AN INTRODUCTION TO OIL SEALS EVOLUTION OF THE OIL SEAL and gaskets From outward appearances the modern oil

seal seems a rather ordinary object nothing more than a metal shell, a flexible lip, and a garter-like spring. They are used wherever shafts move and where bearings require lubrication. Its purpose is to seal in lubricant, seal out foreign matter, or seal and separate fluids and gases. Since the dawn of civilization, perhaps even before the famous racing chariots of ancient Rome were popular man learned that wheel hub to axle shaft friction could be reduced through use of a lubricant. Applying animal fat or tallow to the hubs of wheels helped, but the main problem was to keep this crude lubricant in and dirt out. A seal was needed, and in all probability, the earliest seal was no more than a cloth or rope wound around the axle near the wheel hub. As speeds increased, better lubes had to be developed some tried combinations of waxes, animal fats, and even fish oils. But, keeping the lube in continued to be a perplexing problem. Vehicles and machines were quickly evolving and the sealing problem grew in complexity. The evolution of the oil seal was simply not keeping pace with man's needs. For example, in England, during the 1830's, several giant steam-powered coaches operated on the roads between London and outlying towns. These metal monsters, with 6-foot wheels, could carry about 20 passengers at speeds up to 15 mph. The lubrication system depended on the fireman. Besides fueling the boiler, he had the additional job of greasing flailing rods and whipping chains with a brush dipped in lard. This lube eventually found its way to the road, literally trail-blazing the route of the steam-powered coach. Operating on the total loss principle, large quantities of lard had to be carried. Early gasoline-powered vehicles weren't much better than the London steam-coaches. Mineral oil replaced lard, but lubrication was still based on the total loss principle. The oil, piped from a remote reservoir, dripped onto the mechanical workings and again, found its way to the road. Wheels and shafts turned faster and faster, and the problem of reducing friction gained increased importance. Seals, of course do not reduce friction but they are essential to the operating efficiency of bearings which do. The original inventor of the oil seal, the crudely wound rope or cloth, is unknown. Using his principle though, the first practical oil seals were developed. A "boot" type leather seal was designed for use on buggy wheels so the "grease" could be reused over and over again and dirt could be kept out of the wheel bore. Felt and cork washers replaced the "boot" leather seal and were quite popular for a while, but the leakage problem was far from solved. These early seals leaked, wore out quickly, and needed constant replacement. Seal design took a major step forward in 1920 when engine designers developed the first leather seals with spring-loading. These seals were heavy leather washers, clamped or affixed to various metal cases.

Two pairs of "garter" springs forced "the seal lip to follow shaft irregularities and reduced leakage. Precision roller bearings were also adopted in the 20's and solved the problem of loose, wobbly wheel hubs. Later leather oil seal designs had less lip contact and only a single spring. The design goal was to reduce frictional heat... the main enemy of leather seals. About the same time that the early leather seals were introduced, an improved felt seal was also developed. These felt seals were essentially a compressed wool washer that held grease well. They were used as front wheel seals on some vehicles as late as the 1950's. But felt is very porous and can not effectively contain oil. Leather, like felt, is also a porous material. To solve the problem posed by porous seal material, early leather seals were Wax impregnated to hold oil. This wax leather combination performed well, provided that frictional temperatures did not exceed 150 degrees F. Over 150 F, Wax tended to wash out and the leaker problem was back. Toward the closing days of World War II, leather seals were being Impregnated with synthetic rubber. Operating limits reached maximum levels for leather about 180 to 200 F. Following WW II, frictional heat temperatures well exceeded the capabilities of the leather seal and oilresistant synthetic rubbers began to appear. The first synthetic to meet high temperature requirements was nitrile (Buna N) rubber. It is still a basic ingredient in most seal compounds. Modern day oil seals fall into two basic design groups single lip and double lip. Single lip seals can easily be molded in many materials. They run slightly cooler than double lip seals. Double lip seals use the second or auxiliary lip to exclude dust, dirt, and water. Seals are produced using three popular compounds, nitrile, acrylic, and silicone. Fluroelastomer is another popular oil seal material. It has a long life, about double that of silicone, and is not easily damaged. Today, National Seal markets seals for applications ranging from aerospace to automotive to mining equipment. Chances are that whenever a shaft rotates a seal is used to seal in a lubricant, separate fluids or gases, and seal out foreign matter. That seal usually bears Federal-Mogul's National Seal imprint. OIL SEAL DEFINITION As products, oil seals may be simply described as devices that close or seal the spaces between stationary and moving parts in mechanical equipment . . . they prevent lubricant from escaping. Oil seals, often called grease, fluid, or dirt seals, are the vital components of practically every type machine and vehicle in operation. These seals fulfill an exacting function . . . they protect all types of precision-constructed, close-fitting ball, sleeve, and roller bearings.

