Seals should never be installed dry. Make sure to butter the surfaces for easy installation. Otherwise, the exterior surfaces outside the seal area should be as free of grease as possible.

Adding grease between the seal and inner race is also a good idea. After packing the bearing I like to add more grease to the sides of the races.

The basic idea is to pack as much grease as possible in and around the rollers. The remaining interior surfaces only get buttered.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K