Anyone here DIY 5 lug rear axle bearing replace?

Posted over on the 5 lug board, but no action on topic. I am looking for advice on pulling the axles and doing the axle bearing replacements in my garage. So far the small amount of 5 lug info I have found centers on the tool required for the actual bearing Off/On. I see this item on eBay for +/-$100 so want to know if that’s the only hiccup for DIY work. Anyone here done a 5 lug?

 

Make sure you get the tool from ebay seller donald_the_bonald. He was the originator and uses high quality steel, the other sellers are cheap junk steel that will bend. Also, make sure you have access to a 20 ton press in order to use the tool.

 

If it's anything like the 6 lug I hope you have a hydraulic press with balls. I had to take mine to a machine shop cuz my 12 ton press wouldn't budge the collar loose. Even then the machine shop had to cut the collar off.

 

When I did mine, the biggest issue I had was that the hub had fused (rust) to one or two of the stubs such that I couldn't get them out. I have a 20 ton press and couldn't make a jig to press them out with stability. I also have a 9x rivet gun (South Main Auto's Big Nasty is essentially a 5x rivet gun) that couldn't knock them out.

I had to use a grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the bolts through the hub casing below the fused section, THEN use the 9x to pound them out.

The other problem I had because I was being lazy was I tried to use the tool upside down (wrong side up) to minimize having to move my press (Too long to explain). The result was that the spacer wasn't pressed far enough on install so the clip didn't properly seat in the groove. The problem was that using the tool upside down allowed just enough flex so even at max press pressure, the spacer couldn't press far enough - by just a couple thousandth of an inch.

I also used a die grinder to shave a little of the inside of the old spacer so it just slid easy enough so I could use it to press the new spacer in without binding on the axle shaft. It only took a few minutes to grind enough away.

Don't forget new selals.

 

Thanks for the tips! I did get info over on the5 Lug board now. This link to a past thread provides a lot of good info for anyone following this procedure.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-rear-axle-bearing-seal-replacement.734924/

 

Looking at quite few listings, and do not see that seller: donald_the_bonald. Will try some searching inputs.

 

His products are powdercoated blue, as an identifier

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/202909661596

 

Thanks for the eBay link,…… not sure why I didn’t find it?
Question: The tool/Kit does not have the slotted bearing pusher as shown in the Video and there is no need for the tone ring part either?
“..Note: There is no tone ring removal tool in this kit because you don't need one.
The reluctor (tone ring) is built into the bearing unit.”
Working on a 2009 5 lug 2nd Gen, Is that true?

 

Yes the 2nd gens don’t have a separate tone ring.

 

Thanks for the confirmation!
I noticed in the 1st “Timmy….” Video that he does the whole job with the drum brake parts still on the backing plate! That would certainly save some headache I saw in my earlier search regarding the spring removal and re-install.
Am I correct the job can be done that way? If so, not sure why other job descriptions show brake parts off.

 

getting the ebrake off might be tough. Don’t think it’s worth the time savings to try and remove the ebrake cable without disassembling the rest of the drum hardware.

 

When I did mine, I took everything off because I wanted to redo everything anyway including regreasing the friction points. It's easy enough, and leaving everything on would make it really cumbersome - especially manipulating the extra weight and bulk with the tool and press. Plus in the end I would have had to anyway because of the stuck bolts that necessitated cutting the assembly with the cutoff wheel.

 

Got it, I understand thanks