this was taken from JEB's link on KTM talk
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How to change seals in the 48's. (KTM)
-Front wheel, brake caliper and fork guards off
-Loosen top triple clamp bolts and break the caps loose
-Remove forks and unscrew the caps the rest of the way
-Pull down the fork spring and insert a skinny 22mm open end wrench on the
cartridge to hold it while you break the caps loose from the cartridge.
-Pull the cap off and the long hollow alum rod that runs down the middle of
the cartridge
-Remove the spring
-Dump oil out, pump the cartridge, dump some more, repeat until empty
-Pull the dust wiper down
-Use a small bladed screwdriver to get the clip out from under the dust
wiper. There's a pointed end and closed end on the clip. Work the pointed
end with the screwdriver.
-Hold the fork horizontally with the lower tube in one hand, upper in the
other. Push them together a few inches and draw them sharply apart. Do this
until the fork halves seperate.
-Remove bushings and spacers and keep them in the correct order. The lower 2
bushing look a lot alike but they're not the same. Also note the way the
seal faces (open side up) so you don't get the new seals on upside down.
Reverse to reassemble. Make sure you wrap the top of the fork with a piece
of plastic, etc to protect the new seal from getting cut up when you install
it on the fork. Also, use some kind of seal grease on the new seal and dust
wiper. Having a seal driver is very handy for driving the bushings and seals
in correctly.
When you fill the forks with oil (5wt is stock), make sure you don't put any
down the middle of the cartridge, where that hollow rod goes. And that
hollow rod needs to be seated correctly. Wiggle it around until it drops to
almost flush with the top of the cavity.
The way I fill them is I fill the compressed fork with oil up to the top of
the inner tube. I pump the rod right away a couple of strokes and then top
off the oil. Then I continue to pump it until it's smooth all the way
through it's stroke. Then I raise the outer fork tube to dump any oil that
may be between the fork tubes back into the lower tube and then set the oil
height at 120-130mm for the 48's. Repeat raising the tube and checking
height until the level stabilizes.
Make sure you work in as clean an environment as possible. Clean the
springs, etc before reinstalling them. Also, use brake cleaner, etc to clean
the fork clamping surfaces and inside of the triple clamps before mounting
the forks. That will keep them from twisting too easily on your next getoff.
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Post by Mike BaxterPost by Ron AlexanderI have a 2002 ktm 300 exc. I would like to know how to measure the oil
levle. I know that the spring has to be out and the fork has to be
comletely compressed. I also know that you have to measure from the
top of the fork tube to the top of the oil level. I need to know what
instrument do I use to measure it with.
THANKS: DJ Mueller
Use any means that you have handy. I've done it using everything from
a screwdriver to a straw. Measure the air gap that you want on any
clean item that you can stick down in the fork and fill to that level.
If your looking to buy a tool, then go to
http://www.motionpro.com/Docs/suspensiontools.html
and scroll down to the Fork Oil Level Gage.
Mike Baxter