front wheel bearings

[freshley]

Anyone know of a walkthrough on replacing the front wheel bearings? There are tons for the rear but none for the front? I'm doing the tundra brake upgrade along with new shocks and balljoints so I figured it might be worth looking at the wheel bearings but I can't find anything out about them.

Thanks!

 

[LittleCaesar]

Replacing the front bearings is anything but a walk through. They, like the back, are sealed, so they have to be pressed in and out with at least a 20 ton press. I am all for preventive maintenance, but this is an item IMHO that should only be addressed when it goes south on you.

I helped a friend replace one in Dec. We got all new parts and took it to his uncle, who is a machinist/mechanic for Eaton. He said it was not the easiest one he has ever done.

You have to take the knuckle out, so the UBJ might as well be replaced at the same time. Just do the shocks, lower ball joints, tie rods if they need it, and the Tundra upgrade.

 

[Stick Figure]

They aren't terrible to do, but a press is a must have. I did it with the little harbor freight model (12 ton IIRC), but mine is about as rust free as they come being a "so cal" truck up until 6 months ago. There might be a couple pics in my build thread of the process. I did it simply because i was doing EVERYTHING else. Even at 180k they still appeared to be in really good shape.

 

[LittleCaesar]

I broke a 14 ton press (it was old) trying to get the bearing out, but the knuckle was carrying quite a bit of rust on it from Jersey winters.

If you have a shop like SF with all those tools, and access to a press, it may not be too hard an endeavor to undertake.

 

[freshley]

upper ball joints?

So Little Ceasar, should I replace the upper ball joints when I do the lowers? I was just about to order them at the same time since the uppers aren't that much more compared to the lowers but I don't have access to a press. I didn't think you needed to press them out.

 

[Nelsonmd]

I just did my front wheel bearings, and you definitely need a press (I have a HF 12 ton, but I also broke it while pressing out one of the hubs, so I had to weld it back together). It is a pretty involved process, so I would agree with Little Caesar that you shouldn't do it unless you have to. I don't quite have a walkthrough in my build thread (link in my sig), but I took some pictures during the process.

You can check the uppers for play when you have the wheel off, but it they look good and feel good, I don't think you need to replace them. They really don't see anywhere near the stress that the lowers see, so they just don't wear out the same.

They do press out, but you don't need a press. You can use a 3-jaw puller. It will take more jigging and be more awkward, but people typically do them without a press.

By the way, there are several good walkthroughs for both front wheel bearings and upper ball joints out there, just not on this site. Use google for a little while and I am sure you will find them.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Like Nelsonmd said, the uppers are not that bad; I followed this method to get mine out with a 3 jaw puller:
Tacoma Suspension - Control Arms

You have to cut the stud of the ball joint off first with a grinder, then just press it out of the knuckle. I used a piece of cut flatbar and a modified puller similar to that in the DIY to press it back in.

 

[terminator2373]

Does anybody have a link to the wheel bearing writeups? Great Google isn't yielding much at all except a lot of questions.

I'm also doing the 231mm brake upgrade and replacing a passenger wheel bearing (noises, not preventative) and it was a PITA to get the hub to come out. We have what's labeled as a 60K press but I'm not sure to be honest. A lot of pressing, not much movement then BANG! Some movement. Couple of smaller bangs and a pop and the spacer holding the ABS ring popped loose. Everything else came apart relatively easy and went back together pretty easy too.

NOW, we can't seem to get the spacer holding the ABS ring securely in place to seat on the hub.

Has anybody with ABS done this and what did they run into while doing so?