Front Bearing Replacement (1 Viewer)

[hank14]

This morning I began the task of replacing my front driver side wheel bearings, to try and fix the vibration problem I have had. I even started taking pictures, and wish I had a nice Tech article to post, but I chickened out when I couldn't get the cone washers and flange to loosen. Tried tapping the bolts as the manual states (didn't have brass bar, so I was cautious), but no luck. I also tried a chisel to tap between the flange and the hub. After searching the forum, I found that others have had this same problem with their 60's and 80's, and gentle persistence is the key.

I'm planning on new shocks and a brake system flush, so I may try it again next week.

 

[jp213a]

Along with a brass bar, pick up a can of BP Blaster penetrating spray. It should help with the cone washers. It's the best penetrating oil I've found by far. http://www.blasterproducts.com/store/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=1
Hope you carry through with the bearing job and the technical write-up with photos. It sounds like some anti-seize might be in order for the re-assembly. Good luck.

 

[hank14]

Alright, I went after it again yesturday and got er done. Once I figured out the cone washer thing- lots of posts in 60 & 80 forums on this. It looks like the left front bearings were loose- adjusting nut undertightened, causing my mysterious front end vibration. The only problems I had were setting the preload and torquing the adjusting nut. The holes in the gasket for the flange were too small, so I had to re-use the old gaskets. Also, I had a hard time positioning the passenger side rotor and hub once I was finished replacing and packing the bearings. Now I can't get the snap ring to go back on correctly, so I've got to toy around with that some more. I took lots of pictures- don't know if I can post them or not, but I'll work on a write-up later.

 

[Landpimp]

not sure on the 100 but on all other cruisers there is a bolt hole on the end of the axle shaft, stick a bolt in there and pull out when trying to get the clib back on.

as for preload, I set mine by feel with the tire/wheels on(but off the ground), I set them to there is "just" no play when grabed at 12 and 6.

cone washers, wack the edge of the flange with a brass hammer, they will pop off.

 

[hank14]

Bearing repack or replacement

Thanks for everyone's input. Most of this is straight out of the FSM, with extra commentary here and there.

Procedure for front bearing repack or replacement and rotor replacement on Toyota Landcruiser UZJ100 series

Indications for service:

1. Bearing repack is part of a comprehensive preventative maintenance program, performed every 30,000 miles under typical driving conditions, more frequently under severe duty (high water crossings, heavy loads, etc).
2. Bearing replacement performed when bearings show signs of wear during routine inspection. Bearings that have been properly maintained may last in excess of 200,000 miles of use.

Here’s a link about wheel bearing inspection:

http://www.theautoist.com/wheel_bearing_maintenance.htm

Parts/supplies needed for the job:

2- Inner oil seals
2- Flange gaskets
2- Lock washers
2- Inner bearings and races (if indicated)
2- Outer bearings and races (if indicated)
MP hub bearing grease- a high quality conventional or synthetic
Brake cleaner- aerosol
Penetrating lubricant
You may need new snap rings if worn or damaged
The FSM calls for new flange nuts. These can be reused if they are not damaged
A clean work area- contamination is bad news for bearings
Lots of shop towels or paper towels


Tools needed:

Wheel chocks
Heavy duty floor or bottle jack- high lift type for SUV’s
Heavy duty jack stands
Lug wrench
Torque wrench
Regular screwdriver
Hammer
Brass bar
Sockets- 12 mm for brake line, 14 mm for flange nuts, 17 mm for brake caliper bolts, ?? mm for lug nuts, 54 mm for hub nuts

Link for 54 mm hub nut socket (it is a cheap socket- you get what you pay for, but it got the job done):

http://www.tooltopia.com/browseproducts/OTC-6612-Wheel-Bearing-Locknut-Socket---54mm-for-Toyota.html

Spring tension gauge (kitchen scale or fish scale can be used)
Outer snap ring pliers
FSM calls for special service tools to seat bearing races. This can be done without the SST’s, if caution is used.

Procedure:

1. The cone washers and flange can be difficult to remove. Spraying with some penetrating lubricant 2-3 days before the service can help.
2. Pick a side to start working on. Loosen lug nuts. Securely jack up vehicle according to owner’s manual. Remove wheel.
3. Remove the brake caliper, the brake line bracket, and securely support the caliper to the upper shock mount.
4. Using the snap ring expander, remove the snap ring on the end of the spindle.
5. Remove the 6 flange nuts and washers. Place the washers to the side, and replace the nuts to protect the stud threads.
6. The cone washers are tapered and seated into the flange holes around the studs. They can be removed by tapping on the ends of the studs with a brass bar and hammer, using caution not to damage the threads. It may take several passes around the flange, working on each stud in sequence, but you will see them pop free. You can also attempt to loosen them by tapping on the flange itself or placing a long socket over the studs against the flange and tapping repeatedly.

