Greeting's,

What would cause the grease seal/cap (it's a Watt's seal)to be distorted, or "mushroomed out" to where it does not fit tightly on the axle tube and does not retain any grease because of the poor fit?

If the bearing, sleeve, or axle shaft is worn, does it cause the bearing to "walk" toward's the outside of the axle causing seal damage?

Due to wear, could the hub/wheel go on the axle far enough to pinch, or crush the cap?

Anyone ever experience a destroyed cap/seal? What caused it?

Thank's,
Steve

Steve,i destroyed a cap on the drivers side by a hub that went on too far,a shim cured the problem but not before grinding up the cap and destroying the seal,use a shim or trim a shim to fit on the inner side or outer whichever is the problem.
Rick

Steve, I also destroyed a Watts seal. In my case, the cause was that the rubber seal portion ran over the axel keyway. This allowed gear oil to work under the seal thru the axel keyway and the sharp edge cut up the seal. To eliminate the problem, I machined up new bearing holders, shortened up the housing outside tube and used modern seal bearings and internal seals. It turned out to be a fun project and was not too difficult. With our 13, I discovered that the axel tube inside dia. (where the original bearing sleeve was) varied by .015". By making them, I was able to fit each one for a snug fit. "Les"