Best Practice for Installing Inner Axle Seal??? (1 Viewer)

[newbtrayback]

Installing new birfs.....I mangled one axle seal trying to press it into place. I started by hand pressing it in and then mildly tapping in "star pattern" to get it to seat. It didn't go so well. I put another in and although I got it to seal it was a little rough. I can't seem to get a flush start and end up having one side slightly more flush than the other and there begins the trouble.....I have read through a few threads here and elsewhere but not seeing much detail on how best to do this. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[BILT4ME]

Use one or more of these options:

Bearing Race and Seal Driver Set, 10-Piece

Amazing deals on this 10Pc Bearing Race And Seal Driver Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

80 Series Inner Axle Seal Offset Driver

80 Series Inner Axle Seal Offset Driver (ASD-1)

absolute-wits-end.com

 

[BILT4ME]

Installing new birfs.....I mangled one axle seal trying to press it into place. I started by hand pressing it in and then mildly tapping in "star pattern" to get it to seat. It didn't go so well. I put another in and although I got it to seal it was a little rough. I can't seem to get a flush start and end up having one side slightly more flush than the other and there begins the trouble.....I have read through a few threads here and elsewhere but not seeing much detail on how best to do this. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

See above post. I forgot to tag you so you would see it.

 

[rolliges]

^^^^^ 2x (used both options above)

Worked well for this novice.

 

[77mustard40]

I used the backside of a 1 1/2” socket and an extension, greased the inner axle and the sides of the seal before starting it and took my time tapping it slowly until flush. Then it recessed it further with my brass drift by working my way around the outer edge making sure I was contacting the exterior edge of the seal as I gently tapped.

 

[Pin_Head]

Pack the back side with the spring with bearing grease so that the spring doesn’t go sproing when you drive it in.

 

[newbtrayback]

Guys thanks so much!

Pin Head - Thanks and yep did that.

77Mustard40 - Thats exactly what I tried to do and failed...I just didnt have the "touch". Brass drift would have no doubt helped. Harbor freight here I come.....

Biltforme - Thanks and going to buy that offset driver!

 

[bicycleagent003]

I've done it without the Wits End tool and I'm never doing that again. It's such a critical seal, often misinstalled, and the Wits End tool makes it goof proof.
Before I tear into my front end this fall I'm buying the Wits End seal installer. Genius, no moving parts, foolproof, etc. Money well spent. (No affiliation with Wits End here, just impressed by the consistent solutions that are well executed.)

 

[Pin_Head]

I think that some seals fail because they get doinked by installing the axle, especially on the long side. Be careful installing the axle.

 

[Bear80]

Harbor Freight 50 mm seal and race driver. Perfect for the trunnion race and axle seal. When using it to drive the seal in, the axle housing will "shave off" a hair's width of the diver thereby allowing the driver to recess the seal properly. I've used this 1/2 a dozen times.

 

[Rifleman]

Thats exactly what I tried to do and failed...I just didnt have the "touch". Brass drift would have no doubt helped. Harbor freight here I come.....

You'd be money ahead, and better off buying the wittts end piloted seal installer that BILT4ME listed above. The difference between it, and the harbor freight tool, the witts end tool has a piloted tip and shoulder that holds the seal true while being installed. That shoulder also insures that when the seal is finished being installed to it's correct depth in the axles housing, that the seals lip will end up being true, and square to the axles shaft that turns on it.

 

[Pin_Head]

This seal looks like it is installed crooked. The bottom is recessed, while the top is slightly proud. No bueno, no?

 

[Rifleman]

View attachment 2173514


This seal looks like it is installed crooked. The bott is recesseD while the top is slightly proud. No bueno, no?

And this is the very reason why you should use the Witts end piloted seal installer. It prevents seals from being installed crooked like what's shown in this photo.

 

[NLXTACY]

So that it is visual, this is how you DON'T want the seal installed.

 

[newbtrayback]

OrderEd one tonight! Moo chess grassy ass!!!

 

[Bear80]

View attachment 2173514


This seal looks like it is installed crooked. The bottom is recessed, while the top is slightly proud. No bueno, no?

So that it is visual, this is how you DON'T want the seal installed.

View attachment 2173655

Good GOD. I am not offended by the critique but for F**K sake what happened to reasoning skills here people? SAY IT WITH ME...Camera angle anyone?

And Kendall Jenner is still missing a leg...

 

[NLXTACY]

As someone who lived in the film industry and designed camera support equipment professionally, I can say with certainty, thats not camera angle

 

[mudgudgeon]

As someone who lived in the film industry and designed camera support equipment professionally, I can say with certainty, thats not camera angle

And the seal is on the piss too

 

[LINUS]

And Kendall Jenner is still missing a brain....

View attachment 2173824

FIFY.

Sadly, that seal isn’t so easily fixed (It does look proud of the chamfer compared to the bottom where it’s recessed beyond the chamfer).

At least if you catch birf soup, you’ll know what happened

 

[Bear80]

Sure sure pick apart the picture I used but it remains that all 6 axles that I've serviced and twice on my own truck, the seals are properly seated.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Harbor Freight seal drivers. It should also be mentioned that the kit contains the correct driver for the wheel bearing races.