Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Whats the best way to change fork oil?

hi i have a 1981 xs 650 i want to change the fork oil in my bike it looks hard . i don't know how to put the bolt back in the top. with the spring pushing up on the bolt. its hard to get started back in .i put it on center stand to take off the weight. but it wont start. i hope you know what i am saying thanks to all for your help pop pop.Whats the best way to change fork oil?
Bike on the center stand

Floor jack under the front of the engine, to get the front wheel off the ground - that removes most of the tension of the spring.

I use a ';Sliding T-Handle'; - you can press down on the cap with both hands while trying to start the threads.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?

You can purchase one at any tool supply store - Snap-On is not necessary.



I put a Ratchet Adaptor in between the T-Handle and socket.

A Ratchet Adaptor is just a ratchet without the handle.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp

One side has a square drive for a socket, the other side has a female drive for a T-Handle.

It might be a little expensive for your needs.Whats the best way to change fork oil?
there is a screw in the bottom of the forks either under the axle or on the side of each fork .you will have to remove the drains you will have to remove the caps on the top of the forks but make shure the front forks and tire are off the ground if not the spring in the forks will slap you in the fase. as long as the forks are off the ground there will not be any tension on the spring but do not over fill get the ounces dealer recommends if you over fill you will blow the seals in time
yea, its tough to start the top spring bolt with the spring tension on it, and the threads are so fine and if you don't get it just right you will strip the threads

you have it right to take the weight of the bike off the front wheel, the trick I do is find something solid in the ground like a metal fence post that's in the ground with concrete and tie a rope, cable, or chain and tie the front wheel to it and have a friend pull up on the handlebars at the same time you push down and get the bolt started



see that hollow metal tube down inside the spring? its a 3/4'; tube, you can cut a piece of stiff copper tubing, or plastic water pipe and make the new piece 2 inches longer and it will extend your front forks by that much, that chopper look!, but the front suspension will be stiffer







edit: xxxdodge is INCORRECT

there IS spring tension on the top fork cap EVEN when the front wheel is off the ground!

there is spring tension, but not as much tension when the front wheel is off the ground

I read the whole question, I assumed you knew enough to have the front wheel off the ground.

xxxdodge didn't read the whole question, he assumed the person asking the question was stupid

College physics: error propogation using partial derivatives?

I'm not real sure about how to do this. For our experiment, we determined the spring constants for a bunch of springs several different ways: 1) F=kx, measuring the force mg on the spring and x, the change in the length %26amp; 2) finding the period and mass



So, for example, say that this was our data for the first method:

total mass: 0.149 kg (+ or - 0.002 kg)

x1: 0.14 m (+ or - 0.03 m)

x2: 0.38 (+ or - 0.03 m)

x2-x1: 0.245 m



Doing the algebra, k = (mg)/x. So our spring constant was 6.0 N/m. How do we factor error into this? For our x2-x1, how do we add up the error, or don't we? And how do you evaluate the expression he gave us for the error for k:



(delta k)^2 = ((partial deriv k/partial deriv m)(delta m))^2 + ((partial deriv k/partial deriv x)(delta x)^2



Not really sure what to do about the partial derivatives. Thanks for any help, explanations, or tips in advance! :DCollege physics: error propogation using partial derivatives?
First let's figure out the uncertainty in x2-x1. Let x=x2-x1

未x=sqrt((未x2)虏+(未x1)虏)

未x=0.0424



The general formula for error propagation is, as you stated above:

未k=sqrt(((鈭俴/鈭俶)*未m)虏 + ((鈭俴/鈭倄)*未x)虏)



To find the partial derivative of k with respect to m, just treat g and x as constants:

鈭俴/鈭俶=g/x

Do the same for x:

鈭俴/鈭倄=-mg/x虏



Now plug in the values for m, g, x, and their uncertainties into the equation above

未k=1.0352, or with sig figs 1.0

How can I find someone to spring tune my riding lawn mower (oil change, sparkplugs, sharpen blades, etc.).?

at my house in Keavy Kentucky?How can I find someone to spring tune my riding lawn mower (oil change, sparkplugs, sharpen blades, etc.).?
Look in your yellow pages under small engine repair or lawn mower repair. Ft.Knox, KY hereHow can I find someone to spring tune my riding lawn mower (oil change, sparkplugs, sharpen blades, etc.).?
you have a home depot where you live am sure.they will have every thing you need.new balds /oil/oil filters/and the gas solution for your engine.it easy try doing it yourself.good luck
no oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?that i know of
Do you have a ok person around you..., its alot cheaper to DIY or get a friend to do.... the oil will range from $2 to 5 bucks... airfilter around 10, to sharpen the blades can be done free or for a couple bucks, spark plug no more then 2 or 3 bucks. AND the used oil can be dropped off at a autoparts store. Most small engine shops will charge double or triple what you can do yourself.

How do i know if my strut springs are bad?

