Installation guidelines

Preparing the installation location

Before installing any of our new seals, it is necessary to properly prepare the installation location. This ensures that the new seal can do its work as intended and increases its overall service life. This process starts by removing the old seal and any residue that it might leave behind without damaging the surface of the installation location. After this we recommend using some sort of cleaner (e.g. isopropyl alcohol) that can remove grease, oil and hydraulic fluids.

Installing the new seal (elastomers)

Elastomer seals are flexible seals such as o-rings, rod seals, quad seals, one-piece piston seals, etc. Before installing this type of seal, please make sure to cover the entire surface of the seal with a thin layer of the medium that the seal is going to be in contact with during normal operation of the vehicle (e.g. hydraulic fluid when installed in a hydraulic cylinder). This reduces friction during the installation process and ensures that parts of the seal don't shear off especially when it comes to applications that require a high compression rate.

Installing the new seal (two-piece piston seals)

Two-piece piston seals (such as this Convertible top hydraulic cylinder seal kit Mercedes 1298000272 - piston seal) consist of an o-ring and a PTFE flat seal on top. The o-ring provides the necessary compression force while the PTFE flat seal is the part that is actually in contact with the inner surface of the hydraulic cylinder. Due to the properties of PTFE, this type of seal experiences less friction and wear than a one-piece piston seal would. After installing the o-ring in the groove (for further information see the installation guideline for elastomers above), we recommend heating the PTFE flat seal in the oven at 200°C/392°F for several minutes (PTFE seals can withstand up to 260°C/500°F). This allows it to be more flexible and expand more easily. After that, please make sure to cover the entire surface of the seal and the piston head with a thin layer of the medium that the seal is going to be in contact with during normal operation of the vehicle (e.g. hydraulic fluid when installed in a hydraulic cylinder). Then you can push the PTFE seal over the end of the piston head in a rotating motion (in most cases manufacturers include a small chamfer at the end of the piston head to help with this process) until it reaches the groove. Right after that it is important to apply outside pressure to the PTFE seal and to make it compress as much as possible while it is still warm. This will help it contract and make it easier to install it into the hydraulic cylinder. After ensuring that the flat seal is fully seated in the groove, you can slowly insert the piston head into the hydraulic cylinder. In most cases there is a small chamfer at the opening of the hydraulic cylinder that helps with this process.

If you have any questions regarding the installation process of our seals, plase send us an email at info@mjprodukte.com. We will do our best to answer any emails as fast as possible.