[larry68]

1994 Toyota pickup dlx 2wd 4cyl. I have a front inner wheel bearing seal that has metal on the outside and inside. All the parts places only have seals with metal on the outside but the bearing needs to go against the inside portion. Any ideas if this comes apart? Any idea where to get one if it doesn't?

Thanks

 

[kamesama980]

I started typing then when OOOOOOOOOhhhhhh....

Do you have a pic?

I bet you have a sleeved "repair" seal. basically, if the old seal rides the same spot too long with dirt or bad bearings, it'll dig a groove in the sealing surface on the spindle. The way to get oput of buying a whole new spindle is to use a thin metal sleeve and basically glue it to the spindle where the seal rides, then use a slightly oversize seal to match. You usually see them on cranks or tranny output shaft seals but someone might have adapted it to the spindle.

 

[recian]

These seals are supposed to be metal on both sides with rubber riding the spindle. They can be removed by tapping the wheel bearing with a punch from the opposite side. It pushes the wheel bearing out the back and takes the seal with it. It wont damage the seal. I've done bearings on my truck twice in the last few years since i had a defective one. I reused the seals both times.

 

[larry68]

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up buying 2 seals from the dealer and paid more than I should have. I guess that's the price you pay when you're in a hurry. I didn't think about reusing the bearing. Good idea. I never repacked the bearings before and since the truck had 103k on it I figured it was due for some new seals.
I didn't get new bearings though. They seemed to be in good condition. It took 6 1/2 revolutions to get the spindle nut off the spindle. I re-installed it the same way. I didn't torque anything due to I didn't install new bearings. Hope this works. If I set myself up for disaster, just let me know.

 

[kamesama980]

don't just put the nut back on. it's not position sensetive (like alignment) it's pressure sensetive (like head bolts). You might be fine or they might eat themselves in 100 miles (or anywhere between). There are some other threads on here about how to set up bearings but it's basically tighten to 15 or 20 ftlbs max while turning, loosen completely, tighten until there's no play but no preload.

 

[larry68]

All went well. I only tightened the bearings back to the original position. I didn't have any problems with the bearings being too loose. So far its holding together ok. Next project is rear wheel bearings... to be continued.