Rear wheel bearing DIY?

M

Mr.emergency

New member
Hey guys, anybody have a link or reference for a rear wheel bearing diy? My rear passenger side is squealing like a pig. I'm looking at either a moog or timken bearing off Amazon. Any reviews on either of those brands? Any reference to torque settings get extra credit. Thanks in advance gents.
 
Register to hide this ad
I've never seen a writeup specific to a 4th gen 4runner but the process isn't that much different from other Toyota trucks past or present. I've done it on a few other Toyota trucks. The axle comes out easily enough but there are some special tools required to press the old one out and the new one on over the axle. It's much more difficult than the fronts which just bolt on.

Your best bet is going to be a machine shop or independent mechanic that will do the press work for you. You'll save a lot of money by taking them the parts and axles vs just dropping off the 4runner and having them do everything.

I'll take some good pictures and do a writeup when I do mine in a few weeks. I have all the parts and tools, but haven't had time.
 
Well hurry up already and get it done so you can be the first person to do a write up and forever live on infamous and post the step's and tools required to do our 4th gen rear bearing's w/a lot of pics.

oh and..
thank you in advance

now hurry lol cause I need to do both rear bearings.
 
Alright, I ordered a timken bearing off amazon- going to perform car surgery early next week- will post a diy at some point.
 
I did both rear wheel bearings a couple years ago. I would try to get SKF, NSK, Koyo or timken bearings. I believe one of those is actually OEM for Toyota. The toyota bearings are crazy expensive. I had to have the toyota dealer press the bearings off for me because I couldn't find anybody else with the correct tool for doing it. I could've just built the tool from scratch and pressed them at my house but I was sort of on a time crunch.

I thought I posted a write-up of sorts or on a thread somewhere but I couldn't find it. IIRC, I also purchased new wheel bearing studs w/nuts, inner and outer seals, bearings (obviously), new c-clips, and bearing retainer rings. I'll look through some stuff and see if I can find exactly what I replaced.

Pretty straight forward job. I have a copy of the FSM which helped especially for torque values. The hardest part was getting the retainers on the parking brake shoes.
 
Carefully cut the old bearing and collar off with a Dremel cutoff wheel, buy a press from Harbor Freight and press the new bearing on. Alternatively, take the bare shaft and bearing to a machine shop if you don't want to buy a shop press.
 
@Lurch said:
Carefully cut the old bearing and collar off with a Dremel cutoff wheel, buy a press from Harbor Freight and press the new bearing on. Alternatively, take the bare shaft and bearing to a machine shop if you don't want to buy a shop press.
Click to expand...
i'd like you to explain this. How can you cut the bearing out? I need to replace a rear wheel bearing and I feel that I can cut out the retainer, but how do you cut out the bearing? Thanks in advance.

JR
 
I haven't done it on a 4th gen but have on an older Tacoma. Similar idea. You'll need to cut the retainer/abs ring/retainer and pound the shaft down onto something that won't damage the splines to get the old bearing out. I used a 1/4" thick scrap of alum. A really hardwood stump might work too. I had a shop butcher backing plates on the Tacoma axles the first time around and bend the axle shaft because they either didn't have the right tools or know what they were doing. They also torched into one of the axles trying to get the retainers off. I suggest having them pull the press tools out and show you how it'll work before agreeing to let them go at it with a press. Any shop will know if they have the right stuff or not.
 
blackoutt said:
I haven't done it on a 4th gen but have on an older Tacoma. Similar idea. You'll need to cut the retainer/abs ring/retainer and pound the shaft down onto something that won't damage the splines to get the old bearing out. I used a 1/4" thick scrap of alum. A really hardwood stump might work too. I had a shop butcher backing plates on the Tacoma axles the first time around and bend the axle shaft because they either didn't have the right tools or know what they were doing. They also torched into one of the axles trying to get the retainers off. I suggest having them pull the press tools out and show you how it'll work before agreeing to let them go at it with a press. Any shop will know if they have the right stuff or not.
Click to expand...

I have one of these tools (see link below). It works as advertised. It'll pull the bearing and retainer off of the axle and it'll pull the abs ring off as well so that you can reuse it which isn't the case if you grind it off instead.

They are pricey tools, but they do work. I got really lucky. I reached out to the seller and explained my situation (lack of funds) and he sold me one of his prototype units that wasn't as pretty as the ones that he sells. I paid much less than the advertised price. The price of the tool is obviously directed towards shops that do this sort of thing on a regular basis.

Rear Axle Bearing Puller Tool 09521 25011 Toyota Trucks | eBay
 
Last edited:
Good link, I used that same 4x4 wire writeup to do the Taco axles + ABS rings.

Also good link for the tools above, exactly what's needed to do it "right". After letting the shop that said they had the tools screw it up I did it the backyard method. If I were doing it again and not in a time crunch like last time I would buy the tools and either keep or resell after, unless you have a local shop that you really trust and will show you those press tools/knowledge on how to use them.
 
To add to this thread,

The toyota dealer wouldn't even let me see the press tool or watch the process.

I'm planning on building my own someday by using parts of the old bearings just in case I have to do this again or I know somebody that needs to do it.

Also, the dealer was pretty clueless on how to enter the labor into their system because there was no vehicle, just the shafts. They ended up entering it into the system as if the whole 4runner was there. IIRC, they only charged me an hour. Pretty funny when the dealer secretary called and said my vehicle was ready and they went ahead and washed it as well.
 
Here is some info I found on rear wheel bearings:

Video on RWB for FJ Cruiser which I think is the same as the 4th gen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxWuSt3LFjE

Thread from Tacoma World talking about it, it's about the 1st gen Tacos but it's the same process. But I don't think info on the retaining rinds, ABS ring, etc. are directly transferable, to the 4h gen Runner but maybe portions of the process are (??). In any case it shows some pics of the press work.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/proper-way-to-press-in-new-rear-wheel-bearing.274582/

Here is a tool mentioned in the TW thread. Pretty reasonable price I think. I send an email asking about if their 8-hole end plate would fit the 4th gen runners with the non-square bolt pattern. It looks like it would but nit sure. Maybe someone knows. I haven't heard back from them yet.
AXLE BEARING PULLER TOYOTA

You can fab these up pretty easy, **IF**, you have access to a welder and the raw materials (which I don't... yet)

To DIY this, the HF 20 ton press, bearing/seal driver set, and the durasolid tool are the biggest question marks for most folks I'd guess. Looks like for around 300-350, you could outfit yourself pretty nicely and have the ability to do it again. I've been planning to get the HF press for a while (now I have some coupons) and that press tool looks nice.

to add to what gm350reratliff said, I also thought that if I have the press and the puller I'd also to be able to help local members who needed it.... around me, there aren't any shops willing or able to do that kind of work. I asked around when I was doing my FWB's... (sigh)
 
Last edited:
Just to add to the above, I did the rears on my 1st gen Tacoma with a HF 12 ton press. It worked, but just barely on one side. The other popped right out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement 2008 T4R Ltd 4WD V8
Replies
6
Views
2K
SurferUK
SurferUK
D
Wheel bearing or Caliper?
Replies
3
Views
3K
CutthroatSlam
C
K
FS 3rd Gen 4R Limited 4x4 $12,500 Northern Alabama
Replies
0
Views
904
Kokomodo
K
fihnguy
Replaced sway bar links, swimming all over the place now
Replies
6
Views
4K
fastbroshi
F
B
Sourcing Rear Wheel Bearings
Replies
19
Views
15K
nissanh
N

Members online

Total: 1,028 (members: 4, guests: 1,024)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,314
Messages
3,554,095
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top