'86 damper rod removal

[wayne billings]

Howdy ... I am having trouble figuring out how to remove the damper rod from my 1986. I saw the post by midnight max but I didn't get it. I'm 68 and a little slow sometimes. I don't want to buy a tool for a one time job.I hope it's only one time. I do have a welder. Thanks in advance for any help. P.S. my electric impact didn't cut it, not enough grunt I guess. Wayne

 

[Fire-medic]

Yeah, an impact, preferably a pneumatic one, is 'the way.' If yours didn't do it, try a hand impact, and you did leave the cap on, yes? The tool you need w/the hand impact is a 3/8" drive allen key. Hopefully your allen key is long-enough to trach the allen head cap bolt securing the damper rod in-place. If not, you need a longer one.

 

[MaxMidnight]

You have a welder? Excellent!

The top of the damper rod has a hexagon on it so make yourself a holding tool.
If you are doing a US '93+ or equivalent the socket is 29mm. Earlier forks have 24mm.
Weld a bolt or nut of the appropriate size onto a rod that is sufficiently long to reach the damper rod. Add a T piece to the top of the rod.

With the hex on the tool engaged into the hex on the damper rod this will stop it spinning when you undo the fastener.
It can also be used to fix the damper rod to torque the fastener on re-assembly.

 

[sparky4123]

I have used this method for removing that bolt on lots of Yamaha forks. Clamp the forks lower in a vise (with some aluminum shielding the jaws so not to mar the fork) then compress the slider into the lower as much as possible to hold the dampener rod from spinning, then hit the bolt with a rattle gun. I have even used a ratchet strap to further compress the slider. This assumes you have not dis-assembled the fork yet. If this doesn’t work you are down to fabricating a tool as MaxMidnight suggests. Good luck.

 

[maleko89]

Others might confirm, but think they changed it in '04 or '05 where the damper rod didn't have a hex head.

Mark

 

[wayne billings]

Thank you all very much. these tips should get me there. I had a thought in the wee hours that the previous owner must have over tightend and or used loctit (to much) So I will heat the allen bolt as well to help it along. Happy holidays and let us not forget the reason for the season.

 

[Fire-medic]

If you heat the bolt, I'd remove the top of downtube plug 1st and re-install it to attempt the bolt removal. You don't want to heat a closed cylinder!

 

[wayne billings]

fire medic - Another excellent heads up, I would have missed that one. Thank you P.S. While writing this I thought of removing the drain screw, it should vent well enough or look like a steam train. LOL

 

[Fire-medic]

Yes, early forks had drain screws, the '93+ did not.

FYI, I recommend replacing the 40mm '85-'92 forks w/the '93+ 43 mm forks (the later calipers and rotors need to be from a '93+), you need the triple trees too, but the other stuff can re-fit. I think $$ spent on the early forks is better-spent going w/the larger-dia. pieces, and doing valve emulators and different springs on those instead.

If you decide to leave the fork caps in, and to use the drain screw ports as vents, be sure to remove the fork legs from the triple trees, and to position the drain screw hole, now-open, at a 12 0'clock position so it allows venting. Of course, if you remove the drain screws and drain the oil, then supposedly, you're vented to the inside of the fork leg. However, I don't know if retention of residual oil may still seal-off somewhere in the damper rod an area of air, which could compress from heating. Remember Boyle's Law. Water expands to 1,700 times its volume when it turns to steam. Oil, I dunno, but I'd assume the change is similar. Better to be safe than sorry. If the drain hole starts throwing a column of vapor like The Little Engine That Could, time to cut the heat! And I'd wear something padded and long-sleeve, an OSHA-face mask and gloves.

 

[wayne billings]

Firemedic I will do my best to stay out of harms way. Thanks again

 

[wayne billings]

Hello again Update on '86 fork repair. Successfully seperated the fork halves. I made a tool ,a bolt and nut that fit a 15/16" socket, welded the nut on to the bolt and found enough ratchet extentions to make the distance, heated the allen that is at the bottom, making sure the tube was vented and it came loose with normal effort YEA! I did grind the end of the bolt head, basically flat so it would fit as deep as possible .Cheers and on to the next one.