Anyone changed there own front Wheel Bearings on a 4th gen yet???

[NCSCOTT]

The front left Wheel bearing on my 04 is on its way out. I can feel a vibration in the steering wheel and I can hear it. Slight swerve to the left and the sound all but goes away, swerve to the right the growl comes right back. I know not very scientific but that method usually works. Just changed one on a 05 camry, a rear, that was very easy. Tires are in goood shape, not cupped or wore unevenly so I doubt it is them.

Anyway, I have the bearing but after looking at the toyota service manual it shows a number of parts that are not reuseable and it looks like I will need a press and a special tool to remove the old bearings from the hub assembly.

Has anyone done this themselves in their driveway like I was hoping to do??? I have installed my own lift on my 08 and helped another member install his. So I am pretty mechanicly inclined and can do most things from simple directions. Having the right tools for this may be the problem? :dammit:

If so is there a write up any where with pictures perfered?? I did a few searches to no avail......:moping:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[810moto]

go here and you can Download the entire book.
when done, go to axle, front axle hub_, 2WD and bingo, there it is.

http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3070

 

[NCSCOTT]

go here and you can Download the entire book.
when done, go to axle, front axle hub_, 2WD and bingo, there it is.

4Runner Factory Service Manual - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

Thanks,
But I have the whole service manual on CD also. Thats not the problem. All the various special tools listed/shown being used in it are. I was thinking of buying a haynes manual to see if they show it done any differently.

 

[Mike07SE]

Go to RockAuto.com. Get your 4Runner year and type in the system. Go to 'Brake/Wheel Hub' - 'Wheel Bearing'. You'll see there's a Timken part that's about $74. They make the part so that it's a bolt in/out assembly affair vs. Toyota will want you to press out and in a new bearing. If you're mechanically inclined and can handle unbolting the axle nut from the spindle you'll be in good shape!

 

[RPM04]

I would recomend having a Toyota dealer, or very competent shop do the bearing press.
Just did calipers, rotors, and front bearings on my 04 SR5. Went to a reputable shop, but they farmed out the bearing replace. Right side bearing went in crooked, due to a bent backing/support plate on the press. Long story short, the supplier came up with new hubs, and bearings.
If you do this yourself, make sure you freeze the bearings first, should help them to pop in a bit easier, shops usualy don't have the time (or freezer) to do this.

 

[Mike07SE]

The part I referred to comes as a bolt on unit, alleviating the pressing required...

 

[NCSCOTT]

Well it is not as easy as you would think. My 04 is a 2wd. It is slightly different than the 4WD. The Axle adjusting nut that is holding everything together comes off from the inside (where the CV axle would be on a 4WD). No obvious axle nut like a 4x4. (see pics) The outer hub portion is pressed into the (bolt on) bearing assembly. I have not found where you can get these as one complete piece (Hub and bearing). I was considering taking the the steering knuckel in and having the press work done at a shop.

 

[Mike07SE]

Looking harder at the parts and rechecking the Timken replacement, I see what you mean now. Couldn't you just take the whole assembly off (the bolts behind the hub will remove the assembly) and take it from there to a shop? A lot easier than taking the whole spindle in.

 

[Nuzy]

I believe I've got a bad front wheel bearing on my 2004 4WD too. It's rolling 123K tomorrow. A friend down the street works at a Toyota dealer (used to do mechanic work) and does some side jobs, so he's taking it in to replace it for me, assuming that's what it is. It makes a grinding noise that goes away when the steering wheel is turned slightly left. Not particularly loud, but really annoying when you get up towards 60mph and higher!

 

[NCSCOTT]

Well this is what I am going to do.
I Got a Bearing assembly for $41.00 Shipped off Ebay (a Carquest part). You can get a Toyota part for $125+shipping off Conicelli Parts Center

I also order odered:
Knuckle Grease Retaining cap inner - Toyota P/N 43442-35060 - $12.65
O-Ring - Toyota P/N 90301-92003 (seal between the brake dust cover and the steering knuckle) - $3.51
Axle Bearing nut - Toyota P/N 43521-35010 - $11.97 (This is a "Staked" nut and hense Non-reuseable)
Outer oil seal - Toyota P/N 90312-96001 - $10.49

Ordered above parts from Conicelli Parts center for a grand total of $47.12 Shipped. The Local Toyota Stealership (Fred Anderson) wanted $78.80 for the same 4 parts. All 4 parts are listed in the Toyota service manual as "Non-reusable) That same dealer want $800 to do the entire job for just the front left wheel. No way in hell!!!!!

