On the plus side changing the front wheel bearing is only four more bolts past a brake job. Just need the hub socket and a basic puller.
Bad rear wheel bearing? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter linuxgod
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That's good to know.
Beats packing 100-series bearings every 60k miles. Those cone washers were a PITA to remove.
I took the short cut and just bought new hubs ...
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- #64
Yeah when I hooked them up there are 6 mics, so I basically started front left and went clockwise around the truck. So front left, center right, and then rear right, center, left.
Definitely left front is the loudest. That's #1 (red) in both videos. It's not quite as loud as @bloc's bad rear bearing, but it definitely seemed noisy. For some reason it does not come across as noisy in the video than it does in person... not sure if my son didn't have the mic quite right or if the particular frequency just didn't come through. In the second video (20 mph) it definitely sounds growly or gurgly to me at the lower speed.
Right front is definitely the quietest - enough that I was wondering if the mic was actually working OK, but my son said when I climb under the truck and tap it that it's REALLY loud in the headphones. RF is #3 in the first video (70 mph) where and #2 in the second video (20 mph).
Both right rear (#4) and left rear( (#6) in the first video (#3 and #4 in the second) are quieter than the diffs as well as the left front, but I'd say they're about as loud as @bloc's good rear bearing. I have no idea if their noise is normal, but I'm *assuming* so as they were higher pitched and somewhat quieter than the left front.
TBH I'm surprised to hear noise in the front since they were replaced about 45k miles ago. So yeah maybe it's wear in the CV joint that's coming through?
bloc
SILVER Star
So are you saying both front bearings have been changed?
To me it does sound like front left. I'd expect the diffs to be noisier than the hubs given how much more is going on in there, between ~4x the rotation speed for 2 of the bearings each, all the gear teeth, etc.
To more directly compare sounds you could just unplug the diff wires and condense the hubs down to the first four positions, though my OCD approves of your clockwise approach.
And like someone said in your thread, those are quite easy to replace.
Toyota doesn't sell the full hub pressed into the bearing already.. https://bluepitbearings.com/products does, though it costs more than buying the parts from the site I use and pressing everything together yourself. Note that if you have a press and source the separate parts, you'll need to get seals as well, and the bolts have to be dropped into the bearing carrier before pressing the hub in.
To me it does sound like front left. I'd expect the diffs to be noisier than the hubs given how much more is going on in there, between ~4x the rotation speed for 2 of the bearings each, all the gear teeth, etc.
To more directly compare sounds you could just unplug the diff wires and condense the hubs down to the first four positions, though my OCD approves of your clockwise approach.
And like someone said in your thread, those are quite easy to replace.
Toyota doesn't sell the full hub pressed into the bearing already.. https://bluepitbearings.com/products does, though it costs more than buying the parts from the site I use and pressing everything together yourself. Note that if you have a press and source the separate parts, you'll need to get seals as well, and the bolts have to be dropped into the bearing carrier before pressing the hub in.
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- #66
Yep both fronts were done at 66k. Long story but the mechanic who did the lift tore the outer CV boots, then after rebooting didn't properly torque the hub nuts. New hubs and bearings done via my local Toyota dealership after that. So I'm surprised to have one go, but then I had one go in my older Acura after ~50-60k miles so sometimes they just fail. That said I suppose it could be CV noise transmitting down the shaft to the hub, though I don't hear any clicking when turning. My son (almost 13) agreed that we seemed to have a small additional amount of bearing noise when I would swerve to the right and less when swerving left - not huge and not anything you would hear without the chassis ears, but it's there.
I agree, I'd expect the diffs to be noisier too. I didn't really need to hook them up, I just was curious and thought it was worth ruling them out. The front and rear seem similar so I think they're fine.
I'll let the mechanic who is doing my gears tell me if he'd like me to order the bearings pressed into the hubs or if he'll just do it himself. I know cruiser outfitters sells hubs with the bearings already pressed in as well too. We'll see in ~2 weeks if this is resolved...
I agree, I'd expect the diffs to be noisier too. I didn't really need to hook them up, I just was curious and thought it was worth ruling them out. The front and rear seem similar so I think they're fine.
I'll let the mechanic who is doing my gears tell me if he'd like me to order the bearings pressed into the hubs or if he'll just do it himself. I know cruiser outfitters sells hubs with the bearings already pressed in as well too. We'll see in ~2 weeks if this is resolved...
bloc
SILVER Star
I was one of them. You got more noise on steering though, I think?
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- #69
Yeah for me the growling-type noise at low speed doesn't drastically change when turning. No clicking, aside from the difference you can hear in that video. Which makes me doubt significant CV wear - the only thing making me think it *could* be CV-related is that my CVs were poorly rebooted and slinging grease about 45k miles ago and I had to find some worm clamps to fix them. No idea how much grease they lose and/or if that would cause wear which would result in bearing-type noise.
