New member looking for a little help with front wheel bearings

Hi guys I am not new to the site but I am new to posting here. I am getting ready to change the front wheel bearings on my 08 tacoma. I am looking for the factory service manual but it seems like they have all been taken down. Is there still a place where you can find them? Also I have done a lot of research on the wheel bearings and it seems like everyone buys the wheel bearing assembly. I was thinking about just buying the bearing by itself to save money and after I press the hub out I would just press the old bearing out of the housing and reuse the housing. Is there something that I am missing as to why no one does this? Also do you have to take the spindle off to replace the inner wheel seal? Thanks for the help. I really enjoy the site!

 

4x4 or pre runner? IIC you have to remove spindle and press the old out and press the new in. i brang mine to my machinist and had him do it for me.

 

My left front just exploded 4 days ago and the entire new hub assembly from Toyota was only $149 and I threw on a new seal for $14 too. By the time you add up your time or a machinist labor to press bearing etc you may find like I did that the whole new assembly for $149 is the way to go. I was also told if the bearing completely blew out ( we could wiggle my wheel 1/4" on the lift ) that it is better to do the whole hub because more than likely the area the bearing seats in has been damaged as well.

 

It is 4x4. The way that I understand it is that the bearing assembly unbolts from the spindle with four bolts. Yeah, my bearing housing may be damaged if it has spun the bearing. It just happened so I am hoping thats not the case. I have access to a 10 ton press so I am not to worried about having to press them out and back in.

 

Do you have a strong Press? When you push the spindle out of the hub half of the bearing case will stay on. You will have to, remove it without damaging the spindle. Remove snap ring from hub , press out old bearing. Press in new bearing, snap ring. Press in spindle, making sure you support back bearing or you will push bearing apart. Simple

 

Yes, my work has a hydraulic press. The bad thing is that I actually just did this on a 2003 tacoma that I just sold so that I could upgrade to a double cab because our family is getting bigger. I had to cut the inner race off of the hub on that one too. I am not worried about any of that but without seeing the diagram on the FSM I am just trying to get it straight about how this one is going to work so I don't run into any suprises.

 

I just called my buddy at 4WP that took care of it for me and he confirmed there was visible damage to the hub body. I had a very slight occasional vibration and hum for 4 days that I thought was a tire balance issue ( I have 35's so tire wear issues are a way of life it seems ), I only drove it 20 miles with the slight vibration then had the tires rotated and balanced and realized that was not the issue. I only drove mine another approx 10 miles to 4WP shop and it imploded that quick. He said if you have access to a machine shop you should be able to check where the bearing seats for any signs of ovalizing, if you put a new bearing in a oval seat it can blow out very quickly again. Let me know the cost and hassle of doing the bearing I was thinking of doing the other side as preventative maintenance now if it is cheaper ?

 

The job really isn't that bad if you have access to a press. I've done both sides on 2 of the 3 second gens I've had. The one I just bought had them done 50k ago so another 25k or so and I'll be doing it again I'm sure. I just buy the bearing and both the inner and outer seals. AFAIK the inner seal is Toyota-only and on every one I've done it's been trashed. It goes into the back of the spindle and the axleshaft rides on it. I take the brakes off, unbolt the axleshaft, and take the entire spindle off the truck. Put it in a press, press the hub out, and then remove the bearing from the spindle. Then install the outer seal, press the hub in, install the inner seal, and put it all back together. If you don't take the whole spindle out there isn't any way to get the hub out of it. But just buying a new hub and having someone press it together for you does make for a quick job. But without changing that inner seal I doubt it would last very long. And the hubs are very tough. The last truck I did this on I bought with bad bearings. It was deafening it was so loud. When I jacked it up the driver's side front tire was extremely difficult to turn and the truck actually pulled to the left it was so shot. The hub was fine. With air tools and my 12 ton shop press these take me a little over an hour a side to change.

 

I just did one today .
Remove the assembly from the spindle , press the hub out of the bearing . Replace both seals and press a new bearing on the hub . Just make sure your hub isn't damaged .

 

Well I was mistaken. Having not seen the diagram or actually seen the bearing I was thinking that the bearing pressed into the flanged piece that the 4 bolts go through. I went down to NAPA today and looked at the bearing and realized that it is all one piece. I bought the KOYO bearing and SKF inner and outer seals. Will have to go to the dealer to get the o-ring. Thanks for all of the help.

 

I would love to see your press setup that allows you to press the hub out with the assembly off the spindle. Not bashing in any way but I couldn't make that work and I would like to think I'm pretty creative with that kind of stuff. With my current bearings having 50k on them I'm sure I'll be in there again in 25k miles or so.

 

lmaooo wish I woulda seen this.
Thats the exact mistake I made. I did not support the bearing correctly when pressing in the hub and wrecked them.

 

This should be pretty close to what you want:

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old/files/05FSM/repair.html

 

Check out this website. http://www.marionbumper2bumper.com/store/index.html
He is a member on here - BamaToy1997
And there are YouTube videos out there for changing out the hubs. PM him, he was really great answering my questions over the phone and even added some tips for getting the job done.

 

I am about to attempt this with some help from a more mechanically inclined friend and the auto hobby shop folks on base. We have a press, so I am attempting to salvage the hubs. I didn't realize I had to order replacement seals also - so I need to also order inner and outer seals plus replacement O-rings?

Also swapping out ball joints, struts, and hanger bearing. Any other tips for those jobs is appreciated also.

2007 Tacoma 4wd Sport TRD 4 Door