So Grand Total at this point is $88.12 into parts. I have a local shop (http://www.performance-chassis.com/) that does alot of track cars suspension and has all the right tools to pull and press in the new bearing assembly and remove and install the Axle nut (Which requires 203ft lbs of torque). They also did the alignment after I installed my lift on my 08. You also need a 4 pin spanner wrench like this one (http://www.amazon.com/OTC-7941-Toyota-Bearing-Locknut/dp/B0002STS0I) to remove the axle nut. The Shop is going to charge me a straight hourly labor rate for whatever time it takes them to remove & install the new bearing and remaining parts into the Steering kunckle I am going to bring them after I remove the entire steering knuckle assembly from the vehicle. (maybe $80)

I just have to pull the brakes off and pop loose the upper and lower ball joints (Actully the lower one unbolts I think). Should be fairly easy to do that part. A couple days in advance I will soak everything down with PB Blaster ect.... a few times. Hopefully all will go well and I will only have about $170 into the repair.

The $630 I save by not having the dealer do it will buy alot of beer!!!!

 

[Iowa4Runner]

NCSCOTT- How'd the repair go? Hopefully well.

My 04' is also needs a new front left wheel bearing, but mine's 4WD. From what you've seen in the manuals and on your 2WD, does it seem like I could avoid having a bearing pressed in if I ordered a bearing assembly?

Thanks...

 

[Nuzy]

Mine '04 4WD ended up being $350 for my neighbor to do it at his Toyota dealership as a side job. He said he had to put a blow torch to the bearing to get the old assembly out, but he was able to heat it up enough to do it. He said the new bearing assembly was over $200 (dealership genuine Toyota part), so that was the bulk of the cost. I suppose I could have bought the part cheaper online and gave it too him, but I guess it beats $800, and there is no way I could ever do a job like that on my own, so I'm good with it. Along with my new Michelin LTX MS2 tires, it' s nice and quiet now. It was kind of like Chinese water torcher before. Not loud, but incredibly annoying.

 

[NCSCOTT]

NCSCOTT- How'd the repair go? Hopefully well.

My 04' is also needs a new front left wheel bearing, but mine's 4WD. From what you've seen in the manuals and on your 2WD, does it seem like I could avoid having a bearing pressed in if I ordered a bearing assembly?

Thanks...

My Repair got delayed. I was going to Pull the Steering Knuckle with the bearing and hub intact yesterday afternoon and bring it into the shop this morning and drop it off to have the bearing replaced, but due to a unscheduled trip to the ER for my son yesterday after he took a Knee to the forehead in a soccer game and was knocked out briefly (he was the goalie and slid out 1 on 1 on a guy, saved the goal but took a hard hit) Mild concussion. He is good thou. I had hoped to have it put back together this afternoon.

Another note. I ordered the Haynes Manual and it states to do exactly what I am doing because of all the "specialized" tools required to complete the repair. Pull the entire knuckle and bring it to a shop.

As far as I have found you can not buy a complete Hub/bearing assembly. The hub must be pulled from the bearing assembly. I can see how you could make it easier to reassemble by freezing the Hub assembly and heating up the Bearing assembly. Due to all the various seals I would not want to try it. It is the same part number for the Front Bearing assembly left/right, 2WD/4WD it doesn't matter. Autozone, Advance, and carquest all sell the same part (515040) made by national/Federal-Mogul

http://www.federalmogul.com/en/Afte...Products/NationalWheelEndParts/HubAssemblies/

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...2ny?filterByKeyWord=bearing&fromString=search

Or you can get it from this guy on ebay for $41 shipped. A Carquest part

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

There are plenty to be had on ebay for $50 or less P/N 515040.

When I did the bearing/hub assembly on a camry recently it was all one piece. So I know what you are talking about. I removed 4 bolts, took a small sledge and smacked the top and bottle of the hub a couple times and it came right out. Cleaned up the mounting surface with a wire brush attachment on a drill, coated the surface with antisieze, bolted it all back to spec. Less than 45 mins.

I'll post back when it is done.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Thanks for the update Nuzy. NCSCOTT- Sorry to hear about your son, hopefully he makes a full recovery (both physically and emotionally). Thanks for all the info on this, when I decide to tackle my 4Runner it'll be very handy.

 

[03L4RUNNER]

I did mine myself on my 03 4 wheel drive about a year ago. Not too bad should be less complicated for 2 wheel drive. Search my post I have a write up on it either on here or 120 under the same user name

 

[NCSCOTT]

The Steering Knuckle is at the shop getting the Bearing and all seals replaced. I Should have it back in the next couple hours. It only took me about a Half hour last night to remove it from the vehicle. I can say a pitman arm puller was a big help. Much less pounding to break the upper ball-joint and tierod-end loose. Just tightened it down good and snug and smacked the joint with a hammer. I suggest using a small wrench to tighten the puller so you don't crush the bolt. Also multiple days of liberal amounts of P.B. Blaster to all parts involved helped to. Here is a pic after removal.

