Char-Lynn Motor Part Number Decoder and Seal Kit Finder

A Char-Lynn number looks like a single long code, but it is three separate pieces of information, and only two of them matter when you are choosing a seal kit. Getting that wrong is the most common reason people order the wrong kit.

101 - 1083 - 009
Group What it is Does it select the seal kit?
101 Series or family, which motor line it belongs to Yes
1083 Model within the family: displacement, shaft, ports, options No
009 Design code, the engineering change level Yes

This is the single most useful fact on this page: the middle four digits are irrelevant to kit selection. Two motors with completely different middle groups take the same seal kit as long as the family and the design code match. So if you cannot find your exact number in a kit list, look for any number with the same first group and the same last group.

Motor family and design code to seal kit

Every row below is traced to an Eaton parts bulletin or a published fitment listing. Where the mapping is genuinely unresolved in the source material, we say so rather than guess.

Motor code pattern Buna-N kit Viton kit
101-xxxx-005 60036-000 not listed
101-xxxx-007 60023-000 60032-000
101-xxxx-008 60540-000 not listed
101-xxxx-009 60540-000 not listed
103-xxxx-007 60026-000 not listed
103-xxxx-008 60533-000 not listed
104-xxxx-006 61258-000 not listed
105-xxxx-005 61252-000 not listed
105-xxxx-006 61258-000 not listed
130-xxxx-002 60540-000 not listed
130-xxxx-003 60540-000 not listed

Two cases where the published data does not resolve cleanly. Send us the number rather than guessing:

  • 103-xxxx-009 and 103-xxxx-010, S Series. The bulletin lists both 60533-000 and 60534-000 across design levels 008, 009 and 010 without stating which maps to which. We confirm these individually.
  • 101-xxxx-006. This design level does not exist on the 101 H Series, yet the number appears widely in the market. It generally belongs to the 104, 105 and 106 disc-valve lines. If your tag reads this, send a photograph. The correct kit depends on what the motor actually is.

Which family is which

Steering units: identify by prefix

Steering control units follow a different convention. The leading prefix identifies the family.

Prefix Family Eaton kit
233- Series 20 64533-000
251- 252- 253- 281- 282- 283- Series 25 and 40, the largest steering family 64468-000
271-, some 273- 274- Flex 4 64552-000
217- Torque generator 64500-000
227- Torque generator 64499-000
S101 S102 207- Torque generator 21122-000
201- 211- 212- 213- 241- 243- 261- 262- 263-, and letter-coded units such as UK-301 or UC-312 Series 3, 4, 6 and 12 and related Depends on input torque, see below

The torque trap

Two versions of this seal kit exist, and the part number will not tell you which you need.

Char-Lynn built these steering units with either a standard or a low input torque pressure seal. They are not interchangeable, and both share the same unit part numbers.

Measure the pressure seal bore inside diameter:

Standard torque Low torque
Pressure seal bore ID 1.265 in 1.235 in
Eaton kit 64466-000, also 64417-000, 64418-000, 5140-000 64470-000, also 64426-000
Seal design Older three-piece: O-ring plus two plastic rings One-piece square composite

A valve with a removable square top cover will work with either kit. A later unit with a snap-ring retained seal gland needs the measurement. And neither kit fits the lip seal gland used in some Eaton and Sumitomo builds, so tell us if that is what you are looking at.

If you cannot measure it, send your full part number and a photograph of the seal gland and we will confirm the same business day.

Does the brand on the tag change anything?

No. The line ran as Char-Lynn, then Eaton, and since August 2021 as Danfoss, and the numbering carried across each time. A 101-xxxx-009 is a 101-xxxx-009 whichever badge is on it. See Eaton, Char-Lynn and Danfoss: one motor, three names.

Send us the number and we will confirm the kit

Give us the full code from the tag, all three groups, and we will identify the family, the design level and the correct kit, including seal material. Most quotes go out the same business day.

Request a quote · (810) 882-1171 · info@restopower.com
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Frequently asked questions

How do I read a Char-Lynn part number?

A number such as 101-1083-009 splits into three groups: the first is the series or family, the middle four digits are the model within that family, and the last three are the design or engineering change code. For seal kit selection only the first and last groups matter.

Do the middle four digits matter for choosing a seal kit?

No. Two motors with completely different middle groups take the same kit provided the family and design code match. If you cannot find your exact number in a kit list, look for any number sharing the same first and last groups.

What is the design code on a Char-Lynn motor?

The final three digits, 005, 007, 008, 009 and so on. It records the engineering change level of that motor, and because seal arrangements changed between levels, it is one of the two fields that determines your kit.

Why are there two different seal kits for my steering unit?

Because Char-Lynn built these units with either a standard or a low input torque pressure seal, and the part number does not distinguish them. Measure the pressure seal bore inside diameter: 1.265 inches indicates standard torque, 1.235 inches indicates low torque.

My motor is badged Danfoss. Does this decoder still apply?

Yes. Danfoss acquired Eaton hydraulics in August 2021 and the Char-Lynn numbering convention carried across unchanged.

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