Ok i am banging my head against the wall on this one...the cabin noise on my 04 has gotton progressivly(SP?) worse over the past few weeks.

It did get lounder in Jan when I went from a set of Dueller Ht's to Wranglers with a more agressive tread pattern...and I expected that.

My question is, could it be a wheel bearing? The truck has 102K and I did change the drivers side 2.5 years ago at 72K...

Is this bearing pressed in? or is just an assembly swap?

And how can I tell if it is indeed?..I lifted both front tires and checked for play, but they feel solid..

No. You can tell when your bearings are bad. Trust me. It isn't something that you think is happening. You can physically feel the car on that side move different and that wheel makes a god awful noise.

Packing is really, really easy. You can hand pack it, but I like the little 5 buck tool at autozone. It is a cup with a plunger at the top that forces the grease into every nook and cranny.


When the bearings go, friction increases in the wheel. A wheel turning several hundred/thousand times a minute... you hear and feel it. Trust me. I knew INSTANTLY when my bearings went.

Other things.. well, is it a full vehicle hum?

I just re-read. You repacked your bearings on a 04 at 72k? Why? Reason? Modern vehicle bearings are usually consider LIFE LONG. That doesn't mean they don't go bad.. they do, what it means is they are engineered to last a long ass time. Did you have some go out at 72k? Or did you just do it?

You may have done it wrong and you are now seeing the result? You will never be able to pack and assemble that bearing assembly as well as those million dollar robots. Tolerances are so tight.

I was going to suggest you do what you did. Pull tires and feel for play. If there isn't any substantial movement, and I suspect you know what I am talking about.... I don't think bearings. It may be, but perhaps tread wear?

Or.. some other things. Driveline. Transfer case noise? Rear Diff noise? Is the noise localized? If it was ONE side bearing, you should be able to tell. If you are hearing ALL over road noise, it has to be something else.

After looking around here...maybe it might be the one of the rear bearings...i never thought of that.

I did not repack the fronts, the whole hub was replaced...i hope...The person I bought it from replaced it...

4th gen are one piece bearings, not like land cruisers. rear bearings are pressed in. front bearings are bolted on. easy way to see if its a bearing noise is set the cruise to hear the noise then slowly move left and right in your lane the noise should come and go. if the noise goes away and comes back as you change lanes its a bearing issue.

Have you tried rotating tires front to back to see if it is a tire issue?

This is wrong. The front are pressed in. Trust me, I've done the fronts...

I replaced driver's front at about 80k. I had a loud noise that sounded like unevenly worn tires and the sound changed depending on which direction I was turning. There was a slight amount of play in the wheel too.

Wheel bearings should last 100k, but the fact is they don't. Every car I've owned has needed a wheel bearing before 100k (jeeps, volvos, and toyotas). It is very possible that this is causing your noise issue.

Wheel bearings should last the life of the vehicle. We've owned 5 vehicles driven past 300k miles...and NEVER EVER did I have even a squeak out of one of the wheel bearings. I prefer the serviceable bearings where you can remove and repack. But so far haven't had a problem with the sealed systems either.

They do go bad, but not that often. I consider them usually life of the vehicle things. Unless you are doing extreme wear on them (offloading, large temperature shifts) I wouldn't expect them on every vehicle to go.

But. They can and do. It isn't the first place I go. CV Joints for much more often and they can make a irritating noise. Usually you hear a clicking or GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR when you turn the wheel.

I agree 100%, they SHOULD last the life of the vehicle, but I haven't been lucky in this area I guess. Maybe it comes down to driving style, I do tend to beat on my vehicles a little bit lol. Too many dirt roads, donuts, and potholes.

Edit to the OP: If it does end up being a front wheel bearing I believe there's a guy selling the front bearings bearing already pressed into the hub assembly on ebay, making it a slightly less involved replacement process. I'll take a look around in case anyone is interested. I just bought a bearing from RockAuto (about $70) but it was not an easy process to remove the old one from the hub and press in the new one. There's a write up over on the 120 forums, I'll see if I can find that one too. If it ends up being a rear wheel bearing, those are bolt on, way easier. The way bearings are designed on the T4R, I wouldn't really bother trying to repack them yourself, front or back....

The only vehicles I've seen excessive problems with wheel bearings is GM trucks...From about early 90's to about 2005. They had MAJOR problems with wheel bearings and ball joints.

Personally I like serviceable wheel bearings...I would repack them once a year...

so i called the dealer and a local parts shop...and they both said the bearing assembly is a direct replacment...slide in and out...


argh....

how are rear bolt on? its a solid rear axle? or did i get my 4runner ass backwards? the front have the knuckle hence the 4 bolts that go in place. take the axle crown nut and cotter pin out, use i believe a 32mm socket tap the axle through unbolt the 4 bolts use a pry bar and a hammer and give the bearing assembly a tap or 15 depending how rusty its on and it comes off. We just did one at work today.

The front wheel bearing bolts to the knuckle, but it still presses into the hub assembly. Therefore, if you replace the front wheel bearing, you need to press the old one out of the hub assembly and the new one in. Here is a write up for the R&R of the front wheel bearing: Wheel Bearings - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum and another: Anyone changed there own front Wheel Bearings on a 4th gen yet???. Oh and here's one showing how to freeze the hub instead of using a press: Wheel Bearing Gone Bad?

Like I said, you CAN get a hub assembly/bearing already pressed together making it easier. My local parts counter did not sell these two pressed together already. I had to use a hydraulic press. Here's another thread describing the issue: I need a new front Hub and Bearing - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum.

Looks like the rear presses onto the hub assembly too, so I guess that would not technically be "bolt on" either... my bad. Here's a write up for a 2005 Taco, probably very similar to the 4th gens: DIY Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Guys, I'm having the EXACT same problem with my 2004 4Runner...
I'm about to purchase a new set of Michelins because I thought it was the lousy Dunlops...

I'm getting a GROWL at speed, and it gets REALLY annoying at 50-60 mph... the noise goes silent on the highway when I'm making a slight right turn, so the weight is on the left front wheel, then the noise comes back when I straighten it out...

Does that mean it's the right or left wheel bearing?? Any ideas?
I really don't need new tires, but that noise is about to drive me INSANE!!

GROOOOWWWWWWLLLL!!!!!

That actually sounds like a CV joint is going.

It's the damn left front wheel bearing... took it to the shop last night, and just got a call... $550 to fix it!! UGH!! but it's better than dropping $1000 on new tires that I didn't need just to still hear that annoying noise!!

I'm glad they knew what it was, and can stop that noise!!!