Wheel bearing??

I have a 2008 taco 4x4 with @ 85K. Lately been hearing a low growling in the front end (or think I am with my old ears ). Starts after driving 10 miles or so. seems to be wheel speed, doesn't change in 4wd. Doesn't change much when turning, if at all. Both hubs seem a little hot after driving, but not overly so. I've read some threads here outlining premature wheel bearing failure in these trucks. Any good way to diagnose bad bearings? I jacked it up and the wheels spun smooth with no noise I could hear? I'm used to the old tapered roller bearings. First time playing with sealed ones. Need to make a trip to TN, but don't want to be stuck on the road. I tried to call that AL place that sells the units, (bumper2bumper) but the phone hangs up as they answer & couldn't find them in the book??
Any help appreciated. My 5th toyota truck type. Never had this problem (if there is even one) before.
Thanks,
Greg
Good to find this group!

 

ive been through i think 3 sets of front wheel bearings now on my 08. sounds like you probably have one thats on the way out. about 5 months ago my rt front started making quite a bit of noise. still driving it now and ive taken it on a few 1000+km road trips since. i wouldnt be too concerned about being stuck on the road.

 

does the wheel have play up/down when you jack it up?

Also, I have heard that when you are going around a curve, if the bearing on that side is bad it will get louder since it is "loaded" more. Not so sure about this one but it makes sense.

Mine were making noise a while back. I pmed Bamatoy (marion bumper2bumper) and he sent me out the assembled unit. Super easy to replace with the units per-assembled. Worst part was trying to get the jesus nut off.... with all 200ish pound of torque or whatever the spec is

Hope that helps some

 

Thanks for the input folks. Sounds like I'll need them soon enough, even if they aren't totally gone now. I talked to Bill @ bumper2bumper and have 2 assemblies & inner seals on the way.
Thanks again for the help!
Greg

 

I just did the bearings and hubs on my 08 as well. It is an easy job and the axle nut comes off with little trouble if you have an impact. I used my electric impact and it spun right off. I had a bad seal on the back side of the spindle where the cv mates. My cv axle dust seal was also a little worn on that side. Luckily I ordered the seal when I ordered my hub and bearing kits.

 

Hey Rosco,
Thanks. One question. The videos I watched showed different size sockets for the axle nut. I looked in the shop & didn't have either. One said 36mm and the other video showed a 35mm. Which is it? I need to get one before the hubs get here. I have a big 3/4 drive Makita elect impact that will wring off a 1" bolt ). Handy things to have around.
Thanks,
Greg

 

Tires can sound like a wheel bearing hum. The fact that it does not change when you turn left or right makes me wonder if it is a bearing at all. Don't get me wrong, at 80k it is entirely possible as I lost one in the 40s on my 2006. You may want to rotate your tires and see if it changes at all. I have on occasion done this and it may take a little while for a rotated tire to settle in. I've also had them on my Camry that you would swear it's a bearing and nothing would help other than a new tire.

 

Pretty sure its a 35mm

 

I'm getting the same noise. It actually pulses. I thought it was my tires, but when I put on my winter wheels the sound was exactly the same. Since most of my driving is just commuting to work, I figure I'll drive on it until it gets worse - not planning any adventures far from help anytime soon.

What's the noise I should be listening for that means it's time to order bearings from Bill? I plan on trying to wait until spring to do this. 48 K on the truck.

 

I have fairly new, very mild tread tires and the sound doesn't change with different road surfaces, even on hard clay roads. Genrally tire noise will IME, change somewhat with rough Vs smooth road surfaces.. But could be wrong. I'll know after I change out those hub assemblies . Will let you know. Could also be my hearing...
Thanks,
Greg

 

It is a 35mm socket. My truck exhibited the classic turn one way at speed and the. Kiss went away. The axle nut is only torqued to 167ft/lb if I remember right. It comes off easy with any impact. I threw my truck in 4wd before I jacked it up for dissembly. I lowered one tire down to where it just touched the ground and I was able to torque the nut easily.

 

Listen to what happens when you make a turn. Mine would rumble/growl when driving straight. It would get worse when I turned left and go away entirely when I turned left.

 

Thanks birry, I'll pay better attention. What I was really wondering though, is how bad can it get without causing other damage? Unless I hear scary noises, I'll let it go until spring when I take off my winter wheels. At that point, I'll check for resistance by spinning the wheels when I have it lifted. I'm just trying to delay spending money in the winter, which is my low income season.

 

I kinda did the same thing, but then it started getting worse by the day, and I figured it needed to be done ASAP. I did the work myself by reading here and watching a couple youtube videos. I needed a breaker bar and a 35mm socket. I didn't have a torque wrench, so I borrowed one from AutoZone. I took the new bearing to a local machine shop to have it pressed before re-installing the assembly. There's a thread floating around somewhere that you can buy bearing/hub assemblies for pretty dang cheap. I'd like into that for your parts source on this.

Edit: Here's the thread I started when this happened http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/286543-front-end-vibration-humming.html

Here's the thread with the wheel bearing/hub assembly http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ub-solution-ive-done-work-you-save-money.html

 

Dont let the wheel bearing go to long cause your wheel will fall off, That is not good plus it will take out your abs sensor. Ask me how i know. Check your drive side wheel bearing cause lot weight is on that side.

 

Whoa....

The only one I've replaced was on the driver's side. The new bearing cured the problem (for now).

 

i have replaced driver side twice. One a shop did and the second time i did. freaking shop left off a washer.

 

That may not have been the main issue. A lot of shops dont put any grease in bearings just install them with packing grease they come with.
Also After you install them, you need to get axle nut re-tighten.
I installed mines and even after making sure they were at the torque spec first time, I went back after 500 miles to re-tighten them to remove any slack. It was not much but you could feel they needed.

 

i believe me i greased those bastard up every where

 

does the noise get loud when it's bad? It just sounds like tread hum right now, except that I know it's a fairly new noise and not the tires.