Patent ID: 8196932

Claim:
A universal joint comprising: a cruciform spider having a shaft portion and a boss portion, the boss portion having a rising surface and a cylindrical surface; a bearing having an outer ring, an inner peripheral surface of an end of the outer ring relatively rotatably supporting said shaft portion, the outer ring having a second flange with a radial flange that faces the rising surface of the boss portion and a cylindrical portion at the end thereof: a sealing device having: a metal ring fitted on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion of the cruciform spider in the universal joint; and a plurality of seal lips made of an elastomeric material and provided integrally with said metal ring, wherein said seal lips include an inner seal lip and an outer seal lip, the inner seal lip contacts the inner peripheral surface of the end of the outer ring of the bearing relatively rotatably supporting said shaft portion, the outer seal lip contacts the rising surface of the boss portion of said cruciform spider, the rising surface rises outside a position where said metal ring is fitted, in an outward radial direction from said shaft portion, and the metal ring has a first flange portion formed at an inner end thereof directed toward a top end side of said shaft portion, and wherein the second flange extends outside of a position of close contact with the inner seal lip, the radial flange is closely opposed to the rising surface of the boss portion of said cruciform spider outside a position of close contact with the outer seal lip to form a radial labyrinth gap between the second flange and the rising surface of the boss portion and the cylindrical portion of the second flange is closely opposed to the cylindrical surface of the boss portion to form a cylindrical labyrinth gap therebetween.