Still slowly but surely working on the rear bearing on my '97 Outback.

 

Does anybody know offhand what the specs for the seals on the rear knuckle are? I got a set of Timken seals for doing my wheel bearing and have discovered that the new inner seal is too small. I went to Advance and picked up a National seal, seems to be the exact same size and part number as the seal that's too small. I haven't tried putting it in yet, but I did compare the Timken one to the old one and the old seal seems a larger diameter. I can't tell for sure since it got mangled while I removed it.

 

When I say too small, I mean that the seal just pops into the bore and will fall out. I should have to drive it in, correct? It shouldn't have to be smashed in, but it should be a tight fit such that it actually seals and doesn't fall out, right?

 

I'm assuming that the inner seal is the one that sits closest to the axle, the intermediate one is the small one that fits between the inner seal and the bearing and the outer seal is the one that sits between the hub and the bearing.

Never heard of an intermediate seal, but the inner and outer you have the right idea. It should be a press in fit. I'd go order a set from a dealer. Chances are if the part listing is wrong at one parts place it's going to be wrong everywhere.

I was wondering about that. I think the part number is a universal identifier for a particular size seal. I'll have to call up my dealer and see if they've got one I can get.

 

If the seals are the "right size," I wonder what I'm going to do. Maybe I can get a seal with a larger OD and the same size ID or something.

There should be three seals in total. The outer grease seal, inner grease seal, and inner dust seal. The outer one can only be replaced by pressing the hub in and out of the bearing. The inner grease seal should fit into the notch closest to the wheel bearing. It should have an inner diameter that slides over the smooth machined spot on the end of the axle which should be noticeable. Then the dust seal is installed on top of the inner grease seal, in a notch higher up. If installed the wrong way, this can lead to the dust seal failing and eventually let mother nature in quicker. Install it facing away from you if it's the proper seal I'm taking of.