Hi all,

I'm about to replace the bearings in my 10 bolt and have a couple of axle saver bearings to use. However the supplier gave me two bearings which are not the same. The dimensions match, but one bearing doesn't have an inner seal like the other one does. Of course, both have a seal that goes around the circumference of the bearing, plus a seal at the outer end.

Someone suggested to me that I don't need the inner seal because it would go where the worn part of the axle is and would let oil pass anyway. What do you all think? Do I need an inner seal?

Here's a picture showing the two bearings. The one on the right seems to be missing the seal.

 

No one has any ideas???

 

Don't ya hate these kind of situations. Either one is probably ok but once you know there are two different kinds you'd rather have the one with two seals-huh? Well I think the inner seal is most likely a wiper and not absolutly necessary. But I'd try to trade the one in for one with two seals. I have used the axel saver bearings on non-f-body cars with no problems.

 

Thanks for the thoughts. I bought both of these from overseas so while getting another one isn't impossible, it's still a pain in the neck and is time consuming.
Have you used axle saver bearings with and without the inner seal?

 

Here's another twist. I spoke to a guy who sells the bearings yesterday without the inner seal. He said that you don't need that seal because it would stop oil from lubricating the rest of the bearing. I hadn't thought of it that way.

 

Next question...

Should axle saver bearings be able to be installed all the way in so the bearing is flush with the outside of the axle tube? Is there some kind of recess for the bearings to sit in?

I've installed my bearings, but both of them didn't seem to install all the way in - the hammer kept bouncing off the install tool rather than driving it in. Here's a picture of one side "installed".

Advice please?

 

No one has any clue?

 

Given all the views, it seems no one knows the answer.

So I went to a shop and asked them about the bearings sticking out, and they said it was normal with axle saver bearings.