[Hokie1984]

I saw a recent post on accessory leaks so I thought I would share my recent story. For years I fought a leak from my accessory housing shaft seal. Not bad, but several drops per day. Anyways, I replaced the seal several times from different manufacturers only to find it leaked again. The seal in question is SKF-6130 (0.937 x 0.188 x 0.625). Different manufacturers have different part numbers, but they are basically the same type seal. If you go into the SKF catalog for the SKF-6130 you will find it is a HM14 type seal. Interestingly the description for an HM14 seal is as follows “Non-spring-loaded seal for grease retention or dirt exclusion in applications with slower speeds. Not for oil retention. Install with lip facing outward for maximum dirt exclusion. Typical applications are conveyor rollers and vehicle wheels. Heavy-duty type TL handles severe conditions such as disc harrows.” From that description I questioned its application and yes the SKF-6130 is not a spring-loaded seal, in fact none of the ones I had installed were spring loaded. So, I decided to see if I could find a spring-loaded seal in the right dimensions. The short answer is no unless you want to go with a 50-year-old GM replacement (very hard to find).

Not finding a replacement I researched what was the smallest spring-loaded seal available for a 5/8” shaft. Ultimately, I landed on the SKF-6134 (0.987 x 0.250 x 0.625) but that meant I needed the housing machined. Biting the bullet, I had my housing enlarged approximately 50 thousands to accommodate the 0.987 dimension. This allowed me to hammer in a new seal plus the 0.250 dimension is closer to the original GM dimension. Long story short, no more leaks.