Bearing seal replacement and my Goldilocks knuckle

Hello TacomaWorld! Reaching out for the usual bright ideas on here because I have reached a point where I am quite stuck and frustrated.

The Saga:

• Canadian 2010 Tacoma (V6 4WD sport double cab) with 180,000 kms. All costs in this post are $CAD.
• 2 years and 20,000 km ago (2020) I developed a noise in front wheel bearings. Changed both front wheel bearing hub assemblies with Dorman units. I was under some time pressure, so I didn't pull the knuckle off and change the bearing seal on the inboard side of the knuckle. This was the mistake that likely brings me to where I'm at today.
• Developed a noise in front right wheel after driving snowy logging roads. Increases with revs and quickly gets worse with time. Feel pretty sure that not doing the seals bit me so I order 2 new Beck Arnley bearing assemblies with seal from RockAuto ($110 ea).
• Change both bearing assemblies - easier this time around since I know the routine and the parts aren't as corroded/gunked as the first change! I also cleaned out the threads on the brake caliper bolts with a drill and wire brush and switched to new bolts ($10 per side) as the old ones were getting sticky and had corrosion on the threads.
• Slap it all back together and go for a drive - silky quiet until I get to ~50 km/h then awful scraping sound gets going from front right wheel again and continues even at lower speeds. Quickly return home. It appears the new aftermarket oil seal is spinning in the housing of the knuckle. Exactly what was described in this thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cv-shaft-seal-spinning-in-housing.644802/ It also appears to me that maybe the dust cover on the CV axle is bent and could have contacted the seal - maybe that set up the spinning?
• Go to the Stealership to ask about getting new OEM seals - part 90304-A0001 for the CV dust cover and 90312-A0001 for the bearing seal that goes on the inboard side of the knuckle. Toyota wants $58 and $50 for each one, plus tax!! Guy at the service desk even tells me they're outrageous and that they never sell them to the shops in town due to the price. Head to NAPA shop he recommended and picked up SKF replacements, two of each, for $20 total ($4-6 each). Get home get everything on the right front wheel disassembled again (I'm getting fast at this!). The SKF part I've been given as the dust cover on the CV is clearly incorrect. So I start trying to remove the existing one so I can take it in as an example. It is super stuck on there - pounding on it just bends the crap out of it so I am forced to cut it off. Comes off pretty easy with a dremel.
• NAPA shop is now closed for the weekend so I take the cut-off CV dust cover to Lordco. After digging in the catalogue and bringing me three different potential parts (all wrong) they determine that they don't sell the CV dust cover (90304-A0001) individually. It only comes as part of a full CV axle shaft replacement - they can sell me that for $80. This is only $20 more than Toyota wants for the dust cover and I wouldn't have to wait for Toyota to open on Monday, so I walk out with a new CV Axle shaft.
• Old CV axel shaft out, new one goes in to the diff after a bit of head scratching and more reading of tips from TW on aligning the C-clip. Actually pretty straightforward once I got it to go.
• Awesome, I'm all set to reassemble everything except - the SKF seal for the inboard side of the knuckle won't go in! The aftermarket seal almost falls out (hence why it was probably spinning), and definitely shows wear from where it spun in the knuckle. But the new one won't go in any way I try it!

Now I have spent >3 hours just trying to get the seal into the back side of the knuckle. I have polished the housing with SOS pads to remove any corrosion, no improvement. I tried tapping it in with a punch and when one side goes in the other pops out. Tried with a piece of wood spanning the seal - same result. Back to the punch to try more - finally it slips and I put the punch through the rubber - that one is garbage. Good thing I have a second seal (intended for the other side of the vehicle), but it won't go in either!

