Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Hi all. I'm sure you remember the post I made last August about my friends' leaky W/NG pushrod tubes. Well, I ordered the new seals back at the end of August, but didn't get around to looking at the bike until yesterday !
The pushrods were very loose, both able to move up and down quite a bit, no wonder she leaked.
I removed everything and attempted to replace the seals with the new ones. I can see that what I may have inadvertently done the last time was to place the top seals at the bottom and vice-versa. They fit fairly easily the 'wrong' way around, as the smaller diameter bottom one can stretch over the spigot at the top. I have checked the sizes against the delivery note that details the measurements and I know which way they should be, BUT, the problem is the top seal which simply will not squeeze into the slot in the tube top. It stretches over the spigot ok, but the outer edge will not slide into the outer top edge of the tube.
Has anyone encountered this problem before, and how did you get around it ? I've tried oil and warm water, but it simply won't go.
Cheers, Tony.

TonyBaxter wrote: Has anyone encountered this problem before, and how did you get around it ? I've tried oil and warm water, but it simply won't go.
Cheers, Tony.

Tony, how did you resolve this issue?

Cheers
Alan

Hi Alan,
sorry, moved house and wife and mother both ended up in hospital, hence no time for forum surfing!
I just kept at it with oil and made the top one fit in by gradually squeezing it in with a flat screwdriver blade. Took quite a while and ended up with bruised and cut fingers but was successful in the end.

TonyBaxter wrote:Hi Alan,
sorry, moved house and wife and mother both ended up in hospital, hence no time for forum surfing!
I just kept at it with oil and made the top one fit in by gradually squeezing it in with a flat screwdriver blade. Took quite a while and ended up with bruised and cut fingers but was successful in the end.

Tony, Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sorry to hear about your domestic troubles...hope everything is getting back to normality.

I spoke with Peter Kemp and he told me the seal kits tend to come with 4 seals all the same size. He does seals with two different thicknesses. I got these and they both went in no problem.

Cheers
Alan

Interesting, the four seals from Dragenfly were quite definitely two differing pairs.
Domestic life getting back on track slowly but surely

Interesting thread yes I have a major oil leak at the bottom of the tubes, I puchased 4 from club and there is defiantly two size I am assuming the small ones fit at the top, unless anyone knows differently.

Hi Doug, quite a few months since I did this but pretty sure that they go at the bottom. Re-read my post, it's not entirely obvious at first glance.

Smaller diameter that is.