Wheel Bearing Seals - 1996 Legacy Outback (2.5)

[Wayne Boncyk]

Hi, all! It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I still have my '96 Outback wagon and with nearly a quarter million miles on the beast, she's in need of new front wheel bearings. I pulled one wheel and a buddy pressed out the bearing for me, but in the process the seals were wrecked. Of course I'd replace them anyway, but my question is, are the inner and outer seals for these front bearings the same part? All I can find in on-line catalogs is a reference to an outer seal, saying that two are needed per wheel. Does this mean one inner and one outer?

 

Thanks!

[aircraft engineer]

the "outers" are inside the hub and outside the hub. There's one more seal at the axle on the inside of the hub for a total of 3 seals per housing. 2 the same, 1 different

 

now to confuse you - the outer seal in the inside of the hub is a dust seal but it's really the innermost seal. The seal on the outside of the hub is the same as the inner seal in the inside of the housing

 

There's GOT to be a Dr Seuss rhyme in here somewhere...

 

!>____<

--------------------------------- <-- cross section looking thru the housing - this would be the axle centerline.

!>____<

 

! dust seal

< or > grease seal

___ the bearing

 

Who's on first? Ida Know - THIRD BASE!!

[Wayne Boncyk]

OK - Since none of the online order guys I have found seem to know this, where can I go, short of a local dealer, to get all the seals that I need? Any suggestions out there? I've not been happy with the parts counter at my local Sube dealership....

[EVOthis]

http://www.subarupartsforyou.com i know there are a few other sites but i cant remember them......oh http://www.1stsubaruparts.com

[Wayne Boncyk]

Thanks! That's perfect!

[Wayne Boncyk]

Hey, aircraft enginner, just as a follow-up... isn't it true that the rear bearings use 3 seals, and the fronts use only 2? That's what I seem to see when I check my reference manuals.

[aircraft engineer]

I honestly DON'T KNOW. If 2 front 3 rear it's a bit cheaper (about $5 for the dust seal on the rear IIRC)

 

I've only done rears but I'm about to get into a front axle replacement on my IMP.

 

Maybe a rear bearing or 2 as well - getting a bit of whine

 

Generally I don't change seals unless they show leakage though unless I have to pull them (like for a bearing replacement)

 

Looks like the subyparts breakouts show 2 front, 3 rear (Legacy and IMP use the same housing, bearings, seals and hubs)

[Wayne Boncyk]

OK. You see what I saw. I'm going with the two for my fronts. The one we pulled out already was so badly messed up -- this whole process started with trying to get the front axle spline out of the hub, and 25 tons of hydraulic press force didn't budge it, so it also saw some serious torch time -- the seals weren't even recognizable as such when we got down to 'em, and the bearing roller cages were molten lumps of plastic when we got them out!

[hohieu]

isn't it true that the rear bearings use 3 seals, and the fronts use only 2? That's what I seem to see when I check my reference manuals.

 

This is the setup on my 99 Forester. There are three seals per wheel in the rear and 2 per wheel in the front. "Inner" and "outer" refers to the orientation with respect to the bearing. Somtimes inner seal #1 (in the ESM diagram) is referred to as an intermediate seal, and inner seal #2, as AE said, is just a dust seal.

 

There's no dust seal in the front, because a dust shield is already pressed onto the outer cv joint. It would be simpler and better if the rear half shafts had a similar, integrated dust shield.