A couple of years ago I installed the chrome front end on my street glide. I keep noticing oil residue on the top of the left tube. Thought it might be just leftover until last week when I changed ttyhe sqitches and noticed it caked pretty bad. I am going to have to drain the fluid to seehow much is lot. Now I am wondering if it is possible that the fork did not seat entirely into the tree and that is the reason it is seaping.

Anyone have any insight?

 

The tree simply holds it in with pinch bolts, nothing to do with a leak. It would be the seal where the leg attaches to the tube.

 

I went and looked back through my records and found that I had replaced the orings at the caps when I got back from the first long trip after the front end swap. So they had to be leaking then.

Maybe I am overtightening this one.....hhhmmmmm

 

Also,

The grease from the steering head liquifies at fairly low temperatures, and then can flow over to the top of the low-side (left) fork, mimicking the condition you describe. look at that before you tear everything apart.

Harris
www.youtube.com/conedown

 

It's on the right side (at least that is were I noticed) it and got concerned. Took a ride to the dealer and got some fluid and new cap seals.

Dawg - I was wondering if maybe I didnt get the leg all the way up in the trees and the cap is not completely seating against the top of the upper tube the way it should. Probably not likely but I am going to loosen everything see if I can re seat them into the upper tree and then replace the top seals after draining and refilling them. I'll find out for sure if that is the problem when I get back from Florida.

 

Like he said...."It would be the seal where the leg attaches to the tube" that's leaking....

 

Maybe I am confused then. The way the oil is sitting on top of the upper tree, I believe that seal #1 in the diagram is not making good contact with the top of the fork cap, thus leaking on top of the tree.


Are you and Dawg trying to say that seal #2 is actually leaking?

 

That makes sense, since if it was a fork seal, the fluid would be running down the lower leg. As long as there IS a 0-ring installed on the upper cap and the cap is seated onto the fork tube, it should not be leaking. Easiest thing would be to replace the o-ring and snug down the cap.

I believe we were talking about #16 but the oil would be running down the lower if that was the problem.

 

Oh.. No the place where it is leaking is at the top of the upper triple clamp.

Like in this picture:

 

Ah, I misunderstood your first post. Could be leaking up top then.