Wheel Bearing question

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digital

digital

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Oct 14, 2007
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Since I'm taking my CV's out, I decided it might be a good time to replace my wheel bearings...I think I can hear the passenger side bearing when I'm on the highway. (225k miles on the pickup)

Two questions:

1) Looking at the FSM, it looks like there are two wheel bearings on each side. Do I need to replace both of them or can I get by with just replacing the outer bearings (closest to the wheel)? These bearings aren't cheap!

2) If I have to replace the inner wheel bearings, how do I remove them? Do I have to remove the brake caliper and rotor?

Thanks.
 
raydouble said:
With 225K miles if you can afford, it I would replace.
Plus if your wheelbearing is the noise your hearing, it's already done.
Click to expand...

I found it, yes brake caliper and rotor needs to be removed. New seals are needed as well...mind as well do it right while I have everything off...

Thanks for the posts bud!

For the next person reading this:

Toyota 4WD Front-end Maintenance - Disassembly - ORN
 
Last edited:
You can get the bearings from marlin for a pretty good price. Normally they only go out because previous owners didn't go through them on a regular basis.

I replaced mine about 5k ago. The 190k old ones were in as good of shape as the new ones, they just needed to be re-packed and adjusted.

Pull them apart to see how bad they actually are. There is no need to replace perfectly good working components.
 
GRM said:
Pull them apart to see how bad they actually are. There is no need to replace perfectly good working components.
Click to expand...

I agree. They could be perfectly fine, just need some new grease and reset the preload. Properly maintained, they will last far more than the miles you have.

Waaaay too many perfectly good bearings are thrown away. Clean them off well, if you don't see a lot of pitting or grooves on the rollers or races, re-pack and go.
 
KLF said:
I agree. They could be perfectly fine, just need some new grease and reset the preload. Properly maintained, they will last far more than the miles you have.

Waaaay too many perfectly good bearings are thrown away. Clean them off well, if you don't see a lot of pitting or grooves on the rollers or races, re-pack and go.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info, I checked the bearings and they look pretty good..Came to find out they're Timken bearings so the previous owner must have replaced...I'll repack and go..

How tight should the locking nut be behind the wheel bearing?
 
X3, wheel bearings, if properly maintained can last the life of the rig. New bearing tend to loosen when breaking in, I find that used bearings hold preload adjustment more consistently. When working on use bearings always install then is the same place, so the are in the race that they are broken in on, keep bearing/race pairs together.

digital said:
Thanks for this info, I checked the bearings and they look pretty good..Came to find out they're Timken bearings so the previous owner must have replaced...I'll repack and go..
Click to expand...

Not necessarily, have seen Timken bearings installed from the factory, but they are good bearings, so no worries.

digital said:
How tight should the locking nut be behind the wheel bearing?
Click to expand...

The FSM shows a procedure using a fish scale, IMHO don't like it, depending on pull angle, force, etc, can get wildly varying results? I was taught, did them for years by feel, set some up "by feel" then checked the torque, they came out in the 15 ft-lb range. The '85 FSM says torque to 18 ft-lb and check with a fish scale. So I now set them to 18 ft-lb and call it a day.

The procedure is important, the bearings are tapered, so it's possible to get some roller set forward in the taper, when run they will come back, losing the adjustment. I install the hub assembly with the first nut, temporarily install the wheel (to use as a handle/flywheel to spin the hub), loosen the nut to finger tight, spin the wheel and keep it spinning as the nut is tightened, loosen and spin/tighten again. Then torque to 18 ft-lb, install the tab washer, outer nut, torque to (IIRC) 43 ft-lb and bend the tabs. Remove the wheel and complete the work, caliper, hub, etc.

Preload is important, in my experience loose wheel bearings are the #1 bearing/spindle killer. After a bearing job, I always drive a few miles and check for play, also check each time the rig is jacked up. Loose = weak, tight = strong, the bigger the tires, bigger loads, harder trails, the tighter they need to be. On my '80 series heavy pig with 37" tires I run them at 20 ft-lb, some buddies run their big tire trailer rigs at 30 ft-lb with good success.
 
Tools R Us said:
X3, wheel bearings, if properly maintained can last the life of the rig. New bearing tend to loosen when breaking in, I find that used bearings hold preload adjustment more consistently. When working on use bearings always install then is the same place, so the are in the race that they are broken in on, keep bearing/race pairs together.



Not necessarily, have seen Timken bearings installed from the factory, but they are good bearings, so no worries.



The FSM shows a procedure using a fish scale, IMHO don't like it, depending on pull angle, force, etc, can get wildly varying results? I was taught, did them for years by feel, set some up "by feel" then checked the torque, they came out in the 15 ft-lb range. The '85 FSM says torque to 18 ft-lb and check with a fish scale. So I now set them to 18 ft-lb and call it a day.

The procedure is important, the bearings are tapered, so it's possible to get some roller set forward in the taper, when run they will come back, losing the adjustment. I install the hub assembly with the first nut, temporarily install the wheel (to use as a handle/flywheel to spin the hub), loosen the nut to finger tight, spin the wheel and keep it spinning as the nut is tightened, loosen and spin/tighten again. Then torque to 18 ft-lb, install the tab washer, outer nut, torque to (IIRC) 43 ft-lb and bend the tabs. Remove the wheel and complete the work, caliper, hub, etc.

Preload is important, in my experience loose wheel bearings are the #1 bearing/spindle killer. After a bearing job, I always drive a few miles and check for play, also check each time the rig is jacked up. Loose = weak, tight = strong, the bigger the tires, bigger loads, harder trails, the tighter they need to be. On my '80 series heavy pig with 37" tires I run them at 20 ft-lb, some buddies run their big tire trailer rigs at 30 ft-lb with good success.
Click to expand...

That is great information, thank you for posting :cheers:
 
GRM said:
You can get the bearings from marlin for a pretty good price.
Click to expand...

Yes you can. But unless he has changed ... I wouldn't run them. The pair I bought from him were made in China. For me its Koyo, or another quality bearing (NTK, Timken).

digital said:
Thanks for this info, I checked the bearings and they look pretty good..Came to find out they're Timken bearings so the previous owner must have replaced...I'll repack and go.
Click to expand...

As said, Timken is an OEM provider. A good dealer will give you the option of Timken or Koyo in a red box. A great dealer will also give you the option of a Koyo boxed bearing for less than the same bearing in a red box.
 
Oh, I highly recommend you get rid of that IFS CV stuff and put a real solid axle under it.

:cheers:
 
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