What Is A Wheel Seal?
A wheel seal is designed to prevent grease leaks or contamination, and to keep the wheel bearings inside the hub properly lubricated to extend their life. When wheel bearings are installed, additional grease is typically added to the hub and the dust cap to ensure the bearings have sufficient lubrication to operate safely for a long period of time. Over time, the wheel seal can wear out, tear, or suffer other damage that may allow grease to leak from the hub, or become contaminated with water, dirt, and grit. This can lead to accelerated wheel bearing wear and premature failure, and you may experience grinding or humming noises that point to a damaged bearing. You may need to replace your wheel seal if you see visible damage to the seal or grease leaking near the back of the hub, if you hear noises from the wheels that increase and decrease with speed, or if your wheel bearings seem especially loose. Any time the wheel bearings or seals are serviced, it's usually a good idea to add fresh grease and inspect the bearings, races, seals, and dust cap for signs of damage before reassembling the hub and returning your vehicle to service. At O'Reilly Auto Parts, we have the right wheel seals to fit most vehicles on the road, along with wheel bearings, grease, dust caps, hub assemblies, and more. We also rent bearing and seal tools in our Loaner Tool Program to help make your next wheel end repair as simple and cost-effective as possible.
