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What is this seal?

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  CDP 
#1 ·
....and how safe is it to drive as is?

'95 F250 7.3 4x4 ZF5 ECLB, 70,000-ish miles (not a typo!), original TTB, original centrifugal auto hubs. It's been making a little noise in 4HI, left front, esp. on turns. Crawled under and discovered a seal between the outer u-joint yoke and the knuckle is toally "loose", just spinning. I've posted a youtube video. It's shot from the front near the tie rod, pointing left and up. Left side of the frame is the traction beam, right side of the frame is the knuckle. You can just see the u-joint at the top of the frame, next to my finger. You can see how the seal just floats and rotates freely.

So what exactly is that seal sealing? And how safe is it to drive in 2WD? Would it be safe to drive it in 4x4 for VERY short distances, say, 200 feet, at no more than 10 MPH?

Not exactly a 911, but we're hoping to take this truck on a weekend trip tomorrow, so I'd like to know sooner rather than later where we stand.

Here's the vid:
 
#2 ·
it looks like the one that is supposed to keep debris from getting in your axle tube...if it is...don't worry about it...I've been running with the same "hoola hoops" you are for over 50,000 miles...they don't really do anything....and I've had my axles under water a few times, and every time the oil is still perfect
 
#4 ·
Yes, it looks to be the dust seal to the stub axle.
 
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