Front axel shaft seal - leaking due to incorrect sizing?

[twr7cx]

Has anyone who has recently fitted new axel shaft seals to their front diffs experienced continual issues with them leaking?

A number of us in Australia are finding this issue and we believe that the cause may be that the new seals are being produced slightly smaller (35mm vs 36mm ID):

The result is that the main body of the seals seems to grip on the shaft and eventually tear itself apart:

We have measured the genuine Land Rover, AllMakes4x4, Britpart (who are supposebly the OEM supplier for this part), Corteco (who seem to be the actual OEM supplier) and Bearmach and found all to be 35mm ID of the seal body.

However, some members with old seals have measured them to be 36mm (1mm larger).

The shafts measure 34.98mm which are the cause of why the seals are gripping and failing.

Wondering if there are any other seal options available in that may be the correct size? Apparently there is a NAK brand with possible part number of SG9AYW2 (but Google turns up nothing and NAK Australia don't recognise it) which may be the correct size but so far we have been unable to source it.

[Rangy35]

Never experienced this and use Corteco and genuine.

[bear]

Hi,

Have a look at this topic http://www.thed2boysclub.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34260

Griff

[twr7cx]

Cheers, I have requested registration on thed2boysclub and am awaiting approval to be able to view that link.

[twr7cx]

Another good thread for anyone interest in this further is http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/192615-ashcroft-hd-cv-shafts-front-diff-seals-leaking-5.html

[twr7cx]

And another one - http://www.thed2boysclub.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13199&p=177199&hilit=bahe#p177199

Seeing a pattern forming?

Note that the effected users are from all various parts of the world too.

[Sheffield]

Does this have interesting implications? Seals are moulded compoments, and if Land Rover changed suppliers presumably the new suppliers had to make new tooling, and a mistake has occured. But that should not effect Allmakes, Britpart etc, who will be using suppliers who have their own tooling and will continue to make seals to the correct sizing. These alternative manufactures will not change their tooling just because Land Rover have, unless of course all seals come from one supplier, and the terms OEM and pattern parts are meaningless.

Or have Land Rover changed the specification as a deliberate act, and every one has followed suit on their advice. Has any one asked LR about it?

[twr7cx]

Does this have interesting implications? Seals are moulded compoments, and if Land Rover changed suppliers presumably the new suppliers had to make new tooling, and a mistake has occured. But that should not effect Allmakes, Britpart etc, who will be using suppliers who have their own tooling and will continue to make seals to the correct sizing. These alternative manufactures will not change their tooling just because Land Rover have, unless of course all seals come from one supplier, and the terms OEM and pattern parts are meaningless.

Or have Land Rover changed the specification as a deliberate act, and every one has followed suit on their advice. Has any one asked LR about it?

It would seem that the Britpart, AllMakes4x4 and Land Rover brand seals are all coming from the same factory - they have identical markings, design, colour etc. now.

If I had a contact number for Mr Land Rover I would certainly ask them about it, but my local Land Road sales and spare parts dealer knows nothing about any of it and we're a long way from their head office...