Whenever a wheel drive shaft is removed from a component (transaxle, PTU, 4WD/AWD front drive axle, RDM, etc.), the seal lip can be damaged by the splines on the wheel drive shaft. Most service procedures require removing the wheel drive shaft to access non-related components. If seal damage is not noted and corrected, this can lead to a customer return due to a leak. GM-51504 consists of seal protectors similar to GM-44394-A, but without the curved lip found on GM-44394-A, which is used to center the wheel drive shaft during installation. GM-51504 features a straight edge around its circumference, allowing it to fit snugly between the seal and the wheel driveshaft without damaging the seal. GM-51504 is installed once the wheel driveshaft is initially disengaged, but before it is removed enough for the spline to contact the seal. Once GM-51504 is installed, the wheel driveshaft can be removed with the seal lip protected from contacting the splines.