97 Front Wheel Bearings (1 Viewer)

[MadTripper]

I picked up a 97 and had my inspection done today. The rig has 208K on it but is in great shape. While my friend was doing the inspection, we noticed the front wheels have play in them when moved at the 12 and 6 positions. The PO was an older lady that had it since 60K and used a mechanic religiously. I'm not sure the what the last service was however during the inspection we also noticed the front brakes are about done and the rotors could use a turning.

So..., I found some info in the faq but found this link to be pretty helpful. ---> https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/13415-front-wheel-bearings-ok.html

Since I need to work with the rotors, should I just perform full maintenance at this point or just replace the bearings? I also see info on preloads and so on. I guess I'm just a little confused. I can completely understand doing as much as possible if I'm going to be down to the rotors. I've replaced bearings and rotors on other vehicles so I'm confident I can handle it but I'd like to be sure I'm accomplishing what I should be at this stage of the game.

Thanks again!

Tripper

 

[ranma21]

You might wanna repack your birfield and replace all the bearing while you are doing it. I think it has been a long time since the lady did the birfield maintenance. You might want to go ahead and replace brand new toyota rotors and 100 series brake pad, That wil provide longer brake pad life. There is a birfield repack DVD in this forum somewhere you can buy. It will probably take half a day for you to do both side and quite messy as well. It will be a good idea for you to lay a big piece of plastic cover on the floor where you do the job, save lots of cleaning that way. Good luck

 

[OGBeno]

Check your wheel bearings. I do not necessarily think they will need to be replaced unless there is obvious scoring or marks on the rollers or on the interior of the housing. Check the races as well.

Koyo's should last well over 150K+ miles if taken care of correctly.

If all is well, a repack is all that will be necessary and throw those suckers back in.

Trunion bearings, on the other hand, bear a good amount of weight from the truck and take significant shock load. Replace those as needed.

Good luck.
-o-

 

[MadTripper]

Thanks for the input. As far as parts go, I have always used napa for most of my vehicles. (Subaru, Jeep, Talon...) It seems like OEM is the way to go with these rigs and I can see why as they last forever and a day. What should I order to be on the safe side. Sorry for the lame questions but I'd rather have extra parts I didn't need when I finish than have to wait for something to come in.

Tripper

 

[OGBeno]

Well, NAPA is going to give you Timken bearings, which are ok too--nothing wrong with these bearings. In fact, Toyota uses these as well. But for me, Koyo is the only way to go...personal preference really. Either way, you are going to be fine with whatever you do purchase. OEM if you want; it's the generally accepted mentality, but again, you are welcome to and can do whatever you want and what your wallet will allow.

What people call a "front axle rebuild" is nothing more than a glorified cleaning job. Basically you are going in, cleaning the hub housing (what the rotor is attached to), cleaning the actual birfield joint, cleaning the axle housing, and then replacing seals and gaskets...and bearings if you need to. Some people also take this opportunity to replace rotors (or turn them) if need be and also put in new brake pads (again, if need be). Your call on these. The FSM has specs in terms of how much rotor material is allowable as well as how much you can have them turned before you have to go out and buy new ones.

That's pretty much what a "front axle rebuild" entails. It's mainly a messy job and that's pretty much it...daunting at first, but afterwards, a rewarding feeling.

Good luck.
-o-

 

[elhombre]

AutoZone is not good for much but they do sell the timken bearings. Also they sell the big seal for the back of the hub and it is made in Japan. If you just need to repack the bearings, all you really need is the grease, brake cleaner for the rotor and bearings, and the rear hub seal. Autozone also sells the Mobil 1 synthetic wheel bearing grease alot of people use. Anything else, go toyota.

 

[MadTripper]

We have an AutoZone pretty close but I have a good relationship with the napa guys. Its kind of like this: when I walk into the autozone, everyone is dressed up in clean clothes and there is a bunch of bling in my face. Napa, I walk in and 2 out of 3 employees have some form of dirt or grease on their shirts and the store is full of useful, undecorated items. Not to mention it is one of the only stores you can still walk in with a cigarette and they have a broken piston waiting for you as an ashtray. I don't smoke any longer but I'm glad they still allow it if you want.

Enough off topic stuff. I haven't gone wrong with Napa before so they can have my business this round as well. I'll talk with them and I'm sure they will know what I need. I'm busy this weekend but may tackle this next weekend. I really don't want to push my rotors much further or else I'll be buying new. As far as the brake pads go, do I just tell them I want the pads for a 100 series? Are there different versions I should be concerned about fitment?

