Hub dust seal?
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Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Bradenton FL
Hub dust seal?
After i had my ball joints done the guys at a local shop left my dust seals hanging on the u joints. Ive gone round and round with this place trying to get my truck alighned and i still dont think its quite right but whatever. I dont want to take it back to them and be without my truck for a day to get these things back on. Does everything have to come apart or can i put those seals back on from the inside of the wheel? Thx
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 10,600
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From: Carhenge
Those rings don't go inside anywhere, they are part of the outside of the knuckle seal. Once they fall off they can't be put back on. The good news is that they don't seem to serve much of any function, the knuckle seal works fine without them. If they were just hanging there I can't believe a shop wouldn't take the opportunity to replace them and charge you another $80 plus labor.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,413
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From: Columbia, MO
The shop should have put new seals in there when you had ball joints done. Since the axles have to come out, the dust seals should be replaced if they show too much signs of wear. Do you know if they even put in new axle seals that are inside the knuckle? I haven't yet pulled an axle without damaging those seals and requiring replacement.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,413
Likes: 1
From: Columbia, MO
seals in the knuckle don't keep diff fluid in. There are inner seals for that. The knuckle axle seals keep dirt/water out of the sealed bearings in your hub and are an intergal part of keeping the auto lock hubs working.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,852
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My dust seals were broken and hanging on both sides when I took it apart to do the ball joints a couple of weeks ago. And here's something I didn't see on any of the write-ups about ball joint replacement: I believe that some lubrication is in order for the dust seals. Maybe they depend on slight leakage out of the axle tube, but I didn't want to take that chance. I put some grease on the surface they ride against.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Columbia, MO
I wondered about that too. I'm guessing the seal is designed to be sort of self lubricating and a wear item.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2007
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Originally Posted by jtharvey
I wondered about that too. I'm guessing the seal is designed to be sort of self lubricating and a wear item.
Regardless, mine will be getting lubed whenever I lube the other chassis and steering parts.
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