Anyone use a Double lip seal for the yoke of an Axle??? - ECJ5

Well it seems like the double lip oil seals work really good. I was thinknig bout getting a double lip oil seal to replace the single lip seal on my Axle yokes. Has anyone done this and do they know a number for th eseal or know the diameters of the normal seal so i can crossrefernce and get a double lip seal of the same size??

Dan: I know the # for the double lip for the D18, but not for the axle. One thing I miss not living in LA anymore. Had good bearing houses there. Just take the seal to a local bearing house, if you have one near, and they can match one up for you--if one is made.

One question? Why double lip. Is your's leaking lube out of the yoke? Mine is orig. and it's barely dirty.

My front axle is leaking now, i was just trying to find an overkill way of sealing and not having to worry about leakages I do not have an extra seal laying around to get a measurement, and usually when i get the seal off it is destroyed.

Dan: Just go to a bearing house and see if they can match you up with a double lip one. It may be that just the old seal is bad. Remember, the seals are not "completely" submerged in oil, only about 1/4 of them are exposed at rest. I think a single lip should do you fine. If it doesn't, your output shaft may be pitted or worn.

Know what you mean. Well, just HOW OLD our our Jeeps? :?

Dan, just so happens I have a d44/25/27/30 pinion seal (they all use the same #) on my desk right now! Motor City P/N S- is a double lip seal. The NAPA equivalent P/N is NOS. If the sealing surface is damaged you can use a "speedy sleeve" or "ready sleeve". The BCA Bearings p/n and Chicago Rawhide p/n are both . NAPA's is NOS.

Worst case you can get a new yoke from Krage ~45 bucks. Good luck!

Re: Double lip seals?

The way seals work is you have to have a liquid on them (be it oil or water) or else the rubber is going to burn right up no differently than running a water pump impeller without any water to it.

Its steel on rubber spinning at 700 rpms just at idle, at WFO. What cools it? The whole reason why there is no outer water seal in the uppers is because with no water on the outside of the seal, its going to burn right up. So whatever this seal is that your looking at is either some kind of gimmick. Or that 2nd lip is really more of a dust shield. And does not fit as tight as a typical oil seal does. Re: Double lip seals?

Here's the reply I received from the seller (a marina who also works on the outdrives as well as selling the parts):

Generally on a double (or triple) lip seal, the direction of installation won't matter. The only exception is if there is a helix on the inside of the seal between the lips. If it has a helix, there is a specific direction because the helix slings oil back in a specific direction in case of a leak.

Hope that helps! Those kits are used by the hundreds by many rebuilders... I know you will be happy!

Re: Double lip seals?

I have no experience with those seals. But there are 2 types of seals in general, dust seals, and oil seals. (technically there are more than 2, but I'm trying to keep it simple)

Dust seals are not designed to hold any real pressure behind them, and because of that, they do not fit all that tight, and because of that, you can run them dry and they will not immediately fail. Oil seals are just the opposite, they are designed to hold a low amount of pressure because they fit really tightly. Because of that, if you run them dry for any real period of time, they burn out. When I say "Fit", what I mean by that is how tight the rubber of the seal is squeezing in against the steel surface that rubber is riding on. A loose fit is for dust, grease, nothing that is designed to hold back any pressure. A tight fit is for water, oil, other fluids, and is designed to hold back a light amount of pressure. (typically less than 25 psi). Because the fit is tight, it must stay lubricated and cooled at all times, or it will prematurely burn out.

For example, if you have ever changed wheel bearings on an older car, or a trailer. Those seals in there are just dust seals, to keep road dirt out. And that's why you can run them without a liquid on top of them without burning up. (but they all burn up in 30 to 40k miles). But if you have ever changed seals on a differential, where there is gear lubricant behind the seals, you can see how they are of a different construction, and fit much tighter.

It's all just rubber on spinning steel. Re: Double lip seals?

JustJason brings up a good point, about one side of the seal being run dry, especially if it has a garter spring.

The axle seals on my trailer are double lipped with the outer (water) seal not using a garter spring, but the outer seal still fits pretty tight around the axle. I bet this seal would burn up it it wasn't lubricated, but it's lubed with grease.

The aftermarket double lipped seals I've used on my drive all have liquid on each side, lube or oil, but I fill the cavity between the seals with gear lube before installation. Sounds like that's what needs to be done with the pinion seal, fill the gap as well as possible with gear lube. It wouldn't take much to keep the seal lubed.