Thanks again fellas

Tripper

 

[OGBeno]

We have an AutoZone pretty close but I have a good relationship with the napa guys. Its kind of like this: when I walk into the autozone, everyone is dressed up in clean clothes and there is a bunch of bling in my face. Napa, I walk in and 2 out of 3 employees have some form of dirt or grease on their shirts and the store is full of useful, undecorated items. Not to mention it is one of the only stores you can still walk in with a cigarette and they have a broken piston waiting for you as an ashtray. I don't smoke any longer but I'm glad they still allow it if you want.

Well put!

Enough off topic stuff. I haven't gone wrong with Napa before so they can have my business this round as well. I'll talk with them and I'm sure they will know what I need. I'm busy this weekend but may tackle this next weekend. I really don't want to push my rotors much further or else I'll be buying new. As far as the brake pads go, do I just tell them I want the pads for a 100 series? Are there different versions I should be concerned about fitment?

Thanks again fellas

Tripper

Yes, you will want to get the 100 series Land Cruiser front brake pads (1998-2007). They are a tight fit, but they work much better than stock 80 series front pads (larger surface area for pad to rotor fit).

Caveat: the 80 series is a tricky bird. They might not have all of the oil seals and gaskets in stock and might have to order them. Make sure they give you what you necessarily need as well. If this is your daily driver, I would hate for you to be knee deep into this operation and find out they got you the wrong part and the part you need won't be in for two weeks....then you are going to be a bit upset, I'd imagine.

Good luck.

 

[mkfour]

You might want to pre-order 100's pads and new rotors just in case. Some places can mic the rotor on the car, but the wheel will need to be removed. But this won't take into account any warping. So they might be out of spec when the shop goes to turn them. In this case you'll have to buy new rotors. If you already pre-ordered them, you're good to go, if you didn't, you'll have to wait a few days.

The 80 being your only car, it's something you need to prepare for.

Some other things to mention.

The birf job is at least a one day job for a first timer or someone not so experienced. It's more like a weekend job.

By removing the rotors, you're already 1/4 - 1/3 through with the birf disassembly.

 

[mkfour]

When I did my brakes, I figured I mine as well get them turned. I went to Kragen's with my floor jack and jack stands, and they mic'd the front rotors on the vehicle. The spec's are something like .1260 new and .1220 minimum. Mine were at .1241.

I had Kragen/Chuck's turn them. After I got them back, I reassembled everything, went for a test run and had pulsing through the brakes. I then disassembled everything again and inspected the rotors. Not only were they warped, but they weren't fully turned. The shop left a ridge on the inside and outside corners. The ridges weren't equal either, they varied from 1/32" to 1/8" all around.

The next day I took the rotors in and they inspected them. They said they probably didn't do them correctly, so they bought me a new set of front rotors, but I'd have to wait until they get in. One week later I had them on.

 

[MadTripper]

Good stuff. This isn't my daily driver so having it down wouldn't be horrible but you know how it feels to have a vehicle disassembled in your garage. I drive the 99 Suby most days, I have a 94 Grand Cherokee I'm going to clean and stick out by the road to sell, a 95 Talon TSI that is supposed be sold and leaving around the 5th of April, a 90 Mustang GT Convertible that needs a ton of love but I think that is going down the road as well. I'm really trying to eliminate the vehicles I don't need or have any attachment to at this point. Once I get the talon out of the way, I'm bringing the 74 40 over to start the rebuild.

So at this point I think I'll try and find an IPB in the faq. I think I stumbled on one last night. I can then give the part numbers to the napa crew and get everything in line for next weekend. You don't know of a standard parts list requirement for this type of service do you?

Once again thanks for the help and maybe I can return the favor soon.

Tripper

 

[sundaypunch]

You can get a complete set of Timkens at Autozone (inners, outers, races) for $49 and change. That is a no-brainer.

