten the fork top cap's, then tighten the top tripple clamp bolt's
Check your front axle is done up tight, and tighten the caliper bolt's.

Now while the front wheel is still off the ground, undo the bleeder screw's on top of your fork's, this will let air in to equalise the pressure's.
Do them up again and drop the bike back down, bounce the front end as much as possible to let the oil circulate through the forks.
And you're done

 

[locko90]

Cheers for the info mate I'm definitely going to be changing the oil as soon as I can.
I ended up washing that 3in1 oil out and spraying some white lithium grease up there as its safe to use on rubber.

 

[locko90]

I'm in the process of doin it I only got about 130ml out of one fork. Should I be putting a bit more the
n that in ? Something more like 200ml-250ml ?

 

[my67xr]

What length fork's are they?
They may have leaked some out.
I reckon i put in about 180ml's - 200ml's in my old Orion 735mm USD non adjustable forks
What weight oil did you get for them too?

 

[locko90]

Sorry thats wrong After I let it drain for a while 200ml came out so I just put 200 in of 10w fork oil and yeah there 730mm forks.
There a lot better then they where before!! Seems to handle a better swell.