[Diovol]

So I've rebuilt my rear end and installed all new oem bearings and seals and I'm about to install the seal onto the left side diff case and I realized the seal honda sold me looks nothing like the one I took out. Now the Honda service manual says for 97-99 it used a different seal. When you go onto different websites they all give you the same part number for the corresponding years and all websites show a different part number for certain years just like honda said there is. What I took out was the one with the raised lip and no metal washer. I know it's the original seal because we've bought the bike brand new in 99 and the rear end has never been apart.
The one they sold me is the one with the metal washer built into it but it has the right part number for a 1999 on the packaging. The only difference in size is the depth and it is 2mm different. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Why the change in design?


Another question is why does the Honda service manual say press the pinion bearing onto the pinion shaft with the numbers facing out? The only reason i can think of is so you can read the bearing numbers without pulling the pinion shaft. The inner and outer races look the same on both sides but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Diovol]

It's a 99 fourtrax 300 fw. It looks the same as the one in the brake cover but it's smaller in size.

 

[Diovol]

I did one of these a couple months ago. Got a used case on ebay for customer and replaced seals. I don't think the left side had the extended dust lip on it. When you say 2mm difference, does it no want to fit right in the case? If it sits in the rear end where it should and on the axle itself I wouldnt worry. My 2cents.

Honda 91271-HC4-004 - OIL SEAL (42X51X7) : CyclePartsNation Honda Parts Nation

I show this from honda parts house, right side seal

Honda 91252-HC4-003 - DUST SEAL (42X58X11) : CyclePartsNation Honda Parts Nation

The above shows left side seal

So I looked into it a little more. The service manual says 97-99 used a different seal BUT every website I check only list 1998 as being the single year that uses the seal with the metal washer built in. Now my bike is a 1999 but it was manufacture in the 8th month of 1998. So I'm trying to figure out what changed in that one year. As stated my bike has ran with that one seal (the one without the metal washer) in it since 1999 and was just rebuilt for the first time. I'm also trying to figure out if there would be any negative results in using that seal with the metal washer in it.

 

[Diovol]

Now I'm trying to figure out which way the damm thing goes. Metal washer facing in toward the gears or metal washer facing out toward the wheel. Lol

 

[Diovol]

On all the microfiche and service manual it looks like the large metal washer built into the seal faces out. So the lip with the spring around it faces in towards the gears? Almost the same as the seal on the end of the pinion gear....