Here are a couple of threads discussing this:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=28269&highlight=cone+washer

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=22719&highlight=cone+washer

7. Remove the flange and gasket- they may be sealed together- the gasket is thin, standard gray gasket material.
8. The lock washer is thin metal and visible under the lock nut. Release the lock washer, using a screwdriver, by unbending the tabs.
9. Remove the lock nut.
10. Remove the lock washer.
11. Remove the adjusting nut.
12. Being careful not to damage the ABS speed sensor rotor and oil seal, remove the axle hub and rotor. The claw washer and outer bearing may fall out, so use caution that they are not damaged.
13. The oil seal is located on the back of the rotor. Remove it by prying it out with a screwdriver.
14. Remove the inner bearing from the axle hub.

At this point, the bearings can be cleaned and carefully inspected for abnormal wear. If they look OK, inspect the inner and outer races as well. If all is well, the inner and outer races do not have to be removed. Skip to step # 3 in re-assembly .If they are worn, proceed as follows:

15. Clean as much grease out of the axle hub as possible to aid visualization.
16. Using a brass bar and hammer, remove the outside bearing race. Be careful not to damage the ABS speed sensor rotor.
17. Using a brass bar and hammer, remove the inside bearing race.
18. Rotor replacement can be done at this point, if necessary.
a. Mount the axle hub with the disc in a soft jaw vice. Close vice until it holds disc, do not tighten further.
b. Remove the 5 bolts and separate the axle hub and disc.

Re-assembly

1. Install disc- install the 5 bolts to the axle hub Torque 54 ft-lb
2. Install bearing outer races- for both sides, I placed the old races on top of the new ones and gently worked around them, tapping into place. The inner one is deeper, so I had to gently use a punch to seat it all the way. A brass bar or punch will greatly reduce the risk of damage to the hub. Make sure the races are positioned so the thinner (tapered) edge is facing outward, otherwise the bearing won’t fit.
3. Pack bearings with MP grease. Use your hands, place them in a zip-lock, or use a bearing packer, but make sure the grease is worked in thoroughly. Avoid any dirt or contamination.
4. Coat the inside of the axle hub with MP grease, enough to settle in between the two bearings.
5. Install inner bearing and oil seal. Coat the lip of the oil seal with MP grease.
6. Install axle hub to steering knuckle. It should slide right into place, and fit squarely.
7. Install the outer bearing.
8. Install the claw washer.
9. Install the adjusting nut and tighten it to 43 ft-lbs.
10. Turn the axle hub several times to settle down the bearings.
11. Loosen the adjusting nut until it can be turned by hand.
12. Retighten the nut to 38-57 in-lbs (4-6 ft lbs). I did this by attaching the spring gauge 10 inches from the center of the nut and tightening to 6 lbs.
13. Check that there is no looseness on the bearing.
14. Using the spring gauge (fish scale), measure the preload of one of the wheel lugs in the 12 o’clock position. The preload should be between 9.5-15.0 lbs.
15. Install lock washer and the lock nut. Torque to 47 ft-lbs.
16. Check that the axle hub rotates smoothly and there is no looseness on the bearing.
17. Re-check the preload (9.5-15.0 lbs). Make sure you measure in the direction of forward wheel rotation. If not within the specified range, adjust it again with the adjusting nut.
18. Secure the lock nut by bending one of the lock washer teeth inward and the other teeth outward.
19. Place new gasket on the axle hub.
20. Install flange to the axle hub.
21. Install the 6 cone washers, flat washers, and nuts. Torque to 24 ft-lb.
22. Pull outward on the drive shaft and install the snap ring. Be careful- that thing can fly across a garage. Make sure there is not excessive play in the drive shaft and the snap ring is seated securely. If not, replace it.
23. Install grease cap.
24. Install brake caliper (now’s a good time for new pads if necessary). Torque caliper bolts 91 ft-lb.
25. Install flexible brake hose and bolt to steering knuckle (21 ft-lb).
26. Install front wheel (97 ft-lb)
27. Celebrate. Find some mud or something.

 

[jp213a]

Great write-up on the Front Wheel Bearing Replacement procedure Hank. So much more detailed than the FSM. I know this took some time and effort. Thanks!

 

[Jukelemon]

Well done Hank. Thanks.

Did this fix the issue?

 

[hank14]

Did this fix the issue?[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, no. It helped some, but it's not fixed. I'm back to thinking the tires are no good.

 

[Jukelemon]

Hank:

Did you replace the shocks? If not, I bet you have a bad shock (or two) and that is what is causing the issue. My vibration at speeds went away after I replaced the shocks and t bars. I do not think the t bar helped a bit i.e. the T bar was fine. The side that I was feeling vibration on was the front DS. When I took that shock off, it would, literally, collapse on its own weight-gravity would sink it. It was SOOOOOOOOO shot.

