Forks not holding air

This is my first experience with forks that won't hold air pressure. I am going to rebuild the forks (replace the fluid, check bushings, new seals, etc) in the process, I'm wondering if there's anything I should look for regarding the air leak?

I figure I'll pay extra attention to the pressure balancer, and maybe even replace the valve core. Where do they typically leak?

I can't say that there is any particular place in the forks regarding the air system that would leak. The fork oil seals however are the most common (and noticeable) to leak.

You can always replace the O-rings (ref# 92055B in the pic below) and what Kawi calls a "cap" (ref# 92055) on the air valve to rule them out as being the cause of the air leak.

I don't see any fluid comming out of the fork seals - can they leak air and not fluid?

I rebuilt my front forks two months ago in an attempt to keep them from leaking air, but it didn't help much. I considered replacing the air balancer tube but it is pretty expensive so I ended up just replacing the seals and fluid and inspecting and oiling all o-rings. Still leaks . I fill up to 10 psi and by two days later it's down to almost an immeasurable 2-3 psi.

Have you tried replacing the valve core on top of the fork leg?

I just had a thought. If I can't get the forks to hold air, and the air is used to increase the preload, can I simply add a spacer to increase the preload? Has anyone tried this or think that I should/should not do this?

c_aasland wrote:

Have you tried replacing the valve core on top of the fork leg?

I have not. Probably would be a quick & easy change to try though.