Front Wheel Bearing replacement

[grinchy]

I bought an EPAuto 20-250# torque wrench (after buying a 10-120# one a year prior). I needed it to assemble my weight distributing hitch for the trailer. Well worth the $40-50. It's not a Snap-on but it's "close enough". When I got to the ball I realized the 1-1/4" or whatever nut on the bottom was supposed to be torqued to 450#, instead of the normal 250# that a 1" nut would've needed. Pretty hard to find a torque wrench for that unless you step up to 3/4" or 1" sockets, so I went with "250# plus a breaker bar until I couldn't move it anymore. Seems to have worked, but I felt very redneck at the time.

A 150 lb human standing out 3 feet from the nut on a pipe is 450 ft lb. Tough to stand sideways though.

 

[bloc]

A 150 lb human standing out 3 feet from the nut on a pipe is 450 ft lb. Tough to stand sideways though.

A hanging scale (like for fish) if you can find one that is cost effective and with appropriate range can work well for this.

 

[linuxgod]

A 150 lb human standing out 3 feet from the nut on a pipe is 450 ft lb. Tough to stand sideways though.

165# pushing on a 4’ pipe seemed good enough. Also done loctite red for posterity

 

[gomez268]

Anyone know what size socket is needed to remove the axle nut?

 

[CharlieS]

39mm 12 point socket

39MM 12 point socket

 

[kcjaz]

So, I adding a complete CV/axle assembly to my spare part kit. Got me thinking about bearings. I'm at 175K and no issues but I was thinking to by the parts now to have on hand because eventually, I'll have to do this job.

I've never done a wheel bearing replacement job and I need to read up on that more, but my question is, does it make any sense to carry bearings as part of an on board parts kit? If the job required a 20 ton press and a bunch of other special tools, there wouldn't really be much point in having the parts on board. The reason I will occasionally carry a spare CV is that I can see me busting one with a bad front locker choice/technique.

 

[bloc]

So, I adding a complete CV/axle assembly to my spare part kit. Got me thinking about bearings. I'm at 175K and no issues but I was thinking to by the parts now to have on hand because eventually, I'll have to do this job.

I've never done a wheel bearing replacement job and I need to read up on that more, but my question is, does it make any sense to carry bearings as part of an on board parts kit? If the job required a 20 ton press and a bunch of other special tools, there wouldn't really be much point in having the parts on board. The reason I will occasionally carry a spare CV is that I can see me busting one with a bad front locker choice/technique.

You don’t need the floor press unless you are trying to get the hub flange out of one bearing and into the other, which is solely a cost saving method. You will need a 3-jaw press or similar to push the CV stub out of the hub face though if you have the whole assembly.

Personally? No need to carry one of these. They basically never just die suddenly, almost always giving plenty of warning as they go out. Plus if you do need one in a pinch it’s the same stuff as on a tundra so they’ll be available at parts stores everywhere.. even if you’ll want to replace with Genuine Toyota when you get home.

You could also listen to yours with chassis ears to get an indication of how healthy yours are..

 

[Jerz]

I know this thread is more about identifying the parts and how to press them together but does anyone have a place to buy them already together besides the place kcjaz recommended here from post #1? Cuz good grief that sounds really high. My drivers is bad, lift the truck up and can easily shake the tire around. I don't have the tools to put them together and will happily pay some upcharge for a completed set.

 

[bloc]

I know this thread is more about identifying the parts and how to press them together but does anyone have a place to buy them already together besides the place kcjaz recommended here from post #1? Cuz good grief that sounds really high. My drivers is bad, lift the truck up and can easily shake the tire around. I don't have the tools to put them together and will happily pay some upcharge for a completed set.

You can get cheap aftermarket junk for as low as $120 on rockauto. But it will be junk.

The linked site is indeed expensive.. you can source the genuine Toyota parts from discount dealer sites for around $400 and it would take about 15 seconds for any shop to press together.. to get what they are selling aftermarket for more money… though their aftermarket is a technicality.. koyo supplies the bearings to Toyota. Still, it’s $100 more.

Edit: definitely check out cruiser outfitters for a good deal on quality parts.. and great customer service.

 

[empty80]

Cruiser Outfitters (@cruiseroutfit) has a couple of options. Try giving them a shout.

