Sorry to bomb the list with this, but I cannot seem to get
this through to pat...damn Lucas computer <g>
Pat-
Just read about your front oil seal plight. There should
be no reason to replace the front hub (unless you actually
LIKE spending money).<g> The slight groove may actually
be causing some small leakage but that can be dealt with.
The original seal is quite thick and incorporates what you
see as an extra "felt" piece in front of the "lip" of the seal, so
do not worry about that problem as it will be replaced with the
new seal as long as you replace the old one with an original
equipment type seal. I have also seen a simpler single lipped
seal used, which if you cannot find an original type, is ok
if you put two seals, one in front of the other, into the front
cover. If you use the 2 seal method, it will also alleviate the
next problem, not seating the seal to the same depth as the
original. By not seating to the same depth as the last seal, the
lip will not be in the same place (in the groove) on the hub and
that will no longer be a problem. The previous seal may have
been installed this way (not all the way to the front of the cover)
just for that reason, but in reality I have found it difficult to
actually get the original seal to go all the way into this hole as
the bottom (front) of the hole tends to taper down somewhat,
not allowing the seal to look as if it is all the way in (fairly
normal condition, even from the factory) but not a problem
in any way. Installation is fairly normal, just knock it out with
a drift (actually easier on the original type seal because it
has that second (rear) metal casing on it) then drive in the new seal with a
suitable sized socket or the like. If you do use an original type seal you
may want to be careful to seat it to a
different depth on purpose just so that the lip on the seal does
not ride on the same groove of the hub.
Hope this is clear
Nick
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