Wheel bearing service interval
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There is no service interval as they are sealed bearings. They can go 200k+ in most circumstances without any maintenance.
Check for play and spin test when you rotate your tires. Unless there's noise or wobble, there's nothing to do to maintain them, even if you spend time crossing rivers.
There isn't one. Nor is there necessarily a prescribed one from this forum.
My opinion having done my rear axles at 125k, which were drum tight and smooth... The bearings are durable and robust, even when greatly overloaded. There is no maintenance or service interval and they will easily go the life of the car. That said, they can be damaged if used in a situation that overloads the bearing. Probably more a dynamic situation of either hitting a curb, jump, etc.
There are things that can compound the load on the bearings making them more susceptible to damage. Building especially heavy, low offset wheel or wheel spacers, big tires, aggressive driving etc. Combine that with a situational event, and the bearings can be compromised. The rear bearings are expensive at about $350 per. Plus a few misc seals and clips. The actual job of removing and pressing the bearing is not really a DIY, and requires specialized techniques to destructively remove, and fixtures to press. Ranging from $290/side quoted from Toyota to $150/both from a specialty axle shop I used. Easily in the $1k++ to do the whole job. Pulling the axle is easy at about 1hr per side.
I often tow heavy with scale weight showing over 5k lbs on the rear axle (rear GAWR 4300lbs). I re-geared, so it was an opportunity to change them proactively. From my experience, I'd recommend not bothering unless you're having issues with the rear axle clicking, noise, or play. It will let you know.
My opinion having done my rear axles at 125k, which were drum tight and smooth... The bearings are durable and robust, even when greatly overloaded. There is no maintenance or service interval and they will easily go the life of the car. That said, they can be damaged if used in a situation that overloads the bearing. Probably more a dynamic situation of either hitting a curb, jump, etc.
There are things that can compound the load on the bearings making them more susceptible to damage. Building especially heavy, low offset wheel or wheel spacers, big tires, aggressive driving etc. Combine that with a situational event, and the bearings can be compromised. The rear bearings are expensive at about $350 per. Plus a few misc seals and clips. The actual job of removing and pressing the bearing is not really a DIY, and requires specialized techniques to destructively remove, and fixtures to press. Ranging from $290/side quoted from Toyota to $150/both from a specialty axle shop I used. Easily in the $1k++ to do the whole job. Pulling the axle is easy at about 1hr per side.
I often tow heavy with scale weight showing over 5k lbs on the rear axle (rear GAWR 4300lbs). I re-geared, so it was an opportunity to change them proactively. From my experience, I'd recommend not bothering unless you're having issues with the rear axle clicking, noise, or play. It will let you know.
Last edited:
bloc
SILVER Star
Enough go bad that they shouldn’t be ignored though. Kurt has posted about separately front and rear bearings going bad on trucks that don’t seem to be driven particularly hard.
I would not call it common, however.
I would not call it common, however.
Yeah. I think the original question was more about regular service though. Unlike older cruisers where you'd want to repack your bearings after a stream crossing, you can't do any maintenance on our trucks.
bloc
SILVER Star
Agreed, just didn’t want people to get the idea from other posts in this thread that they never have issues.
We are seeing more and more bearing issues (front and rear) as 200's get older. To be fair we don't see most of these firsthand but rather customer calling with issues and ordering parts. We offer full rear axle bearing/service kits and front axle bearing/service kits or OEM pre-assembled hub units too!
For example:
cruiserteq.com
I wish there was more use/mileage correlation but its kinda all over the place but generally in the 125-150k range at the earliest. On the race 200, we swap them every 1000-1500 miles
For example:
Front Hub - OEM Toyota - Fits 200 Series (FAHUB200KITOEM)
Toyota Land Cruiser Front Axle Parts
cruiserteq.com
I wish there was more use/mileage correlation but its kinda all over the place but generally in the 125-150k range at the earliest. On the race 200, we swap them every 1000-1500 miles
Are they failing more frequently than the 120/150 platform? Are those intervals stock/modified off-road?We are seeing more and more bearing issues (front and rear) as 200's get older. To be fair we don't see most of these firsthand but rather customer calling with issues and ordering parts. We offer full rear axle bearing/service kits and front axle bearing/service kits or OEM pre-assembled hub units too!
For example:
Front Hub - OEM Toyota - Fits 200 Series (FAHUB200KITOEM)
Toyota Land Cruiser Front Axle Parts
I wish there was more use/mileage correlation but its kinda all over the place but generally in the 125-150k range at the earliest. On the race 200, we swap them every 1000-1500 miles
Hard for me to say. While we do stock the same bearing kits for the lighter duty chassis, that isn't our core customer base so we see far more full size Land Cruiser parts needs.
Those failing in the 125k range are certainly a mix of on and off road, with the majority of those being rode miles. The 1000-1500 mile range is pure hell race miles running the Baja 1000 with 37" tires
bloc
SILVER Star
I didn't see the 200-series rear axle kits on there. Not posted yet? One side is clearly bad at 160k, and considering doing the other side while I have the tools.We are seeing more and more bearing issues (front and rear) as 200's get older. To be fair we don't see most of these firsthand but rather customer calling with issues and ordering parts. We offer full rear axle bearing/service kits and front axle bearing/service kits or OEM pre-assembled hub units too!
For example:
Front Hub - OEM Toyota - Fits 200 Series (FAHUB200KITOEM)
Toyota Land Cruiser Front Axle Parts
I wish there was more use/mileage correlation but its kinda all over the place but generally in the 125-150k range at the earliest. On the race 200, we swap them every 1000-1500 miles
Hmmm, apparently not on there yet. We are at about 25% but popular parts should be prioritized. I’ll dig into it.
More on the kits here on Mud:
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
bloc
SILVER Star
Looks like the kit is part number RAK200SFHmmm, apparently not on there yet. We are at about 25% but popular parts should be prioritized. I’ll dig into it.
More on the kits here on Mud:
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...
In the meantime, what's the cost? Toyota/Koyo/Other bearings? I saw some of the parts were original toyota but couldn't tell for all of them.
