Steering Knuckle Rust and Pitting behind dust cover

[jabajee]

I'm in the middle of replacing my front wheel bearings, rotors, and pads on my 04 LX. Noticed the dust shield / K seal was looking crusty. Pulled it off to find some rust + heavy pitting in a couple areas. I filed it a bit and wire wheeled. Thoughts on a fix vs. having to buy a new knuckle? Mainly worried about getting a good seal w/ new gasket + dust shield. Thanks!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

It's a cast part, not machined, so some of that pitting is just the way it is. There's nothing on that mating surface that's sealed, the inner hub seal on the spindle is what contains the hub bearings. Clean it up, paint it if you want.

 

[badlander]

Forget the gasket, that does nothing but cause more rust. Like Trunk Monkey said, clean it up and paint it. Then smear some marine grease on there in lieu of the gasket. It will work to keep dust and dirt out and retard further rusting.

 

[jabajee]

Thanks, guys. Painted it and will hit it with marine grease before reassembly.

 

[delz05]

Before applying the paint, you should knock the scale off with a needle gun...