I like to clean the bearings completely. The bearing packer will push out nearly all of the old grease. If you are going to use the packer to push out the old grease, then yes, wipe off as much of the old grease that you can. Also clean out the hubs and replace the old grease with new.

Yes, you should replace the seal when servicing the bearings. It's fairly cheap. I paid $5 per seal at Auto Zone.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K