 

[wtfd726]

I just did this job last week...had what I thought was bearing play, but found out last guy in there assembled the hub lock nuts/washers wrong...allowing the lock nuts to loosen consequently allowing too much freeplay. I was replacing rotors/pads/seals/ calipers so I removed bearings & cleaned & inspected. Everything was fine except for thread damage on outer spindle. I used a thread file to clean up threads then replaced lock nuts & washers on spindle. Guess you never know what you might find until you get in there. good luck... & buy lots of brake cleaner

 

[powderpig]

Hopefully you look at the bearing it self and see where it is made. I do use Napa and Carquest for many things if I can not get my parts in advance from either Dan or local dealer. I was just trying to find the bearing for the P/S pump for the 80 and neither napa or carquest had US or Japanese bearing for my part number, the Timkin box was a bearing made in China and the value brand was made in China. So I personally do not use chinese make bearings in my trucks.
A side note, Up till late 94 Land cruisers had the Koyo wheel bearings, then switched to Timken bearing for some late 94 to 97 80 series trucks. Koyo's are tuff to find, Dan carries them, if you have a local bearing company that carries the Japanese stuff, then you can find them there as well.
Unscrew the grease port on the knuckle and see how much grease you have in the Knuckle area, If you want to jack up on the bottom of the housing to see if any movement, this will give you a idea if the knuckle bearings are worn. They need to be replaced every 60k or so depending on tire size. (bigger tires cause more wear). It is usually worth base lining everything if you planing on keeping this truck for many years. If you had the service records you could see what maintance was done when and then go from that point to do the maintaince.
Anyhow enjoy your new truck. Later Robbie

 

[threatminor]

My recomendation

Is to give Cruiser Dan a call and just have him send you what you will need. You always get the correct part for the job, they are toyota parts, and at a better price than from any local dealer. With Napa or autozone (especially autozone), sometimes I end up getting everything torn apart and then finding that the part is incorrect because there are two versions available, etc. Not mention, I basically always go Toyota over other brands when possible. Just my two cents.

 

[MadTripper]

I'll check with napa and see what they have available. I think I read in another post that cdan is away until after April 1st so I'll try and check into that depending on what the local napa crew has. I have another connection in Toyota that I will check with as well.

So, at this point, I think I'll order the inner and outer bearings along with associated seals and gaskets, new 100 series brake pads and check rotors. I could mic the rotors and see if they can be turned I suppose. Maybe I should just get new ones at this point however. I'm off to do some pricing.

Thanks again,

Tripper

 

[sundaypunch]

With Napa or autozone (especially autozone), sometimes I end up getting everything torn apart and then finding that the part is incorrect because there are two versions available, etc. Not mention, I basically always go Toyota over other brands when possible. Just my two cents.

This has been covered many times in other threads. You can get Timkens from Autozone and they are the identical part that Toyota sells. It is the proper OEM part, just not in a Toyota box. You just need to give them the P/N at Autozone.

Inner bearing - JLM104948 ($8.99 at Autozone)
Inner race - JLM104910 ($4.99)
Outer bearing- LM102949 ($6.99)
Outer race - LM102910 ($3.99)

I just did mine and it was $49.92 plus tax. I'm all for supporting CDan (I have $1300 in receipts here from the last year) but I don't see the need to pay extra just to get the bearings from Toyota.

 

[bthelton]

I'll check with napa and see what they have available. I think I read in another post that cdan is away until after April 1st so I'll try and check into that depending on what the local napa crew has. I have another connection in Toyota that I will check with as well.

So, at this point, I think I'll order the inner and outer bearings along with associated seals and gaskets, new 100 series brake pads and check rotors. I could mic the rotors and see if they can be turned I suppose. Maybe I should just get new ones at this point however. I'm off to do some pricing.

Thanks again,

Tripper

I am a firm believer in never turning rotors, especially if they have a bad spot in them(being warped), it will just come back.

If you would have purchased my 80 you wouldn't have this problem. Just f***in with Chris, but seriously i wouldn't waste time turning them

 

[MadTripper]

I am a firm believer in never turning rotors, especially if they have a bad spot in them(being warped), it will just come back.

If you would have purchased my 80 you wouldn't have this problem. Just f***in with Chris, but seriously i wouldn't waste time turning them

Let me pull that knife out of my chest....ahh, now I can reply.

As it stands, the rotors aren't warped. They have some hard lines in them that would decrease the next set of pads. I plan on doing some work outside today so perhaps I'll snap some pics. Thanks for the info on parts sunday.

On a side note, I posted in the 40 section last night with a bunch of pics of my 74. We ran over to my grams farm last night and I brought some parts over to our place so I can start getting some things done. Big project for sure but should be fun. Here is a link for those interested.

1974 LandCruiser

Tripper

 

[cooleoboy1000]

wheel bearings

Hay, For Wheel Bearings i suggest MIBearings LLC, they have USA made bearings at a little over the Chinese made price.
In case you need help replacing the bearings i suggest How To Replace Front Wheel Bearings - You Can Do That
p.s. MIBearings website is USA Made Quality Car Bearings---MIBearings LLC