OIL SEAL FUNCTIONS Depending on the particular application, oil seals may be required to seal in lubricant, seal out foreign matter, and seal or separate dissimilar fluids or gases. Precision bearings rely on the oil seal to prevent lubricants from escaping the bearings or a specific area. Components of modern machines rely on the oil seal to prevent abrasives, corrosive moisture, and other harmful foreign matter from entering the mechanics. Separation of fluids and gases may completely rely on the seal to prevent intermixture of two different mediums such as lubricating oil and water. OIL SEAL USE In a typical application/the oil seal is installed adjacent to a bearing, sealing in or sealing out, as necessary, the various liquids, gases, or solids encountered by the particular mechanism OIL-LUBRICATED BEARINGS Beginning in the late 1950s, heavyduty truck manufacturers introduced oil bath lubricating systems for both front and rear wheels. In the case of a drive axle, oil agitation within the axle housing allows differential oil to flow through the axle spindle tube to the wheel hub cavity (Figure 23-59). All other wheels have an isolated wet hub, filled to a specified level with gear lube. Several different types of oil seals are used on front and rear wheels. For oil lubrication of wheel bearings, rear axle lubricants meeting the requirements of API (American Petroleum Institute) GL-5 are recommended. SAE 90 viscosity grade is normally preferred. For extreme cold environments similar SAE 75W or SAE 5OW is preferred; and for extremely warm climates, similar SAE 140 viscosity grade is preferred. Multigrade gear oils like SAE 80W-90, SAE 85W-140 are also satisfactory. The manufacturer of the vehicle usually recommends the type and grade of lubricant to be used. WARNING: Failure to lubricate any bearing in the specified manner and to maintain proper lubrication can cause a potentially fatal wheel-off incident! Seal with Wiper Ring The metal encased lip-type seals shown in Figure 23-60 have a wiper ring or wear sleeve mounted on the axle or spindle. The wiper ring provides a smooth contact surface for the lip of the seal, which is also replaced when seals are replaced. The lip of a seal can wear a groove in the axle or spindle at that point where the lip makes contact. The oil-lubricated seal shown in Figure 2360B has an added feature called grit guard. The grit guard is a shielded extension on the wiper ring to prevent grit and road splash from entering the seal.

Unitized Seal Unitized seals (Figure 23-61) in most installations do not require axle wiper rings and minimize wear on the axle spindle as follows. The outer shell of the seal being pressure fit in the wheel hub rotates with the wheel around the sealing element, which is pressure fit on the axle spindle. With the unitized seal during replacement, the worn surface created by the sealing lip is also replaced, by virtue of a new seal. Barrier Seal The rubber-encased seal shown in Figure 23-62 is called a barrier-type seal. The seal effect is between the lips and encased metal ring. This type of seal is installed by hand and should not normally have any lubricant or sealant added to the inner or outer surfaces when installed. New seals have a lubricant applied to the mounting surfaces to aid in the installation. Do not apply grease to these surfaces. If grease should be applied to the outer surface of the seal, the seal could slip on the hub or on the spindle or axle tube. Guardian Oil Seal The rubber-encased lip-type seal with wiper ring shown in Figure 23-63 is known as the guardian seal. It has the grit guard feature similar to the seal shown in Figure 23-60B with the advantage of direct contact between the seal and wiper ring to further guard against the entrance of foreign matter The wiper ring provides a smooth contact for the lip of the seal. The lip of the seal retains the oil in the bearing cavity. The rubber encasement has grooves around its circumference which retain the seal in place in the hub. Figure 23-62 shows an example of a barrier type seal REMOVAL AND INSPECTION Wheel seals are removed using a brass drift and hammer. Position the drift through the outer opening of the hub and against the bearing. Tap the bearing and seal out through the brake drum side of the hub. Take care so that the seal bore is not damaged. The wiper or wear ring that is used with an oil-lubricated wheel bearing is removed by using a ball peen hammer and tapping on the ring to expand it. Do not use a chisel to cut the ring because it could damage the machined surface on the axle. Clean and inspect all components as explained earlier in this chapter under grease-lubricated bearing service. With oil-lubricated systems, inspect for porous or cracked hubs that could be a source of oil leakage. Inspect the hub or wheel bore. Remove any burrs with an emery cloth. INSTALLING OIL SEALS Oil seal installation often requires special tools to position and seat the seals. There are also slight differences in installation, depending on seal design.

