Axle seals leak often. This is somewhat common with Sprites and Midgets, and they often trash the rear brake shoes, which dramatically reduce braking performance. As you can imagine, oiling your brakes is never a good thing.
When you change your axle seals, it’s critical to thoroughly check the sealing surface on the rear axle housing. This is the polished face that mates with the inside of the oil seal. If it is scored or gouged, your new seal will be chewed up promptly and you need to start the repair all over again.
In the case of the axle above, the scoring is horrible. You should be able to see the gouges.
In many cases, these sealing surfaces are corroded or otherwise damaged. That’s where a speedi-sleeve becomes an essential component. This part effectively gives you a new lease on life.
Above, you can see the new sleeve installed, which will give the seal a clean surface on which to ride. They are easy to install, simply slide the sleeve over the axle housing and rebuild as normal.
Should you need to perform this repair, click the photos below to order the parts you’ll need, or click here for the full catalog!
