fork issues

[AussiXS11G]

LOL Geoff
I recently bought a heat gun .... better on heat shrink than the hair dryer too

[steptoe]

I have a home made {what else} diesel wash to do most of mine in, but do use the boiling water also,,
am waiting for a new "toy" to turn up which will make "clean" take on a new meaning

I don,t normally have time to let them sit in the sun and dry,, just quietly borrow Lovelys' hair drier and turn it full, worked for me

[AussiXS11G]

I use boiling water for final clean then metho and let them sit in the sun to get hot and dry
 same as for brake calipers etc....

[steptoe]

might be time for a pull forks apart and clean vid, be the most surest way of making them clean

[Jonesy :-)]

hmm, I cant see changing oil weight making any difference, but  stranger things have happened, I'll ask an oil lab if they have any clues.....dont hold your breath but I'll see what I can find out

[Christian Raith]

isopropal alcohol
(metho will do as long as you dry it out properly)

[steptoe]

about to feel real stupid,,,,,,,,,,, but what is IPA

[Christian Raith]

Try cleaning the legs out with acetone then a shot of IPA just to get any gunk out.
Or even try some CLR and then a flush with IPA

[steptoe]

yes mate it has,
have been thinking whilst rolling away the klm,s,  it can,t be external water cause it hasn,t rained and I haven,t washed it either,
the other, if there is left over oil to contaminate the new, it would be miniscule for they drain overnight for that reason

am running 10 wght ATF oil now, might dig up some 15 and try, see if that makes a difference

[Jonesy :-)]

did trhe milky oil come from the same fork leg both times?

[steptoe]

interesting theories Jeff,, thanks
one legs operating temp to the other is something I,d not thought of, and the most probable considering I change the leg oil @ 5000 klm each 11 weeks,
will have to check at the end of the next jaunt

[AussiXS11G]

what you see here is my most recent fork oil change ........ (Sept 2012)
milky oil from one side and clean from the other - seals were fine........ weird huh?

[excess.11]

If the seals aren t leaking...... the water ...if it is water....must be being added via ...air input (Humidity).....or via fork oil (old fluid or ...open container).....or leeching past the seal with water present externally being drawn into the fork with changing internal and external temperatures..
With 1.5 PSI positive pressure internally.....you d think that any water would nt be able to pass .
Having said that........I would think even a "Standards" fork (no added air pressure) would develop internal air pressure of 1.5 PSI just due to the heat being developed when riding.......after which.... if the seals or fork tubes are not in good order......when cooling down...would draw in moist air or suck in water if it was present......due to rain/washing/being held/collected under dust cover .
Could one fork leg be developing more heat than the other for some reason.........or........could one seal not be getting fork fluid up to it under operation to ensure a good seal?

Pre LED lighting technology....submersible halogen swimming pool lights obtained their seal integrity by air expansion when in operation due to heat and when off and cooling down..relied on the water to suction seal the gasket in the fitting.
Many a backyard home handyman "Einstein" thought....."I know how to stop water passing the seal into the light"...."I ll seal the bugger with silicone sealant"....
......so........when the Missus calls me up and requests a fixup to the Hubbys frellup......it s the first thing that I see...........gobs of silicone.
The moral...if there is one...is to understand the science of whats going on....and..... if being logical isn t your forte.........get someone who "DOES" understand .
 
I would double check for no elongated scratches or minor rust pitting on fork inner legs. You could install new seals..just for the hell of it......or swap existing seals and dust caps between each other to identify if the problem then changes to the other fork leg.
Are there still remnants of water and mucky residue left in the fork leg from another time...when you did have a leaking seal?
These are just thoughts to check and considerations of circumstances ......for what it s worth.
One last thought is....over a period of time.........is it reasonable to expect some water ingress as the seals are doing a lot of work in a harsh environment ?

[steptoe]

it does but they are weather/dust capped also, and am running maybe 1 - 1 1/2 psi

[Jonesy :-)]

does your bike have air cap forks?