Drcoffee,
I went back through all of your write-ups and finally get the big picture. I see exactly how you did the "grease test" and no I did not do that. I'll be honest, for some reason I was picturing the retainer "sealing" against the bearing and it did not make sense to me that you'd place the beveled edge outward towards the wheel.
I now get it. I see that the axle seal seals against the retainer, does it not? In which case, if the seal goes to far up axle towards your differential, then it loses the ability to seal due to the beveled edge of the retainer, correct?
I get it now, I wish I had gotten it last week.
There are two things I do not completely understand.
If leaking into the pseudo sealed bearing is an issue, why is it that the original bearings took me to 140,000?
If the leaking issue is due to the "redo", what exactly is the problem in causing it? Is it the seal being pressed too far in or damaged during installation? Worn parts?