ATC 350x fork rebuild

[Fixer_Upper]

Hey, I was changing my fork oil and discovered that there was little oil in the right fork when I drained it, with nothing but dirt falling out the left. It is clear that my forks will need a rebuild. At least the left one. Does anyone know who makes a good fork seal kit for my x? I’ve seen so many that I just don’t know what’s good and what’s not. I have yet to fully tear down my forks to see what sort of damage has been done, but I think it’s salvageable.

[Tri-Z 250]

dust: that’s not good. Race tech send them your entire suspension front/rear. You might be shocked by the price and glad ya did after the ride.

[350for350]

I wouldn't recommend just rebuilding one. Do them as a pair. Whether the bad one can be salvaged or you have to find another one, you'll be in the same situation. One fork will be much better than the other one.

[Aulbaugh]

You can still get the oem fork seal kit over at partzilla.

[Fixer_Upper]

Yeah. The dust boots were practically non existent by the time I got my x. Shortly after I replaced them. Should I at least tear them down or just send them to race tech as is? I took off the cap on the left fork and everything inside is completely coated in a clay like substance.

[BOB MARLIN]

Fork seals are cheap and easy to replace. Take your forks apart, clean them really good and reassemble. Fill them back up with the right amount of fluid (ATF is fine) and try them out. Race tech is good place to go to, but beware you might be able to buy another 350x with good forks for the same money that they will charge you.

[Tri-Z 250]

Clean them and check the tubes for extreme wear with a mic tool. Look for flat spots in chrome or any divots within the stroke of travel. If the tubes are beat, you’ll need to replacement set. Same goes for the shaft on the rear shock. Good news is once finished they are as dependable as can be.

[TSpencer]

As long as the tubes and sliders are salvageable you can get new springs and bushings if needed. The bushings are the main wear parts that need to be replaced. There are 2 sets. A fork bushing that goes around the bottom of the fork tube and a slider bushing that goes over it. Both are available from race tech. I don't have a mic tool to check for straightness so I just rolled mine across my granite counter top which I know is flat and looked for any wobble or space between the tube and counter as I rolled it indicating they weren't perfectly straight. I had one that was bent but was lucky enough to score a perfectly straight set off ebay and now I have a spare just in case. The forks are pretty easy to do following the service manual. I just used a pvc pipe to drive the seals in. No other special tools needed. I'd use a modern fork oil instead of the recommended ATF. I used 10wt. Good luck!

[Dirtcrasher]

Well, one of those bushings is discontinued so forget that.

But always use OEM Honda fork seals, nothing else lasts.

If your forks have pitting or damage or are bent in the seal area, that's why it started leaking. MANY forks are bent and I fix allot of them....