Newer T90 Front Bearing Retainer?

The original bearing retainer has a tapered area where the felt seal seats/rubs and theoretically keeps gear oil from seeping past. This new retainer is machined out in that tapered area to accept a press-in lip seal.
Decades ago, you could buy a thin lip seal that you could fit to your original retainer after you lathe-turned the tapered area with a shallow recess to accept that thin seal. I did this with some success, but on my first try, I cut the recess too deep, and after assembly, promptly broke off the snout of the retainer. I’m guessing there is a bit more “meat” in this new retainer in the seal recess. I think some of the “late” T90’s had a lip seal instead of the felt seal.
-Donny

 

I’ve seen a lot of long input shaft T-90’s with the seal instead of the felt. I’ve never seen the short ones with a neoprene seal from the factory.

 

Is this another omix part?

 

I machined a stock retainer out for a seal decades ago, even keeping it shallow. I got everything assembled back together only to break the snout off on my test drive. There wasn’t enough thickness in the casting for a seal recess, at least on the one that I had. The late 226 Wagons had a heavier front bearing retainer that had a seal.
-Donny