Pinion seal which direction does the lip and gaitor ring go

[green beast]

Hi there folks,

I replaced my pinion seal a few months back, recently noticed a leak, took it to a mechanic friend who said I had the the seal in backwards, he put it in the other way round, a week later pretty much all of underneath the van is covered in gear oil. I had a look and half the seal is destroyed, oil coming from seal, before it was coming from the housing. So, this time, I have a new seal and a new bearing and will be using some sealant to doubly make sure. But! which way round does the seal go? Pictures follow, various website forums say different things, I asked a few mechanics, majority answer is lip and gaitor - (metal band) go towards the diff - which is different to what mechanic friend reckons. Anybody know for certain??

Thankyou for any help

[Bas / NZ]

Second photo, shows the correct way

[green beast]

Thankyou for the quick reply!

[Bas / NZ]

The metal band goes inward, so all you will see once in place is the rubber part... when looking at the end of the diff..

[Postie Bob]

Make sure there`s not a groove worn on the pinion shaft where the seal lip runs .
Can/would that happen?
Cheers, Bob.