I checked the clearances with a caliper, and found that the stepped area of the spindle that the seal rides on is only 0.485" thick. With the seal installed flush to the inner surface of the hub, the distance between the seal surface and inner surface of the bearing race is close to 0.800" - resulting in 0.300" of interference.
I had to drive the seal farther into the hub in order to obtain sufficient clearance for the seal. I drove it until I measured approximately 0.435" between the seal surface and the bearing race - which should provide about 0.050" of clearance.
![Image](http://imageshack.us/scaled/medium/842/2o0t.jpg)
TM9-801, Sect. 35, paragraph 201 c (3), talks about installing the seal with either a "Replacer Tool" or a "block of wood".
Has anyone ever used the "replacer tool" ? Does it have a step or recess cut into it in order to install the seal to the correct depth? If the "block of wood" method is used, there are no instructions indicating how deep the seal needs to be installed.
Has anyone run into this before? Or is there something on my truck that is way out of spec? Note, both L and R hubs have the same issue.
Best Regards...