There is a *slight* difference in the volume/intensity when I do lane changes at 35-40mph, though it's subtle enough I would've thought I was imaging it except when I asked my son he heard it too.
Since the front end will need to come apart in order to do the gear swap, the mechanic offered to reboot/regrease/reclamp the driver's side CV axle in the process. (Passenger's side was done about 20k ago when I had a boot tear). So the CV will get inspected for wear at that point. Will likely have him do the one wheel bearing at the same time, because I'm already in for $6k for gears, lockers, CV reboot, etc, so what's another $200 at that point...
Just watching! I have all your symptoms on my FJC down to that same rotational clicking on my rear (especially driver) wheel. Really noisy on road as well but I have mud tires so its been really tough to tell. Also getting some of that seat-of-the-pants feelings which was causing me to want to look into the driveline, but I think deep down I am leaning wheel bearing. I dont plan to tackle it for a bit though.
My service history from Toyota shows a failed wheel bearing seal at 30K miles which soaked the rear brakes and had them replace the DS one. Fluke manufacturing defect I suppose. I mention that because I think I have some slight moisture in the rear parking brake drum - which I guess must be diff fluid since they are cable operated drums. It has been a while since I was in there though.
My service history from Toyota shows a failed wheel bearing seal at 30K miles which soaked the rear brakes and had them replace the DS one. Fluke manufacturing defect I suppose. I mention that because I think I have some slight moisture in the rear parking brake drum - which I guess must be diff fluid since they are cable operated drums. It has been a while since I was in there though.
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I've had a faint driveline hum for a year and a half now. I've been slowly replacing all the wheel bearings, starting with the one I think is bad. I'm probably just wasting money, but the current bearings have almost 190k on them anyway.
I have 33" Falken Wildpeaks on RW, so maybe it's just tire noise. I've been doing them myself. On the front, I had some trouble separating the hub from the bearing because you need a large bearing separator, so I took it to a shop. I've since bought a large bearing separator, so I should be able to tackle the next one.
I found a good kit on ebay to do the rear bearings. It just barely fit on my 20 ton HF press. It sure would be nice if my efforts were rewarded with no noise, but hasn't happened yet.
I have 33" Falken Wildpeaks on RW, so maybe it's just tire noise. I've been doing them myself. On the front, I had some trouble separating the hub from the bearing because you need a large bearing separator, so I took it to a shop. I've since bought a large bearing separator, so I should be able to tackle the next one.
I found a good kit on ebay to do the rear bearings. It just barely fit on my 20 ton HF press. It sure would be nice if my efforts were rewarded with no noise, but hasn't happened yet.
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- #72
Faint could be tires. My Nitto Ridge Grapplers had a faint hum when new. Mine definitely isn't faint. I have a dB meter on my iPhone and with the sunroof closed and the phone on the center arm rest it reads ~75dB when cruising at 75mph on fresh asphalt. Would be interesting to hear what someone with a quiet vehicle has but I'm guessing ~65dB, maybe less. 80dB is roughly a vacuum cleaner.
It is a fair bit of work but standard I suppose for rear SF axles with press-on bearings
We've been doing more and more of them as of late and introcuded a full parts kit for them a couple years back:
YWST: 100 & 200 Series Rear Axle Rebuild Kits
100 & 200 Series rear axles need love too! While you don't see/hear as many issues with the semi-float 100/200 Series rear axle, they are not immune to leaking seals and worn/loose outer bearings. The rear wheel bearings of the 100 & 200 Series Land Cruiser are a fair bit of work to service but...
forum.ih8mud.com
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- #74
Yeah, those of us who are amateur wrenchers think it's a PITA because cutting off the old bearings and pressing on the new ones is beyond our skills. OTOH those pre-pressed front bearing+hub kits you guys are selling is awesomeIt is a fair bit of work but standard I suppose for rear SF axles with press-on bearings
We've been doing more and more of them as of late and introcuded a full parts kit for them a couple years back:
YWST: 100 & 200 Series Rear Axle Rebuild Kits
100 & 200 Series rear axles need love too! While you don't see/hear as many issues with the semi-float 100/200 Series rear axle, they are not immune to leaking seals and worn/loose outer bearings. The rear wheel bearings of the 100 & 200 Series Land Cruiser are a fair bit of work to service but...
Yeah, many of the modern Toyota SF shafts require cutting races and retainers, definitely not something you service in the field. We built our own tool to pull the old bearings off using a old 200 rear axle housing. We call it Thors Hammer
I'd love to do pre-assembled rear axles too. We have core shafts but the backing plates are often in rough shape and super expensive. We stock them and can pre-build an entire setup for a customer I suppose. Shipping would likely be pallet freight?
