Started cleaning pins and found 1 side the pins had the groove no o-ring. The other side has the o-rings. Does it matter?
I think so...
The Oring should keep the junk out.
Seems logical, if the slide pin is grooved then it should have O-rings in the grooves.
On the other hand, I don't see how a single O-ring can do anything to "keep junk out". The O-ring is in the center of a bushing which is open at both ends. Dirt can enter between the bushing and the pin from either end. If anything, I would think the O-ring might cause the caliper to bind and perhaps restrict it's freedom of movement back and forth on the pin. Just guessing, of course...
Something I have always been curious about, and never found a good answer. Why do some Meritor slide pins have the grooves and O-rings, and others do not. Everywhere I look, seems to be confusing information.
When I had our brakes renewed,
none of the old slide pins had grooves/O-rings. The kits used to replace all the pins (Meritor 15017) also did not have grooves/O-rings.
When I go to beamalarm.com and look at disc brake info, it does not help answer the question. One reference shows non grooved pins:
Meritor helper springs [ForeForums Foretravel Motorcoach Wiki] (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=technical:brakes:slidesprings)
Another reference clearly shows grooved pins with O-rings:

The question has come up here on the Forum in the past, but no clear answer resulted:
Meritor Slide Pins Compatibility (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=21821)
Meritor makes a slide pin kit with grooved pins (Meritor 15013) and two kits with smooth non-grooved pins (15016 and 15017). Why do they sell both styles of pins, and how do you determine what is the correct kit for any given Foretravel model?
Meritor Kit 15016 is what I used on my RV. I got them off ebay for around $80 for each seat (1 wheel). You may be able to find pins individual cheaper?!?
I did get a grooved set cheap, but I never used them. They are for Prevost and I think the bushing placement is different. From what I saw, it looked like the groove for the oring would be in an area that is supposed to be supported by the bushing.
It's possible the O-rings are there to reduce rattle, and/or stabilize the caliper when the brakes are released (not loaded).