Fork drain bolt help

RevItUp · 10-19-2019, 09:37 AM

Yea I swapped the factory fork oil on my Lifan Xpect to 20 weight oil by draining the fluid from the drain bolt on the bottom of the clutch side fork however, the throttle side fork bolt came loose but now just spins endlessly in place while it spins the entire internals with it.

I just removed the fork and dumped the oil out of the top and refilled both. Does not seem to leak but I am not comfortable with that drain bolt not being locked down as it was from the factory...

Any suggestions on how to get the bolt moving without the whole housing spinning with it??

Red Hawk · 10-19-2019, 09:46 AM

Stuff a Broom stick down the fork and push as you turn the Bolt.
The right way to drain those is to pull the forks and tip them. That was not a drain bolt on the bottom.

Megadan · 10-19-2019, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Hawk

Stuff a Broom stick down the fork and push as you turn the Bolt.
The right way to drain those is to pull the forks and tip them. That was not a drain bolt on the bottom.

ALL of this.

Wild Dog · 10-19-2019, 02:20 PM

I think there should a sticky thread with the Info about the "Drain Bolt" that is NOT a drain bolt

RevItUp · 10-19-2019, 03:21 PM

Well now I feel stupid, I never even knew the bolt was under there until I watched a Youtube video on how to change the fork oil on a Hawk.. Its actually a much more convenient was to do it provided you can get both bolts back in...

What else is it for?

Megadan · 10-19-2019, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RevItUp

Well now I feel stupid, I never even knew the bolt was under there until I watched a Youtube video on how to change the fork oil on a Hawk.. Its actually a much more convenient was to do it provided you can get both bolts back in...

What else is it for?

It is the retaining bolt for the damper located inside the lower fork leg. In simple terms, it holds the damper rod to the lower, and the damper rod holds the upper tube. AKA, it holds it all together.

While convenient for draining, that is not its intended use. Back in the day manufacturers used to put in a small drain bolt on the side of the lower leg facing back toward the bike (lowest point) but this went out of practice for some reason or another. Here is a good picture of one in use.

OneLeggedRider · 10-19-2019, 07:19 PM

Also those forks were designed for and will perform best with 7.5w oil/ATF. Using 20w might be alright on road but offroad you'll lose suspension travel in a hurry because the fork won't be able to rebound fast enough.

10-19-2019, 09:37 AM	#1
RevItUp Join Date: Oct 2019 Posts: 14	Fork drain bolt help Yea I swapped the factory fork oil on my Lifan Xpect to 20 weight oil by draining the fluid from the drain bolt on the bottom of the clutch side fork however, the throttle side fork bolt came loose but now just spins endlessly in place while it spins the entire internals with it. I just removed the fork and dumped the oil out of the top and refilled both. Does not seem to leak but I am not comfortable with that drain bolt not being locked down as it was from the factory... Any suggestions on how to get the bolt moving without the whole housing spinning with it??
	0

10-19-2019, 09:46 AM	#2
Red Hawk Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: NEPA Posts: 273	Stuff a Broom stick down the fork and push as you turn the Bolt. The right way to drain those is to pull the forks and tip them. That was not a drain bolt on the bottom. __________________ 2018 Hawk P&P Decked .040 off the head. 17/43 D.I.D. 428, NGK Iridium plug, DeCat, Wrapped pipe, Custom S.S. Muffler core, Nibbi PE30 115/35, L.E.D. Lights, Digital Cluster, USB port, Cutting Bord skid plate, Oil cooler w/ custom CRF oil filter inline, 5Wt fork oil, Rear Shock, CNC Back Rack, 30mm FAT bars, Bark Busters, ProGrips, Adjustable levers, Shinko 700’s lots of Loctite!
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10-19-2019, 07:19 PM	#7
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	Also those forks were designed for and will perform best with 7.5w oil/ATF. Using 20w might be alright on road but offroad you'll lose suspension travel in a hurry because the fork won't be able to rebound fast enough. __________________ ~ Don't poke the bear ~ M.M.I. Dean's List graduate class of '95 and Specialty welder 2020 Ice Bear Terifecta 150cc Trike 2011 Honda Foreman 500ES 4x4 2001 Polaris Scrambler 400
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10-19-2019, 02:20 PM	#4
Wild Dog Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Argentina Posts: 756	I think there should a sticky thread with the Info about the "Drain Bolt" that is NOT a drain bolt
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10-19-2019, 03:21 PM	#5
RevItUp Join Date: Oct 2019 Posts: 14	Well now I feel stupid, I never even knew the bolt was under there until I watched a Youtube video on how to change the fork oil on a Hawk.. Its actually a much more convenient was to do it provided you can get both bolts back in... What else is it for?
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