I am planning on replacing my struts on my 95 probe gt. The car isn't bouncy at all. It feels like there is no suspension at all when I drive. Every bump makes me grit my teeth and my sway links just broke. I see lots of questions about when to change the shock / struts, but none on the springs. Of course I'd rather just replace the struts alone because the springs would way more more than double the cost of this repair. Or by chance is it just the springs? What do you think?How do i know if my strut springs are bad?
grab the bumper and move the car up and down then let go. The car should bounce at max 1 1/2 times. If it bounces more than that then its time to replace them same with shocks. Also when you hit a bump, if it feels like you ( the driver ) is taking the hit, then i would do so. But be very careful when you compress the springs b4 taking off the strut. 1 wrong mistake could land you in the hospital. Other than that its a fairly easy job. Mark everything so you dont have to do an alignment as well. Springs dont normally go out.How do i know if my strut springs are bad?
Definitely sounds like it could be the struts only, and I'd bet replacing them would fix the problem.

But it might be good to go ahead and replace the springs at the same time if you plan on having the car for quite a while longer.
change the springs as well,on a 95 they aregoin to be shot !!
On a 15 year old car the springs are gonna be worn out and should be changed but they aren't what is causing the bad ride. Your struts are bad. You can get away with only changing the struts and it will ride just fine. If it was me, and I wasn't planning on keeping the car forever, I would just change the struts.
Test the shocks by bouncing the car. If the car comes to rest after a single up and down movement, then the shocks are probably OK.



If the car is low, the springs may be broken. Look at the springs where they sit on the strut cups. Sometimes you can see the fracture.
Springs hold the car in the air and struts or shocks keep the tires on the ground. What it sounds like is bad struts. To check springs, aside from the obvious like a broken spring the best way to check springs is measure the ride height of the car. With a tape measure check the same places left and right in the front and rear of the car. You may be able to find the specifications on line or from a local body shop. If all is ok do struts only. Just be careful and use a good spring compressor so no one gets hurt. When it's apart check the mounts/bearing plates too for wear or any roughness when you move them.
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  • How to adjust drive speed to ';low'; on my honda hr214 mower?

    the drive speed is only on high how do i fix, i noticed when i move lever to low there is no change. is there supposed to be a spring on the lever that moves under the carriage to change the speed?How to adjust drive speed to ';low'; on my honda hr214 mower?
    If you follow the throttle cable all the way down to the carburetor there will be a screw, move the throttle back and forth and see if it is holding the cable and if not the just tighten it up it should be under the air cleaner that takes a flat head screw driver remove it and look at the cable it might be stuck in the high position. place it on low and loosen the screw and it should go all the way to the low position then tighten the screw and pull it all the way open it should go both ways if not then go to the parts house and get a new cable for the right piece of machinery you have and replace then put the air cleaner back on and your good to go.

    How to change my headlight on driver side. Specifically the connector.?

    I want to change my headlight on my 2002 mitsubishi galant. I cant seem to disconnect the connector as simple as it may seem. The owners manual is very vague. It looks like it's displaying arrow as to pull. I tried doing it and hard. I didn't want to risk breaking it. It also says after that to than remove the plastic ring and unlock the spring holding the bulb. How the hell do you disconnect the connector????How to change my headlight on driver side. Specifically the connector.?
    The headlight connector are normally quite tight so a little extra force is required for removal can use a small scewdriver for leverage, then turn plactic ring to undo then unclip spring retainer to remove bulb, hope it helps

    Golf gt tdi 130 want to fit my new rs4 18'; how much should i lower the car buy?

    hi all %26amp; thanks for looking ive just bought some rs4 18'; for my gt tdi...My spring etc need changing for a while %26amp; been told that 18'; dont look to cool without a drop on the suspension....however my days of 60mm drops is over...i drive allot I need to take a drop that will complement the car/wheel....any help would be great i was told just to stick 18t suspension on my car %26amp; with the 18'; it would look just right...i need the car to stay practical but look the biz thanks to all that answerGolf gt tdi 130 want to fit my new rs4 18'; how much should i lower the car buy?
    Depending on what size wheels and tires you already have fitted it is difficult to say how much the ride height will change. You will most likely find that with 18s on the car will be raised over the factory ride height.

    On Mk4 golfs you cant lower them more then 40mm ish before you start to get problems with the driveshafts and the anti roll bar rubbing. You can buy extended anti roll bar links which lower the bars out of the way a bit, i think a uprated ARB with lower links is around 130quid and will improve the handling of the car!

    Depending on the profile of the tires on your 18s you may have a bit of rubbing on the back arches to when you have mates on board, a good bodyshop will charge about 50-70quid to have the back arches pulled and rolled to allow more clearance.



    If you want to lower the car more than 40mm do it on coilovers not cheap springs. cheap springs are only good for making a car look lower but will not improve handling and can in fact make car drive worse. On a budget a 40mm drop on uprated shocks and springs is fine as the problem with changing just springs is standard shocks will wear out quickly and be very bouncy.



    hope this provides some help