 

[jds42]

My 2005 4WD feels like it needs a new front left side bearing as well. Only 65K miles. I called the dealer for a quote and they recommend replacing the entire hub. They claim that they are not normally able to press out the bearing without damaging the hub.

Has anyone else been told the hub should be replaced?

Thanks,
- Jesse

 

[Nuzy]

My 2005 4WD feels like it needs a new front left side bearing as well. Only 65K miles. I called the dealer for a quote and they recommend replacing the entire hub. They claim that they are not normally able to press out the bearing without damaging the hub.

Has anyone else been told the hub should be replaced?

Thanks,
- Jesse

I can tell you my neighbor is a Toyota mechanic and he had to heat up the bearing with a torch to get it out (see earlier post). He said if that didn't work he would have to replace the hub and bearing assemblies ("bend over" were his exact words). Fortunately, he was able to get it out by heating it. That said, based on other folks posts in this thread, it appears they have been able to take them to various "shops" who can press the bearing out. Whether there is a risk to damaging the hub, I don't know.

 

[03L4RUNNER]

There is a risk of cracking the cast housing and I.were you I would replace the bearing and housing.you can buy them already assembled and have the comfort of knowing all new parts are going on. That's what I did but I packed the after market bearings with high grade high temp grease.

 

[NCSCOTT]

I figured I should swallow my pride and post an update on this thread. In the 8 months since I posted this I replaced both front wheel bearings with NO improvement to the original problem/noise. I need a big "FAIL" on my forehead for this one, I have learned alot through this process.

Things learned:
1. The complete Toyota bearing and hub assemblies can be found on Ebay from a seller (d56h) out of VA. I believe he may work for a Toyota Dealer and is buying the parts at a discount, assembling them and selling them as a complete unit. He even included the o-ring seal and new grease seal/cap for the hub. All this for $165 shipped USPS Priority mail flate rate medium box. He has 2 & 4WD units if you send him a message. He was very helpful.

Toyota 4Runner , Lexus GX470 Front wheel bearing & hub | eBay

2. Make sure the shop you have do the press work (if you can't find a complete unit) really knows what they are doing. When I did the first side I went to a suspension/alignment shop I thought was ok and showed them the Toyota tech manual, they looked up the entire job with there on-line program (not sure what it was now) and they were like, (sure bring the steering knuckle in and the new parts and we will just charge you a straight Hourly rate to do it). Well They didn't have the spanner nut or torque wrench required to torque the wheel nut to 205 ft lbs and could not press the old bearing off. They had it from 9am one morning until 5 that evening and didn't get it done. It was not until the next day after they took it to another machine shop they were able to press off the old bearing and press on the new. So the first side total cost was about $210. Much better than $800 quote from stealer for 1 side.

3. Side 2 (Right/passenger Side) Ordered complete assembly from ebay seller above. 1 hour in driveway, done!!! $165 total. Grand total for 2 sides $375. Still much better the $1600 from dealer

4. Find a trusted friend/family member that is/was a mechanic that will help you diagnois the problem over a beer and to slap you when you say or think something stupid!!

5. If you are getting all the parts yourself and pressing them together I Highly suggest getting a new hub also, just not the bearing. You will save down time for the vehicle and a possible issue of damaging the old hub while removing the old bearing.

And here I am today. After the help of person in #4 above and a much needed slap in the back of the head:rockthrow:, we have pretty much narrowed it down to the right rear wheel bearing. The only issue I have with this is, I feel it in the steering wheel at times. It is like a road vibration, nothing you can see in the steering wheel, maybe it is the way the tires are wearing. The tires all look ok, no visible cupping ect... IDK that may be a whole other issue all together and I am just to consummed with the other. I swerve to the right (loading the left/drivers side), noise/grind/hum is still there. Swerve to the left (loading the right/passenger side) the noise all but goes away. I will say the noise has not gotten significantly worse over the last 8 months. The volume has only slightly increased and you may be able to hear it sooner at say 35-40mph to about 70ish. It used to be about 45-50 to 65ish. So I am soon to pull the right rear axle (w/ person from #4) and have the bearing pressed off and the new on at (cross my fingers) a good machine shop that will not damage the axle. I hope someone will gain from my slow learning curve!!