I realize I still have the seal from the Dorman bearings that I never installed two years ago. Try that. It slides right in and would definitely just spin in the housing. I measure it and the Beck Arnley seal with calipers; the shoulder that seats in the knuckle on them are both at least 10 thou (0.010") smaller than both the OEM seal that came out, and the new SKF seal I'm trying to put in. The OEM seal and SKF seal are very very close in dimensions; the Dorman and Beck Arnley seal seem almost identical to each other. I tried again with the second SKF seal - tried heating up the knuckle with a hair dryer and putting the seal in the freezer - it helped slightly but not enough. Out of desperation I even ran a razor blade around the shoulder of the new SKF seal to try and take off any bumps in the rubber. Another go with the hair dryer and the freezer - I get the seal further into the knuckle than I ever have before but still not fully seated. Pounding on it with a wood piece, and then back to the punch, eventually the punch goes right through the metal rim of the seal. Another one for the garbage - at least they're not $60 each!!

So, looking for any advice or thoughts on where to go next. This knuckle is truly goldilocks where the aftermarket seals are too small and the SKF seals seem too big. My only thought is to pull the knuckle completely off the vehicle so I can get the seal seated on a bench instead of trying to do it at an awkward angle on the vehicle. Then reassemble all the ball joints (would I need an alignment after that!?) Or maybe get more aggressive on the housing with sandpaper? Seems extreme... Or buy a new knuckle? Also seems really ridiculous. I don't think it makes sense to use a torch to heat the knuckle as I wouldn't want do damage the rubber on the seal, but I am starting to consider unreasonable solutions at this point so maybe that's in the cards.

I am so stuck and frustrated that I'd appreciate any ideas or insight at all! Thanks TW!

 

Wheel bearings are one of those items where OEM is simply the only option. There's a member on here who rebuilds them to OEM spec. Use him for the next go around:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

Aftermarket wheel bearings are notorious for being garbage. Second, freezing the seal will make it expand, not shrink. If you're trying this method, you should be heating the seal to make it shrink. Also, you may want to pick up a bearing driver tool from harbor freight or somewhere. I really think it would do you good to use a bearing driver to drive the seal in.

 

Maybe put some black RTV around the “loose” seal? And wait a few hours before driving?

My seal was also pretty loose when going in. It was the one Beck/Arnley sent with their hub assembly. I remember thinking, “That sure is easy seat”. Mine just pressed in by hand. I think I even tapped it with a hammer in hopes to bulge the metal out some.

As far as I know, Mine hasn’t moved.

 

My thought is I can't really fault the Dorman bearings for going quickly if I didn't change the seal when I did them. Fingers crossed for the Beck-Arnley's. If they fail I will absolutely go through the TW resource. Was a bit leery of going through forum and shipping as charges and shipping time to Canada is always a bit of a pain, especially so in these Covid times.

Good call on heating the rubber, will give that a try. I was thinking of freezing the metal rim of the seal to make it contract, hopefully taking the rubber with it. But softening up the rubber might help too.

05Taco4x4 doesn't include the seals in his rebuild kit, are people paying OEM for these? I'm willing to buy OEM if it will fix the issue, but the OEM seal that came out measures almost the exact same as the SKF (within a few thou), and if I damaged a $58 seal trying to put it in I'd be even more aggravated than I am with the two $5 seals I've gibbled so far.

 

The first time I did mine I used National brand seals.

The second time I used the ones that came in the box with the hubs.

I definitely had to drive the National seals in. Tip- the dust cover for the front axle nut is the same size as the seal. You can use it as a seal driver​

 

Ok, I shelled out for the OEM seal yesterday and put it in. Still couldn't get it to seat all the way. Further in than the SKF seals went but not fully lodged. Tried it with a punch and a rubber mallet and wood, still couldn't get it to go further, best I could do was about a 1/4" gap from the knuckle to the rim of the seal. I didn't go quite as hard as I did on the SKF seals when I trashed them though. Tried re-assembling the wheel; when I torque down the axle nut the rim of the seal contacts the dust cover on the CV joint and the two scrape together when I turn the wheel by hand. Obvious problems will result if I try to run the truck this way.

Going to pull it back apart tonight and try the RTV on the aftermarket seal suggested by TnShooter; the only other thing I can think of is flap-sanding the ID of the seal housing in the knuckle. But I think I'll try RTV first.

Thanks all!

 

I’ve heard Permatex “The right stuff” is pretty good.
I’ve never used it like you plan to. But I were, that’s the stuff I’d use.
Unless someone else recommends something better?