- To replace a motor oil seal, it is necessary to disassemble the engine and carefully remove the old seal before installing a new one. This process requires precision and attention to detail to ensure that the new seal is properly seated and sealed within the engine. It is also important to use the correct type of seal for the specific make and model of the vehicle to ensure a proper fit and seal.
Oil seals come in various shapes to fit the machines and substances to be sealed.
Figure 2 shows the structure and the names of the various components of the most typical oil seal.
The functions of the various components are also indicated in Table 1.

Maintenance and Replacement of Valve Cover Gaskets
Rotary Wheel Of Auto Parts
What Benefits Do Oil Seals Provide?
All are fitted with a spring to preload the sealing lip. All these types are for non-pressurised or low-pressure applications up to 0.5 bar for diameters of a limited size. For diameter of 500 mm or more, the maximum pressure is 0.1 bar. For higher pressures, special types or PTFE lip seals can be used.
Assembling the oil seals is only possible with the right assembly tools. Due to the high risk of damage during assembly, it is important that you have tools with which you can work carefully. A bearing fitting tool set is ideal.
Polyacrylate (ACM) Oil Seals
PTFE is special in that a pre-tensioned spring is not required. This is because the material returns to its original shape when heated, also known as the shape-memory polymers (SMPs) effect. These oil seals are also supplied as integrated parts, where it only needs to be installed as one component.
Garter Spring
This is a specific type of synthetic rubber that’s commonly used in o-rings, gaskets, oil seals, sterile & chemical resistant gloves, and other molded items. Viton has a high density and it possesses the widest temperature range of -40 degrees Fahrenheit to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why it’s highly preferred as the best material for higher temperature applications.