Dana 44 inner hub seal? What the heck?

[roger0080]

OK. After much reading of the bad terminology in the thread, I get what JimmyDean is going through!

That 2 part seal design that has the large metal ring + the large rubber seal is what I tried to use. I remember that I was stumped as to how you get the rubber seal part up onto the deflector/shaft assembly. The large rubber seal was a loose fit in its metal ring until you try to get it pushed onto the shoulder of the deflector/shart assembly. It was a bugger to try to get it up onto there. Then when you did, It was TIGHT! and this was just on the bench for a trial assembly. When assembled,I couldn't see how it seals anything. It sealed the shaft alright! but between the rubber and the press in metal ring, it was no sealing. I don't get it, and still don't. Must be somekind of compression sealing after the complete assembly on the vehicle.

Originally when I took mine apart (1971 K20), I had a one-piece style seal that we are all familiar with. It had a number on it: 53C737. I took it to NAPA. This was a Chicago Rawhide part number that is not valid today. The closest they had was NAPA #19970 which is Chicago Rawhide #19970. It was a pretty close match so I used it.

To make a longer story short, I ordered 5 ea., sight unseen ,the correct GM seal, part number 6259190 from an east coast dealer. 4 of them where the 2 part metal and rubber seal as in the NAPA photo by Woodrige. The 5th was a Chicago Rawhide one-piece seal with a GM part number 3965129 and on it said it has been replaced by the 2-part metal and rubber one. So for fact, GM at one point used 2 different styles.

I'd stay with the one-piece Chicago Rawhide style.

The "hub" is not the spindle" and I think those have been tossed around too liberally where it was confiusing. The hub has the rotor pressed onto it.It has a large big seal that keeps the wheel bearing from falling out.

The spindle has a seal on it's inside that is of the 2-part metal piece and rubber or a one-piece seal that has the needle roller bearing cage pressed inside it that supoorts the axle shaft.

The thrust washer or "spacer" was made of bronze and now is nylon. The other piece left as someone mentioned, the deflector is pressed onto the shaft to help keep debris out and to provide a new wear area for the spindle seal if it needs replacing.

This stuff is probably too late to help, but hope it helps anyways.

The parts book has a better expoloded diagram of the inner spindle/hub assembly on page 6-26 if you have the book. I don't have a scanner so I can't post it.

I am assuming you put it together with the two-part metal & rubber seal and not the one-piece style you posted? If you used the one-piece seal and it is all tight, man something else is wrong.