Oil seals are one of the major contact type sealing devices.
• They prevent leakage of the lubricant or other sealed substance, and
• prevent entry of dust and foreign matter (dirt, water, metal powder, etc.) from outside.

There are many different materials used to manufacture oil seals.

One common reason leaking occurs in engines is that debris is caught in the fork seal, holding it open and allowing oil to sneak by. So, how do you fix this? This is where the little circular devices come in—oil seals.

The simplest way is to know either the preferred manufacturers part number, the overall sizes of shaft diameter, housing diameter and bore depth, or use our brochure to establish the M Barnwell Services ordering reference. Many of the old traditional names of seal manufacturers have either changed or disappeared in this age of “acquisitions”. If no longer available, we will advise you and offer a suitable alternative seal, from stock whenever possible. If your concern is getting the right seals for the job, you will need to know something about the application as well as the overall sizes. If you have any doubts – contact us, we will help in your seal selection.

Heat resistance

2. How to select the right oil seal

Above, are all the components of an oil seal and all its naming conventions. Beyond selecting the correct size, the three primary selection criteria are Material, Lip, and Case. If you have an oil seal you’d like custom designed and made, send us your specifications through our Oil Seal Design Form.

Type ‘C’ oil seal has an additional cup inserted into the outer cup of ‘B’ type. The supplementary metal inner ring provides a superior stiffness. This type is recommended for use in heavy polluted environments. As the static sealing between housing and metallic shell is limited, low viscosity media can “creep”.

Oil seals come with various lip designs, each serving a unique purpose and suitable for different applications. Let’s discuss the most common industry-standard lip designs: