My dealer's an idiot. 1st Gen front wheel bearing help needed.

To skip the long story, skip down to where it says " Problem is:"

For those of you bored at work, read on...

Long story, I needed a new spindle as I bent the driver's side spindle right at the upper ball joint. Problem is, I converted to manual hubs years ago and finding a manual hub spindle in good shape was like finding a contact lens at a Slayer concert; I'm not that lucky.

So I went about getting the cheapest ADD spindle I could (on eBay) and taking it to my local dealer to have new wheel bearings pressed in as a special service tool (SST) is needed for installing the lock nut and torqueing it to 203 ft/lbs. They did the press work years ago and did a fine job, but I was soon to learn that things have changed at my local dealer and despite the shiny new renovation, the current team couldn't press their thumbs up their...nevermind.

After a week of waiting (halfway through the week them calling and saying, "we didn't know you needed a SST and we can't find it), leading me on with false times and false promises, they finally got it done 7 working days later (more to that story, but I'll spare you).

So I quickly put the truck back together (such an easy front end to work on) with a new steering rack, new outer tie rod ends and new CV's and took the truck in to Big O across the street to have aligned. I've been taking my trucks in to Big O for years and trust the guys, so when I got a call from them minutes later saying that the truck couldn't be aligned because the wheel bearings were bad, I almost blew a gasket. I grabbed the truck, said I'd be back when the bearings were fixed and ran over to the dealer to get my money back. Good news is the service rep didn't even ask why...just ran my card and gave me a refund.

Problem is: I STILL need presswork done to my manual hub spindles (may as well do both of them. Big O said the brand new one and the one with 30k were both shot. Guess the dealer was NEVER good). There's a dealer in Farmington (Webb) that should have the SST but I'm not sure who to trust anymore. Does anyone have a recommendation for a shop within a days drive of Durango that would be trustworthy and competent? This isn't rocket science but I've read that torqueing the nut is nearly impossible without the right tools and some way to hold the spindle to torque it. Thanks for reading and thanks for the help.

 

you can usually ask a napa auto parts store who their best customers are and use that as a list of people to call to see if they do press work.

 

Easy to retorque. use the wheel to hold it and some one to push down on socket. You can buy special socket on ebay for $20.
@Timmah! got a great video on changing wheel bearings.

 

Why couldn't you straiten the original spindle?

I bent mine on my old '1998 at the 26,000 mark. I drove it to the 300k mark. I heated it and straitened it. It held up just fine.

 

We think different then most people !!

The things I see scrapped over the last few years that could be fixed with little effort is mind boggling !!

 

Thanks Jon. Will likely grab the SST socket and do it myself. I'd love to see the wheel bearing vid.

What can I say? I didn't. That thin casting at the UBJ and the right angle it makes doesn't inspire much confidence even before you start monkeying around with it. Thought I would just do it right. Freedom. Murica.

 

This it, Jon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ2sOfVrnhU

 

Yes, the video shows how to remove that nut (using wheel and second person), how to press out and inn the bearing (make sure you watch the whole video as Tim is talking about the screw up they did while pressing the bearing) and torque the nut also using the wheel and second person to press on the tool. You have to love Tim's videos. So informative.

 

just got to know where to look for spindles... www.car-part.com

 

Definitely the best I've seen on just about any DIY video. Worth the 30 odd minutes for what I need figured out. Got a buddy with a press and will do the work myself. Thanks Tim!

 

Yes

 

@Timmah! Rocks!

 

Oh Yah

 

I couldn't tackle this project until this week, but it's all buttoned up and running down the road smoothly.

I thought this was funny/scary/interesting, so an update. Here's the dealer-pressed wheel bearing after 50 miles (25 to alignment shop and back).

Not sure how to share videos, but click on the pic and it will take you to my photo hosting site for the video.
20170927_080856[/url] by Nic Ratliff, on Flickr[/IMG]

One more thing to note, and I commented on Timmy's vid, but I had really good luck freezing the new wheel bearing and heating the steering knuckle in the oven. 350F for about 45 minutes got it good and hot. I greased both interfaces and the bearing slid in by hand; no potentially damaging pressing required for that step. Once the snap ring and seal were on, the residual heat from the knuckle heated the bearing enough so the hub spindle easily pressed in (no popping or deflection) following Tim's advice about supporting the inner race of the bearing from below while pressing. All in, super easy.

Thanks for the help erbody.

 

Thats just fucked up! 50 miles I'd be get my money back. Did the nut back off?

 

I have used Webb for years. They have done excellent work on my vehicles. That's why I have bought 3 vehicles from them. Call and ask for Anthony he'll make sure it's done right.

 

You got it, Jon. The first thing I did when the alignment shop told me the bearing was shot and they couldn't align the truck was go across the street and get my money back from Toyota. The service writer didn't even blink but just ran my card for a refund without question.

As for the work, the big preload nut backed off super easily which I thought was weird until I quickly realized that they didn't install and lost the spacer washer that goes between the nut and the bearing (and I'm sure part of the reason the bearing failed so prematurely) so that cost me $15+shipping and a few extra days mid-rebuild to order and wait for the part. I also found they didn't install the outer dust seal between the knuckle and the hub spindle, but I already had a new one of those. Still, I just can't believe it all. Just dangerous work all around from a company that charges $100 an hour.

Just glad it's done and done right.

 

I've heard good things about Webb. We're thinking of trading in my wife's 06 Tacoma for a new 4Runner before Toyota gets rid of the 1GR. You better believe I won't be shopping in Durango but will be heading south.

 

If you do talk to Debbie Chapman I've been dealing with her since 2002. Anthony is in the service dept.