Just a thought.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Wow! Only 4-6 ft-lbs for retightening the inner axle nut? I seem to recall it's quite a bit more on my old 4runner, like 18 ft-lbs. The first time I did the repack, it took like 5 hrs for the first wheel, 3 hrs for the second wheel (also replaced rotors and regreased manual locking hubs). Here are my lessons learned: (1) I had a heck of a time getting the cone washers off. I used a 3/8" square stock brass bar and standard hammer...too small. This time, I used a 3/4" round stock brass drift ($11 at a local hardware store) and 2 lb sledge. I had the cone washers off in 2 whacks each. (2) A med to large set of channel lock pliers works better than a seal puller on the inner oil seal. It's pretty soft, so the seal puller merely yanked out the circular, metal thing around the inner lip of the seal. I just rip 'em out w/ channel locks. I've yet to try remounting the wheel and axle nut like some suggest. (3) I didn't have to disconnect the brake hose like the FSM said...I just disconnected the metal "clip," carefullly flipped the caliper up and tied it to the shock mount. (4) I used a stack of leftover hardwood flooring to hammer in the seal...much easier than fiddling w/ a plastic hammer trying not to damage the seal. (5) I got a Lisle bearing packer to flush the old grease out, so one need not bathe it in solvent. You merely put grease in the thing, put the bearing on, screw this cone-shaped thing in, and step on that thing you screwed in. Grease comes up from the bottom through holes and forces the old grease out of the bearings. One tub of Amsoil MP grease was more than enough for both front hubs.

Give yourself a pat on the back knowing you just saved yourself $350+ from not having to have the dealer do it! So far, I have 180k mi on my original bearings (Koyo). In fact, they were never packed until 102K mi, so they can go much longer than 30K mi w/o a repack. In all, I've found these toyota IFS setups to be less maintenance than the comparable live front axle w/ birfield, assuming no suspension parts need replacing!

One suggestion I have is you can use the back side of the wheel itself (lying flat on the ground) as your worksurface when driving the oil seal/replacing rotors, etc. Also, last time I did this, I discovered I had much more success driving the inner oil seal in using a stack of left over wood flooring (or a 2x4, but be careful not to contaminate the grease w/ sawdust) and pounding it w/ a hammer instead of trying to coerce the seal in with a plastic-tipped hammer. It goes in with only a few normal blows on the stack of wood...a breeze! Those seals are pretty delicate (brass?).

 

[Mxndrnks]

Getting ready to repack my bearings today. Can some one help me to better understand what I am doing when measuring the Preload? What am I attaching the scale to? You screw on a lug nut at the 12 o'clock position, attach the scale to said lug nut, and just pull out? Then rotate around in the direction of travel? Is that it? Thanks!

 

[AimCOtaco]

Read more, I think the scale method is generally rejected on the board. The nut is simply torqued higher than the FSM suggests, like in the 60-70 ft-lb range... There is more info around here in another thread... basically the FSM method where you attach a fisherman's scale to a lug stud and measure the force to cause rotation leaves the setting too loose and many have found bad wear especially with common 'Mudifications.

 

[Mxndrnks]

Thanks!

Can any one else confirm this or point me to more information about it? (i know I can search.... But I am in the middle of tearing everything apart and am on a tight schedule).

 

[lexi4darin]

Jon, I did fish scale method. No problems after 6 months. But to be honest, I did the fish scale and then gave a little extra half turn after everything I read on the forum.

dp

 

[AimCOtaco]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/420496-wheel-bearing-fsm-torque-light-just-right.html


Check out the link above for a place to start

 

[Mxndrnks]

Thanks for the info guys! I am ready to put everything back together right now and reading through the info. You know, nothing like taking things apart only to find the adjustment nut and locking nut loose in there.....Luckily the bearings and shaft looked good. But everything was removed by finger....

 

[agaisin]

Thanks for the info guys! I am ready to put everything back together right now and reading through the info. You know, nothing like taking things apart only to find the adjustment nut and locking nut loose in there.....Luckily the bearings and shaft looked good. But everything was removed by finger....

was it coincidence that your nut was loose and you decided to repack or did you feel the symptoms o loose bearings (vibration, harsh ober expansion joints, wandering etc)?

 

[uHu]

Hank/Scott: Did you check the spindle bearings? (Aka Axle Shaft Bearing) Afaik, those are more likely to cause front end vibrations than anything else.

It is a must to check and grease the spindle bearings at the same time as doing any job on the front end. But it's not hard to do it at any time later. You can get to them (a bit) without taking the hub or spindle off. Just take off the snap ring and push the CV shaft in a bit.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/448945-how-lubricate-front-axle-shaft-bushings.html

The spindle bearing grease is likely to be washed out during frequent water crossings.

If a spindle bearing is worn out, it will score the CV shaft so that it will have to be replaced (Ask me how I know )

 

[Mxndrnks]

was it coincidence that your nut was loose and you decided to repack or did you feel the symptoms o loose bearings (vibration, harsh ober expansion joints, wandering etc)?

After I redid ,y suspension and had an alignment, the ride felt pretty harsh. So, I was guessing it was time. I did some more work on the suspension. After I went in for another alignment I had the tech double check that. They was definitely some play and both tie rods had excessive play. He was having a really hard time getting it to align. So, yesterday I replaced both outer tie rods and replaced the steering rack bushings.

Other than the ride feeling rough there were no other on road symptoms.

 

[Mxndrnks]

Spendle bearings... Same grease as wheel bearings?