Wiper Ring Seals Apply a thin coat of gasket eliminator sealant to the shoulder of the wheel spindle or axle tube. Using the proper installation tool (Figure 23-64), place the wiper ring on the spindle or tube. After wiping away excess sealant, tap on the end of the tool to drive the ring firmly onto the shoulder until the installation tool contacts the shoulder. Check the position of the ring to make sure that its edge is parallel with the shoulder. FIGURE 23-65 Driving the seal into the hub. The care with which the ring is installed will affect seal performance. A damaged ring will significantly shorten seal life. FIGURE 23-64 Installation tool for wiper ring seals. (Courtesy of International Truck and Engine Corp.) Lip Seal with Wiper Ring: Apply a thin coat of sealant to the hub seal bore. This light coat should cover the press fit area. Be sure sealant does not contact the seal lip or contaminate the lube oil. Lay the wheel on a flat surface with the brake drum facing up. Place the inner wheel bearing into the bearing cup and place the hub seal into the starting position on the hub. Use an installation tool with a properly sized disc that will apply force to the edge of the hub seal and prevent the seal from becoming distorted or damaged. Drive the seal the hub until it bottoms out in the hub bore. Do not continue to drive the seal after it is seated because damage to the seal can result. Unitized Seal If a seal is being converted to a unitized seal from another type, remove the wear rings if present, do not use a chisel to remove the wiper rings because you could damage the axle. Instead, use a ball hammer and tap the ring lightly on the seal lip face. Do this in a small area, causing the ring expand. When expanded, it will slip off the housing. To install a unitized seal in the wheel, first apply a thin coat of gasket eliminator sealant over the pre fit area of the hub bore unless the seal already has a sealing coating. Seat the outer face of seal in the recess of the installation tool adapter. Insert the centering plug of the tool in the bore of the inner bearing cone. This center plug prevents cocking of the seal in bore. Hold the tool handle firmly and strike the handle with a hammer until the sound of the impact changes, a signal that the seal is seated. Remove excess sealant. A good check for proper seating is to move the synthetic sealing member with your fingers after installation in the wheel hub there should be slight in-and-out movement. WARNING: Any time a wheel with a unitized seal is removed for any purpose, the seal must be replaced.

The barrier-type seal (Figure 23-62) is installed by hand. New seals do not require any special lubricant or sealer unless the new seal has no lubrication at all then it is permissible to wipe the leading edge of inside and outside diameters sparingly with light bearing oil. These seals do not require any special tools for installation. Position the seal over the hub and use care so that the seal is not cocked when pushed into place. Push the seal into the hub by hand until it is completely bottomed and uniformly seated in the bore. Do not use wheel bearing or chassis grease to install seals, because grease could result in the seal slipping in the hub or on the spindle or axle tube. If the inner wheel bearing is smaller than the opening in the seal, it is permissible to assemble the bearing on the spindle first and then install the hub assembly with seal. If it is necessary to remove the wheel assembly from the spindle due to hang-ups, recheck the seal for proper installation. In some cases the seal will be separated. The inner half must be removed by hand from the spindle shoulder. Reinsert the inner half in the outer wheel seal by snapping together. Then reinstall the seal assembly. Gaskets/Sealants Purpose: To prevent gas or liquid leakage between two parts that are bolted together. Gaskets may also be used as spacers, wear insulators, and vibration dampers. Spacer: Gasket serves as a shim between two joined components, (fuel pump lever, cam, or to compensate for manufacturing or rebuilding tolerances in the cylinder head.) Wear Insulator: The gasket is softer than the separated components allowing for expansion and contraction with less friction. Classifications Hard gasket: Steel, stainless steel, copper, or any combination, (cylinder heads, exhaust etc.) Soft gasket: soft flexible material, cork, rubber, paper, fiber material, rubber coated steel, liquid silicone, anaerobic, (valve covers, water pumps, thermostat housing etc.) Silicone gasket: Three grades. Black - general purpose Blue - special applications, Red - high temperature. Used to aid sealing in corners, dovetails, or notches. Sealants/adhesives: Come in liquid form to be used on most metal gaskets. They dry to a non-hardening flexible seal to prevent liquid, air, pressure or vacuum leaks.