 

[grinchy]

roughly 30000 miles on my generic front hubs. I'd do it again. Even if they only go 50k miles I'll be money ahead, and it's not a very difficult job.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Check your lower control arm bushings...

I went through this on my Tundra, was positive it was a wheel bearing, replaced both side front bearings (one was an act of god to get out) with OEM parts.

After replacing bearings, sound still existed, spent a silly amount of time trying to diagnose the issue.

Long ridiculous story short, it was the lower control arm bushings, one was ABSOLUTELY shot, other 3 were fine. Replaced both arms, and all was good.

Still no idea how or why just ONE bushing was destroyed, alignment was spot on, etc..

My .02

 

[Jerz]

Cruiser Outfitters (@cruiseroutfit) has a couple of options. Try giving them a shout.

This would have been a nice middle of the road option for pricing but they are out of stock. Great idea though, thank you.

 

[Jerz]

Check your lower control arm bushings...

I went through this on my Tundra, was positive it was a wheel bearing, replaced both side front bearings (one was an act of god to get out) with OEM parts.

After replacing bearings, sound still existed, spent a silly amount of time trying to diagnose the issue.

Long ridiculous story short, it was the lower control arm bushings, one was ABSOLUTELY shot, other 3 were fine. Replaced both arms, and all was good.

Still no idea how or why just ONE bushing was destroyed, alignment was spot on, etc..

My .02

I can for sure say it is not a bushing. The CV axle slips in and out slightly (yes the 39mm nut is tight) with the hub assembly loose as can be. But I have ripped so much of my front end apart that I am tempted to remove the LCA's and put Whiteline bushings in since I am prob going the OEM route for wheel bearings and need a company to do press work anyways. I put Kings on so need an alignment and have a 2nd vehicle so zero hurry. I'm in that motto of while I'm in there.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

This would have been a nice middle of the road option for pricing but they are out of stock. Great idea though, thank you.

Unfortunately we are waiting on the Koyo bearings from Japan to build a whole bunch more FAHUB200KIT's. Everything else is here but bearings have been elusive the last few weeks.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

you can also just buy the complete hub assembly and turn this into four more bolts than a brake job (plus the axle nut).
I didn't use OEM hubs, IIRC I paid something like $90 each. 20,000 miles in and still quiet. Or at least quieter than my mid-life AT tires are.
I figure if I do this every 50k I'll always have fresh quiet bearings and be $ ahead, but I understand wanting to use OEM parts.
For torque I got a pipe on my breaker bar, measured out where my weight * my leverage = 250 ft lbs, and stood on it. Tiny bounce to make sure. There is also a two step torque on the castle nut (torque to first target, loosen, retorque to 2nd target).

"tiny bounce" Thanks for this intel, about to do the same and think I'll go the whole assembly route as well.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Sorry for reviving this, rookie question: Plenty familiar with diagnosing wheel bearings, but getting a weird scraping sound from my front right (almost like a brake pad worn to the squeal shim), proportionate with wheel speed, exacerbated by turning left, and light braking, most pronounced when the truck has sat and begins moving for the first time in a bit... any chance this is some kind of wheel bearing issue? Took apart my brake assembly today, inspected, rotated, greased, reassembled and still present. Thinking about going for wheel bearings as I don't think its CVs (have them on hand, but common wisdom on here seems to be that 155k miles is too early for that).

 

[bloc]

Sorry for reviving this, rookie question: Plenty familiar with diagnosing wheel bearings, but getting a weird scraping sound from my front right (almost like a brake pad worn to the squeal shim), proportionate with wheel speed, exacerbated by turning left, and light braking, most pronounced when the truck has sat and begins moving for the first time in a bit... any chance this is some kind of wheel bearing issue? Took apart my brake assembly today, inspected, rotated, greased, reassembled and still present. Thinking about going for wheel bearings as I don't think its CVs (have them on hand, but common wisdom on here seems to be that 155k miles is too early for that).

I’d try a set of chassis ears

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

If you care about torque values you'll need a 17mm offset torque wrench adapter for those bolts. 73ft-lb

Any weirdness undoing those bolts? Looks like there's probably enough room for an 6pt box end or something in there to break the 4 bolts loose, open end to keep working them out once broken free if needed?

 

[grinchy]

I used a long closed end.