seals
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Junior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 77
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From: In The Blue Ridge Mountains
seals
The rubber ring 
on the inside of my left wheel has broken and fallen off. I'm not sure what it's called but I'd like to know what it takes to replace it. It's right where the u-joint enters the hub.
on the inside of my left wheel has broken and fallen off. I'm not sure what it's called but I'd like to know what it takes to replace it. It's right where the u-joint enters the hub.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,716
Likes: 15
That seal prevents water and grit from getting through between the axle shaft and the steering knuckle. If stuff gets in there, it can get into the needle bearing, that is located on the inside of the spindle (the spindle is hollow, as the axle shaft goes through it). The needle bearing is what supports the axle shaft at the hub end. The axle shaft turns inside of the needle bearing when the front drive is engaged.
To replace the Rolling Diaphragm Seal, the hub and rotor, brake caliper, and spindle need to come off. That would be the time to regrease the needle bearing too. I did all this on my Bronco when I took the front end apart for maintenance a few years ago.
My official Ford shop manual has it in there, in an exploded parts view on my '94. But I had to educate the parts guys at the local Ford dealer about it. Hundreds of trucks in the lot, and they couldn't figure it out by themselves!
To replace the Rolling Diaphragm Seal, the hub and rotor, brake caliper, and spindle need to come off. That would be the time to regrease the needle bearing too. I did all this on my Bronco when I took the front end apart for maintenance a few years ago.
My official Ford shop manual has it in there, in an exploded parts view on my '94. But I had to educate the parts guys at the local Ford dealer about it. Hundreds of trucks in the lot, and they couldn't figure it out by themselves!