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- #76
Thor's Hammer. Hah! Odin approvesYeah, many of the modern Toyota SF shafts require cutting races and retainers, definitely not something you service in the field. We built our own tool to pull the old bearings off using a old 200 rear axle housing. We call it Thors Hammer
I'd love to do pre-assembled rear axles too. We have core shafts but the backing plates are often in rough shape and super expensive. We stock them and can pre-build an entire setup for a customer I suppose. Shipping would likely be pallet freight?
I'm going to have the shop that's doing my gears swap my front left bearing in the process. We're not sure it's all that bad or the source of the noise, but he's got a press and since he's rebooting that CV anyway it's very little extra labor. If it wasn't already going to be in the shop for this since I don't have a press I'd order the bearing pre-pressed into the hub from you guys and swap the whole assembly myself. Definitely a great option for us shade-tree mechanics.
If I had to do the rears I'd probably just take it to my shop. I have to imagine a fully-assembled shaft wouldn't be cost-effective to sell and ship (and ensure it didn't get damaged enroute). Not saying you guys shouldn't offer it
but I suspect it would be pretty low volume.
bloc
SILVER Star
Sounds like I’ll need to document doing a front and a rear..
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- #78
I'd love to watch some axle porn
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- #79
Update. Got my truck back from the shop yesterday. Took longer than expected due to a delay on a couple parts. Nitro 4.88s, Harrop triple locked, new driver's side CV boot and new front wheel bearing (thanks @cruiseroutfit!). I was super gently with it on the drive home, but it seems like the prior driveline noise is gone. So that's a huge plus.
Downside at the moment is that I have a little bit of gear noise and a tiny bit of vibration, which displeases my OCD. It's not like driving an Indy car, but:
I can take it back to the shop (80-90 minutes away) and leave the truck, but if #2 in particular is fairly normal through the break-in period then I'll have them take a second look when I go back for the 500 mile fluid change since it's ~2.5-3 hours round trip. FWIW it's not Zuk doing the gears but I do trust the shop, they do a LOT of Toyota work including some LC restos, and they were apparently pretty patient with the setup (i.e. original rear shim meshed perfectly but the front required 6 different shim adjustments to get it right) so while something could be off, I don't want to rush to that conclusion just because I'm a hypersensitive PITA.
Downside at the moment is that I have a little bit of gear noise and a tiny bit of vibration, which displeases my OCD. It's not like driving an Indy car, but:
- For a short time at about ~10 mph I can sometimes feel a bit of vibration in the gas pedal. Odd because our trucks are drive by wire, right? It's subtle but it's there, and wasn't before. I do have a diff drop kit... I didn't have this before but I'm wondering if the driveline alignment changed slightly and this is amplifying it, or if I should be looking at something else?
- I notice a little bit of gear noise particularly in the ~20-35mph range. It's not as loud as the driveline was, which is why I can definitely tell it's there, but I can hear it if I get on or off the throttle a bit. (Keep in mind "get on the throttle" still means I'm driving miss daisy right now - I have no idea if it'll be much worse when actually stomping the skinny pedal or towing once everything is broken in). No clunking, shifts feel pretty smooth up and down, and it seemed quieter as I got up around 45. I never took it above 50 mph though. Turning the stereo volume up by +2 or +3 drowns it out so it's not THAT loud, just not whisper silent.
- The steering feels stiffer to me. It was always a bit stiff since my caster is right at the top of the spec if not slightly over, but I definitely felt like it took more force when making a turn than before. Or maybe I'm just overly sensitive because I've been driving a rental Corolla for 2 weeks and the power steering in thing had zero road feedback?
I can take it back to the shop (80-90 minutes away) and leave the truck, but if #2 in particular is fairly normal through the break-in period then I'll have them take a second look when I go back for the 500 mile fluid change since it's ~2.5-3 hours round trip. FWIW it's not Zuk doing the gears but I do trust the shop, they do a LOT of Toyota work including some LC restos, and they were apparently pretty patient with the setup (i.e. original rear shim meshed perfectly but the front required 6 different shim adjustments to get it right) so while something could be off, I don't want to rush to that conclusion just because I'm a hypersensitive PITA.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Whhhaaattttt???!!! Me say gears should never make sounds? Well... yeah that’s does sound like me.
I guess generally, lower gears can make more sound than higher gears. One thing that sounds out of place to me is when you said the sound is when you are both on, and off the throttle. So for me, gears meshing on the drive side or the coast side should always change tone. And generally constant sounds are not gears.
I’m gonna go way out and suggest something odd, but worth a shot up front. Since the front wheel bearings were replaced, that means there was a good chance that the hubs had to be knocked off, and the only way to do that is tap the back of the front dust shields. Those are super thin material and you may have one of them dragging the disk brake barely. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen it. But just check that first before diving into bearing and gears.
If anything, it’s therapeutic to work on... something.
