Replacing front wheel bearings

Got new tires on today and was told that I needed new wheel bearings up front so I am going to try and get them knocked out before I leave for school on sunday. I was wondering if someone has a good write up on what all needs to be done. I have searched and found some info but not a write up. I am planning on just getting the new bearings from Advanced auto or napa depending what which is cheaper. Just trying to get an idea for what needs to be done besides getting the bearings pressed out and the new bearings pressed in.

 

Pep boys had them for a set of SKS bearings for like $135, they are great bearings, replaced them myself and wasn't too ahrd with the right tools and another hand

 

I just did mine a few weeks ago on the double cab I just bought and did them on my last 05 a few years back. If you have a press it's not that bad a job. The last one I did took an hour and fifteen minutes from sliding the jack under the truck to torquing the lugs back on. But I had done the other side 2 days before so all the tools were already out. And I have lots of air tools and a press. I don't have photos but it basically goes like this:

Pull off the tire, put the truck on jackstands. Remove the brake caliper and rotor. I hang the caliper off the upper control arm with a bungee cord. Remove the brake line clip to the spindle and push the line back through it. Carefully take a die grinder and cut a slot in the brake line holder big enough to pull the brake line through. Or you could disconnect the brake line instead of doing this. I prefer not to. next unbolt the ABS sensor and free it's cable from the spindle and set it aside. Then remove the nut holding the axleshaft in. It's a 36mm. Tap the axleshaft with a rubber mallet so it's free. Then I remove the 4 bolts holding the bearing/hub onto the spindle and work the assembly free. Remove the brake dust shield. Undo the tie rod from the spindle. Undo the upper ball joint. Unbolt the lower ball joint from the spindle. Remove the spindle from the truck and bolt the hub/bearing back on. Then remove the rear dust/grease seal from the spindle. Be careful with this as they are like $28-30 each and ONLY AVAILABLE FROM TOYOTA. 3 of the 4 of these seals on my trucks were torn and needed to be replaced. If it's not torn and you are careful you can reuse it. Once that's off you can press the hub out of the bearing using the spindle to hold it in the press. Once the hub is out, unbolt the bearing and toss it. Tap a new outer dust seal onto the new bearing and press the hub into the new bearing making sure the back side of the bearing is fully supported on a flat surface. Then bolt it all back together. Often the outer race of the bearing will get stuck on the hub. You can carefully slice it with a die grinder until you've almost gone through it and then either cold chisel or air hammer it off. If you don't take the spindle off to use in a press you are going to need one hell of a beastly hub puller to get that sucker out.

 

Thanks for the help. Anyone else have some experience or write ups? I found the bearings at Napa for $43 a piece so may go that route.

 

out of curiosity, how many miles do you have on your truck?

 

I have 138k on my truck

 

k, thanks. i was just curious.

 

is it nessecary to have the front end lined up after the job since you'vre unhooked the ball joints etc? Just had mine done under waranty no mention of getting an alignment fron the dealer

 

Hey bid make sure they are the right ones, when I was getting quotes I was getting some low ones but they weren't right. THey should look like these


http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/73056-front-wheel-bearings.html

 

That is the whole bearing assembly, I am planning on just getting the bearings pressed out with new bearings alone. I will cross reference them for sure though. thanks for the help

 

Well man its a sealed bearing assembly, you can press the bearings out of the hub, but not out of the bearings assembly and re-pack it. the picture I showed on that post is "just" the bearing assembly. not the hub. U can't pack these bearings assemblies like the old Toyota's

 

But you can buy new whole bearings and press the old bearings out of the assembly and press the brand new bearings into the assembly. The dealership and other places usually choose to replace the entire assembly because it costs them about as much in labor but since i will be doing it, the labor isn't a problem and plan on pressing the old bearings out and pressing the new bearings from napa into the assembly.

 

RIght on, I was just told different I guess, told that since it was a sealed bearing unit that I couldn't do that, but good luck! Its not too bad of a job

 

Yea I thought that originally but had another guys say he just bought the bearings for about 80 for the pair and pressed them in there. Is there anything specific I will need to get stuff taken apart except for the pressing aspect? Thanks for the help.

 

The bearings look exactly like the photo from that other post. Anyone who's told you otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about. And I work in the parts business and I can't buy the bearings for what Napa is telling you so they are probably the wrong ones. The SKF part number for these is FW 194. I know GMB makes these too but my previous experience with GMB bearings is not very good. They are all from China. The SKF may be too but I've never had to replace a SKF a few times within 10k miles like I have with a couple different GMB bearings on other makes. The hub presses into the bearing but it bolts to the spindle. You can purchase new hubs from Toyota for I recall something like $135 a side which would make this a very quick job. Just put the bearing on a flat surface fully supported from behind, tap on a new outer seal, and press the hub in and bolt it back on. You wouldn't even need to touch any of the ball joints. My local dealer tells me that's how they usually do them as it can cost more in labor to get the old hub out than the cost of the new hub. That reminds me I should ask them for a few smoked bearings with hubs in them the next time I'm there. With a complete assembled hub/bearing assembly this is probably a 20-30 minute job.