To bearing or not to bearing? (1 Viewer)

[Skillet]

Well, I tore my rear rotors off to do the brakes and I am wondering if I should tear into the rear bearings for a replacement or repack or leave well enough alone.

Neither side rocks from side to side but the drivers side has a slight back and forth play, maybe 1/8" and the the passenger side is about 1/16" back and forth.

I have read many places where these Toyota bearings on this vehicle can go 300K with little problem.

I don't want to break any seals if it is not necassary though I do have the new bearings as spares in my posession.

Just don't like to break the seals if it is not needed.

What say you?

 

[IdahoDoug]

With the rotors off, you're about 10 minutes from the bearings, then add an hour each side to clean/repack and you'll never worry about them again. That's a bit of slack that I wouldn't be happy with, plus 13 year old grease that's been heat cycled a lot is no longer grease. In fact, I'll bet you a cup of coffee the bearings are running in near 100% diff oil by now. Not a crisis mind you, but the axle shouldn't be loaded heavily and certainly not towed with.

Dan can likely get these seals to you overnight and they're cheap. Just don't take my set as I've got an order in for them, also....heh.

DougM

 

[-Spike-]

I'd say you don't necessarily need to replace them, but you certainly should service them. Yes, they can go 300K, but the service interval is considerably less than that, somewhere around 80K IIRC.
Every bit as important as the front axle service IMO.

-Spike

 

[cruiserman]

You can save the hub seals if you're careful, but I nearly always have to replace the axle seal when I pull a rear axle.

 

[cruiserdan]

The rear axle uses the same bearings as the front axle. The service interval for the front wheel bearings is 30,000 miles. Oddly enough there is no published interval for the rear bearings. Logic dictates that the same bearings should have the same interval. That being said, I did not do mine until about 112,000 miles. One side was washed in gear oil and the grease in the other looked ugly.

 

[-Spike-]

I've never understood why anyone would attempt to save a seal. To each his own, I guess.

I have no idea where I got 80K, might have been another vehicle, or thin air. The front bearings see more side forces, but not so much as to extend the life another 50K. In any case, the bearings aren't difficult to service, there's really no reason to pull things apart and ignore them.

-Spike