Transfer case rear shaft seals - where can I obtain?
Hi All,
I'm after transfer case rear shaft seals (part no. 008 997 47 47 and 008 997 46 46; same size but different materials according to workshop manual). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Phoned local MB dealer and they no longer supply and oil seal specialsts need more detailed information (?).
This follows a failed propshaft, that I then failed to diagnose promptly, causing long-term vibration. And 40 year old seals. Chances are will also need to replace front two shaft seals at some point, but priority is rear as leaking badly, spraying off propshaft underneath car and onto exhaust so 'oil burning smell' (and driveway is a right state). Have tried 'oil seal repair' (Bars) and no joy.
Transfer case 460 261 0401
'86 300G
Cheers!
Ouch.
Really surprised they cannot be sourced from MB
Hopefully someone like GavHelm will see here and confirm or have options.
A bit of digging:
The part number 008 997 47 47 (often written as A0089974747) is a genuine Mercedes-Benz radial shaft seal (Dichtring / Wellendichtring), specifically the inner/rear oil seal for the transfer case (Verteilergetriebe) output flange on older Mercedes models. It commonly appears in G-Class (W460/W461/W463), G-Wagen (including 300GD, 250GD), and some military/civilian variants with VG080 or similar transfer cases.
This is the inner seal (Dichtlippe nach innen), paired with an outer seal (typically 008 997 46 47 or its supersession). Mercedes has superseded the original 008 997 47 47 with A 020 997 56 47 (inner seal). The outer one supersedes to A 020 997 57 47. Many suppliers list or cross-reference them together.
Assuming you have lse searched ebay and amazon...
- Aftermarket/Alternative Suppliers (if OEM is unavailable):
- Some seals may have equivalents from brands like Corteco, Elring, or Auger, but for this specific older transfer case application, genuine Mercedes is strongly preferred due to exact dimensions and material (NBR or similar for oil resistance).
- Check sites like Autodoc, Pelican Parts, or FCP Euro for related transfer case seals (though they may not stock this exact older number).
Tips
- Provide your full vehicle details (model, year, VIN, or transfer case type) when ordering, as this seal is model-specific and often part of a pair.
- Installation typically requires removing the output flange; workshops often replace both inner and outer seals + the flange bolt at the same time.
- If the original number is hard to find, ask suppliers for the supersession A 020 997 56 47 (inner) — it's the current replacement.
Mercedes frequently supersedes these older numbers. While I couldn't locate an exact current supersession for 0089974646 in public sources (it may have been consolidated into the same updated family as your 4747 part), it is closely associated with the A 020 997 56 47 / A 020 997 57 47 pair that replaced the 00899747xx series.
I plugged the 4747 part into Amazon and got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/febi-bilstein-31497-crankshaft-front/dp/B006DHYR2G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WT88B9ZEXZKR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lxvzcb0q66TP-KI1MsInlg.JkcJ75oWLMCLhWdPSE-1NYTv1ppBMuRTkC3PFPHAX34&dib_tag=se&keywords=A0209974747&qid=1776096393&s=automotive&sprefix=a0209974747%2Cautomotive%2C239&sr=1-1
Hey Stew
Even remembered you're VIN off top of my head!
INNER WERE A008 997 47 47
OUTER WERE A008 997 46 47
INNER NOW A020 997 56 47
OUTER NOW A020 997 57 47
Both these also list with a 64 suffix which is just a pack size
Inner don't seem to be available at MB but the Outer with 64 is with 3 available in the UK although almost £70 each
All three flanges the sane seal set up
It would appear you're bext option would be STEC or PUCH AT as it is better known
They look to keep a OEM quality aftermarket version under
SP01718 and SP01719 at 21 euro each plus shippng and duty
Hope that helps... shout if you need help and I will be putting an order to STEC this weekend so could save you some shipping
.... so, there I was lost in the rabbit hole and a shining light appears!
GAV - if you could please order those STEC / PUCH AT flanges would be fantastic, coming from you I would be much happier (and confident the right parts!).
And the good news (having just repaired front bearing that also suffered from propshaft defects) was passed MOT yesterday and no issues, plus informed it was the last one! 40 years (15 with me) and rolling on...
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Huge thanks - this did send me down a rabbit hole of links, part numbers etc. and I was getting even more confused with sizes as none seemed to match...