• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

1980 GS450 L Fork Drain Screw Replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter moto
  • Start date Start date
M

moto

Guest
I posted a brief question along these lines in my rebuild thread but for more hits i figure i'd post it here too. I spent a fair amount of time searching the forums to no avail. Does anyone one have a specific part to replace the stock phillips screws to drain the forks. aka a specific part from z1? I cant find any measurements or thread pattern conveniently online, and my forks are off getting blasted at the moment. Any thoughts?
 
IDK what the thread size is, but they are very small (M3 perhaps) and may be difficult to find in aftermarket parts. May I ask why you don't purchase new OEM screws and gaskets, which are still available?
 
Since the factory part # is 02112-04068 it is likely a 4mm x 6mm, but the flat under the head for the sealing washer may make a replacement tough to find, like Koolaid Kid states maybe an OEM with a new sealing washer 51183-33030 is the best choice
 
I just got brand new OEM screws and gaskets for mine and they're just fine...
 
The people have spoken! OEM it is. Thanks for you input!

On a side note, everyone says to get a SS bolt kit from z1 for the motor, why not keep it uniform and replace the drain screw with a SS bolt? I realize the advantages of keeping it oem, but you would think if you were going to do part in SS you would want do to it all in SS?

Moto
 
Last edited:
You can try a 4 x 6mm and see if it fits. Be a trend setter! ;)
 
Hoosier Daddy said:
You can try a 4 x 6mm and see if it fits. Be a trend setter! ;)
Click to expand...
The problem I see with using a COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) screw is the flat part of the head. This is a screw with a sealing washer. You want 100% of that washer to be held down by the screw head. If a COTS screw has a smaller diameter head, you are not providing 100% of the sealing area designed by Suzuki. If it were anything other than a sealing screw, I would agree. Just a special circumstance, where OEM is almost always the way to go.
 
I used stainless hex drain screws when I rebuilt my front forks, but used the OEM seal washer. The forks are leak free. The OEM washer is made out of some kind of thick plastic, and it's going to come in contact with brake fluid, so I wouldn't try to find a "hardware store" replacement for that.
 
Call me a rebel... my GS is wearing 4mm stainless socket head screws (I forget the length) with black nylon washers.

4mm is very close to 5/32, which IIRC means the washers are for a #6 screw size. (That last sentence is compelling evidence that the US needs to switch to metric ASAP.) All should be available at your nearest decent hardware store. (Home Desperate, Meantard's, and bLowe's are neither decent nor real hardware stores. Try Ace or Do It Best.)

I've used black nylon washers for several years in several other sealing applications on my GS as well -- 1/4" is close enough to 6mm, and the nylon is resistant to fluids, fuel, and heat, hard enough not to distort, and soft enough to seal nicely.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top