Oil seal WG1087811 is used by several automotive manufacturers, such as Opel, Fiat and Suzuki, and serves as a good example for an oil seal where oil leakage can occur if fitted incorrectly.

Seals perform best when they are lubricated, however, some machines quickly go on dry spells. So, in cases like this, choosing a leather or PTFE seal is the right decision to make as both of them can function with less lubrication than other types of seals.

Finding oil spots under a parked vehicle can be both worrying and stressful for any vehicle owner. If the seal’s leak is small, oil may start to accumulate on the underside of the engine. But as the leak gets bigger, the oil leak will become visible in the front side of the engine.  

What are Oil Seals? 6 Things DIYers Should Know

Duplex Oil Seals

The seal shown in Fig. 14.2 is a relatively simple design; most automotive seals are more complex. Dust lips are often used to keep outside contaminants away from the oil lip seals; such seals thus have undercuts that make demolding more difficult. Fluoroelastomer compounds used for such undercut shapes must have reasonably high elongation at break at molding temperatures to avoid tearing the part during demolding. The metal insert is often U-shaped, and stock may be molded to form a thin layer over the outside of the insert. Since both compression and injection molding methods are used, suppliers of fluoroelastomers for shaft-seal applications often must provide different versions of the same polymer composition-medium to high viscosity for compression molding, and low to medium viscosity for injection molding. Different precompounds may be necessary to accommodate relatively long compression-molding times at low temperature and very short injection-molding times at high temperature.

It is critically important that you choose the appropriate seal for an application. The seals should be ordered from a manufacturer of high repute. To get the best seals, it is important to give accurate design specifications. We describe the difference between mechanical seal and oil seal here.