bad Center support bearing

So the center support bearing on the drive shaft has finally gone out at 160,000 miles and is making a squeaking noise and is vibrating at around 40+ mph. Ive never replaced one has anyone else? can i do it my self with out any special tools or having to get it pressed on?

 

Piece of cake, easiest drive line component to R&R,1st & foremost when dropping the drive shaft before you start taking out bolts ,make a note of the original location where the U-joints bolt to the flanges on front & rear yokes so you can re install in original location. I'm not positive but I think there are 4 bolts that hold the carrier & the mount to a cross member maybe ? I've changed alot of center berings but not one on a Toyota yet, at least mine anyway lol but really , its easy, get ya a ratchet & a combination wrench the bolt size could be anything from 13mm - 17mm. Shit I haven't even looked at mine & I'm telling you what to do,, haha its really pretty self explanitory. You'll need a vise after you get the shaft out to hold it while you scribe on both sides of bearing where it sits on the intermediate shaft all the way around so you can re-align the new bearing back on to the intermediate shaft in its original location. To get the old bearing off keep it snug in the vise & give it a couple of good smacks with a mallet or get a piece of hard wood or a flat nosed punch & use a hammer , hitting it in several spots working your way around the center bearing it should be off the shaft & rolling down your driveway about now. Clean & inspect the area before re assembling the center bearing, as a matter of fact make sure to inspect & clean all that you can since your down there anyway....... Good Luck

 

alright thanks for the advice.

 

Doug,
I am trying to chase an intermittant annoying squeak that sounds like a fan belt, or a spinning bearing...except it is coming from my drive train. It seems to be triggered by cold temperatures. All of my belts are fine, U-joints are tight and greased. Which leads me to suspect the carrier bearing. I don't see any grease fittings on it, I wish it did. I am able to wiggle the drive shaft up and down about 1/4" total at this connection. Is this normal or a tell tale sign of failure. 2002 Taco w/82K miles
thank you for your 1500 mile wrench.

 

A 1/4" at the Carrier (center)bearing ? Does it sound like a piece of wire wrapped around the drive shaft ? If it does, almost 99% time it'll be U joints, I'm not sure on the tolerances on center bearing but it sounds suspect, also the noise you hear, does it increase as speed increases & at what point does it stop ? I need a little more info ok bro'?.......

 

my 01 has the same noise I think, in cold weather when I let off the gas, sometimes it's terrible, sounds like a fan belt but under the truck. It worried me to death at first. never did figure it out, I kind of forgot about it when spring came and it's intermittent like you said. Now it's been doing it for nine years so I don't worry about it anymore, It's gotten a lot better, which could be a bad thing I guess, but I'm going to the dealership for a new turd-roller next week.

the sound reminds me of metal rapidly cooling, like if you throw a piece of dry ice on a piece of steal and it starts to scream. at one time I thought it might be in the exhaust.

 

yea i fixed the center support bearing but i still have that wire wrapping around the drive shaft noise sometimes.

 

Ok, time for a good ol' fashioned U joint check, After securing your truck (can't move on you) Get underneath & firmly grab the drive shaft near where the U joints bolt up & firmly wiggle both up & down & side to side, if you feel ANY MOVEMENT (or see any shiny metal in visual of U joint) Any up & down or side to side movement your U joints are done especially when that "piece of wire wrapped around something" is present. Bottom line is my money is on U joint replacement especially for you guys with manual trans...

 

ok ill try that tomorrow thanks for the help.

 

Doug, cRaZy OLd mAn !, You get the 1500 mile wrench award for pin pointing the solution to my dilemma. Turns out greasing the u-joints did the trick. Still puzzling, I didn't observe any slop in them, just gobbed them up good. Problem gone.
Thank you

 

Not a problem my friend, I shoulda mentioned that lubing everything underneath that has a zirk(grease) fitting is pretty key maintenance for longevity especially where you are with extreme cold,wet winters etc; Glad it helped Bro'........

 

I have a 96 Tacoma and when i hit around 50 mph there is a vibrating sound coming from the front end almost sounds like the tires but its not? I dont know if the cv joints are making it or what?

 

When you say "vibrating sound" does that mean you have a vibration with the sound ? I need a little more info dude, is it stock? What kind of tires & last time you rotated them? is it an extended cab or standard? Is the drive shaft a one piece or two? (ex. cab = 2 piece, standard= 1 piece) 4X or pre runner? etc;............ .....

 

Its a extended cab SR5, it is stock, just bought it so i dont know when they were rotated know that the tires were purchased last year and there Toyo open country A/T's also it is a 4x4. Sorry about the lack of info

 

No problem dude, As long as it drives straight, even with vibration & noise, I'd start with tire rotation & if this truck is fairly new to you , ya really need to spend a whole day, shit even a whole weekend underneath it checking things out on frame & drive line for tightness of bolts, any damage, any loose parts (not bolted, look for broken or bad welds ) & I cannot stress this enough, Get a grease gun (or take it to someone you trust ) & LUBE THE SHIT OUT OF ANYTHING THAT HAS A ZIRK
(grease) FITTING !!! Chassis, Driveline ,etc;. but start with the tire rotation & inflation ...OK ?.... good luck .......

 

Cannot thank you enough bought the greese gun lubed the shit out of everything i could find and the noise went away! Thanks again dude

 

Yup I had this sound on my 04 ex cab trd sr5 only when i got off the gas or just cruising with very little load on the drive train. I took it tot he dealer and they looked at me like my head fell off and said I had something rattling around in the cab WHATEVER. Well low and behold I thought crap this must be the carrier bearing. it wasnt. When I het all the zerts in the driveshaft the noise was gone. Now I know when the squeel comes back it's grease time. I'de hit the zerts before zi went wrangling the center carrier bearing. Good luck.

 

Ya never trust anyone when it comes to your truck" except maybe doug lol," if somebody doesnt have the answer they will make shit up to get you outta there

 

i greased the u-joints and its quiet now but still have a small vibration still not as bad as before i had greased it though.

 

mine made thata noise as well

greased the shit out of it and everything was fine


for a couple days, then it came back

gonna take it into a professional have 'em check it out

if they say i need to replace it then I'll look into a aftermarket driveline

p.s. noise was more pronounced after certain suspension lifts were installed