Help! - Issues with vintage Marzocchi bomber fork

[SteezeMachine]

Ok, I think I see the problem, the red highlighted section is part of the seal. The outter rubber has bonded to the alloy. Try taking needle nose pliers to it and see if its malleable enough to peel off small sections at a time. Go slow and maybe apply heat with a heat gun or hair dryer.

I will try this, thank you! The piece is extremely malleable so it should peel off nicely.

 

[Roasted]

Just went and took a photo of my Z1 that's in bits which might help you. You should have the bushing, washer. Oil seal, circlip and then wiper seal.

 

[FluffyChicken]

I would get my trusty long screwdriver out, wrap lots of insulation tape around the section it pivot on the lower leg top.
Then tap and lever, tap and lever to get under that red part.
You may want to get everything warm first, hairdryers, full guns blazing. Just go for it as little to lose.

If you have a strong fine blade screwdriver or similar, get it behind the red part and tap it away, if you have something stronger still, try tapping to slide it in half or plier it away.

Then after pain and death I would get a dremel and carefully cut/grind and section parts out, clean it all up to allow the spring clip and everything to enter smoothly.

Don't worry too much about the bushing, the top looks bobbley so may need to be replaced anyway. But try you best not to damage it. Afterwards, flush it all out many times, it'll need a good clean. Soapy water, cloths, white spirits (or IPA depending what you have to hand)

Then sit, take a break, and look at your marvellous fix it job. Figure it would have been easier to just buy a new set but bah what's the fun in that. Grease everything.

Get some new seals,
Maybe some bushing if needed.

Have fun, keep plasters handy.

 

[dyna-ti]

From your description there(tell me if im wrong) that youve tried to lever it out from the top. The screwdriver you lever out by placing the tip at the bottom of the seal, down where it sits on top of the washer/bush

The tip goes in where the blue line is, so the screwdriver will be at a 45 deg angle/ If you've tried to lever it out by putting the screwdriver in at a 90 deg angle from the top you may well have stuffed the fork.

 

[SteezeMachine]

From your description there(tell me if im wrong) that youve tried to lever it out from the top. The screwdriver you lever out by placing the tip at the bottom of the seal, down where it sits on top of the washer/bush

The tip goes in where the blue line is, so the screwdriver will be at a 45 deg angle/ If you've tried to lever it out by putting the screwdriver in at a 90 deg angle from the top you may well have stuffed the fork.

Yep, I attempted to lever the seal out by placing my screwdriver under that lip, hence why the piece is mangled and deformed in the photo.

 

[rc300]

If you can get a blind bearing puller on the edge of the washer may be worth a go

 

[Dr-Zocchi]

Use the correct tool and a longer lever like a big screwdriver + also use some round clamps to fix the lowers as a pro would do!!

 

[bikeworkshop]

Bitd we used a motorcycle tyre lever - the curve on the end was a good match for marzocchi seals and bushes.
I didn't even know there were proper tools! We used to believe that tools to fix stuff didn't need inventing because it already existed!!

 

[wesmamyke]

The Icetoolz or Pedros Dh tire levers are the business for taking seals out.

https://www.amazon.com/IceToolz-Tire-Lever-Aluminum-Carbon/dp/B00RN4KGLY