Wheel bearings maybe?

2009, Reg Cab, 2whl, automatic, base model.
I’ve had a rumble/grinding sound come in at 75 MPH for some time now. Had a Toyota shop (independent, non-dealer) drive it, looked at the differential oil, and could not pinpoint the cause. It’s gotten worse over time. The majority of the 128,000 miles have been 160mi round trip commute to work. Mostly 70+. Lately I have been able to hear a change in the constant Waa Waa Waa Waa pattern in curves at speed. Up to now I was convinced the noise was from the rear, but I can feel the beat in the steering wheel. Looking for indications with the truck on a rack have revealed nothing. It needs to be loaded and at speed.
Are tacos subject to wheel bearing failure, is it common? Is this something I can do myself?

 

All vehicles are subject to wheel bearing failure. They are moving parts, so they will wear out.

There are ways to tell if it is a wheel bearing, the easiest would be to jack the front of the truck up, then grab each of the front wheels at 9 and 3 o'clock. Rock back and forth and of you feel ANY play the wheel bearing is toast. If you spin the wheel and hear noise/ feel hesitation that's another indicator. The waa waa sound you describe is usually a wheel bearing, but it could be worn tires. Do a few tests to make absolutely certain it's your bearings. And if it is, replace them both. If only one is bad, it's more than likely the other isn't far behind.

It's not too difficult, no different than any other wheel bearing job. It is incredibly easier to just buy the whole assembly instead of new bearings and pressing out the old ones/ pressing in the new ones. Here is a good walk thru on this site, there are also youtube videos. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-replace-front-wheel-bearing-2nd-gen.189356/

There is a member on here , @05Taco4x4 that builds new assemblies. I purchased from him when mine went out. Quality oem product at a great price. Here is the thread on that: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

Check the U joints. Are they greasable?

 

This is constant, never stops when at/above 70mph. Might change a bit, but always there. When on the rack, wheels seem tight, that’s what is confusing about the bearing idea. Problem is I can’t be swear it’s from front or back. Sounds stupid I know.......

 

When you are on the rack , your wheels are off the ground and there is zero load which makes a wheel bearing issue very difficult to diagnsose .

Although sounds transfer into the steering wheel with ease , try going slower and place stress on the front wheel bearings by turning from side to side with aggression . If you hear a change in pitch at slower speeds , chances are you need front wheel bearings .
Universal joints will usually create vibrations when they begin to seize , very seldom a grinding sound .

 

If you have access to a tool called "Chassis Ear," it's the bee's knees for determining where a sound is coming from WHILE ACTUALLY DRIVING. I have only used it 4 times, all of them wheel bearing situations, and on 2 of the four times, it showed that the wheel it SOUNDED like it was coming from was NOT the correct wheel.

I paid about $100 off ebay (wireless version), and just using it 4 times, I consider the money well spent in aggravation/wasted time/wasted parts.

You just need to be careful in making sure you're hearing the wheel bearing and not some other part, since you only hear the noise. You also have to make sure you mount the microphones similarly so that the mic on one side is not closer to the part in question than the mic on the other side.

 

Ive seen countless reports of people on here who pass the "push-pull" test, but new wheel bearings solve the noise issue. If the noise changes when you makes turns on the highway, thats another good indication. The side loading of the bearing should change the sound.

Oh and FYI I was always taught the push pull test should be 12 and 6 o'clock to minimize any play from the steering

 

Mine didn’t have any play, but a solid turn/swerve at highway speeds changed the pitch/volume. I was convinced it was one side, swapped it and still had the noise. I believe it got quieter with more load on it from a sharp turn? Maybe that’s what threw me off. I forget. I swapped the other assembly and that did the trick. I wouldn’t rule it out unless you swap both. Mine went at 95k, the other at 130k

 

why not buy it on eBay for $55

https://ebay.to/2VgCxxL\

 

Another thing to try is the old spring trick. Get the car up with the wheels suspended. Grab the strut spring, and spin the wheel. The vibration from the bad bearing will transmit/get amplified by the spring, and you might be able to feel the difference.

The couple times I've personally tried it, though, haven't worked for me, but maybe I just suck at it. I even tried using a mechanics stethoscope on the spring and couldn't tell, but it's a highly touted method that I have heard from more than one old mechanic.

 

Last set of front wheel bearings I replaced in my own truck made noise at all speeds but got very very noisy when turning corners in both directions .
Ordered up a fresh set of wheel bearings and installed them ....no more noise .
Used my hydraulic press and took the original bearings apart and there was only 1 spot on the bearing where I saw pitting .
With this being said , before I decided to swap out the front wheel bearings , there was zero play in the front wheels .
I have replaced hundreds of wheel bearings on hundreds of different makes . Unless the car is driven for years with bad wheel bearings , there are few chances there will be any excessive play when the car is jacked up.
With this being said , your truck should be diagnosed while driving under load using the method thats used to diagnose wheel bearing noise

 

Thanks for all the input!! I need to get a decent shop book for the Tacoma. Is a Haines manual decent help?
I’m not a newbie, just haven’t done a Taco.

 

spin the wheel?
You mean get wheels off the ground, rev it with traction control off until 40mph in a decent gear, and lock the throttle in place with a brake pedal depressor tool that you can make out of a caulking gun
in order to then put a stethescope to nearby areas and listen for sound
doesn't have to be a spring, could be the spindle itself that the bearing is attached to

FSM is like $400 for 4 books
it's not needed for a wheel bearing

 

I did my wheel bearings when My taco had close to 100k miles. Its pretty typical. I needed and bought a torque wrench to go up to 250ft lbs. Mine is 4x4. Not sure about 2wd. But they aren't very hard to do. I bought mine off a seller through TW. New hubs with bearings installed.

Goodluck

 

Count me in as one of them.
No play in the wheel. (Yes, jacked up off ground.)
Changing the bearings solved the problem.

Like Gearcruncher said, the bearing isn’t loaded when the wheel is off the ground.

I drove on my for about a year trying to figure it out.

 

Haynes would be the LAST option I’d choose for a manual. I would buy a single vehicle subscription to AllData.

Toyota might off something too?
I think @Jimmyh has posted it before?

 

My WBs never failed the manual push/pull method but swapping them fixed my highway humming noise. Never found the haynes manual very useful besides a bathroom read. TW is a good source along with google/you tube.
WB's are fairly straight forward. Just need the usual garage tools such as jack/stands, hand tools, torque wrench, preferably an impact gun or just consume a large can of spinach one hr prior to install.

 

If his base model is like mine, it's 2wd, so get the fronts off the ground, hold the strut spring, then spin the wheel manually. As stated, it hasn't worked for me the two times I've tried, but others swear by the method.

For the rears, get both wheels off the ground CAREFULLY (with a second person in the cab to monitor) using stands under the axles and chocks in front. Idle speed in drive was enough on my friend's base to hear a small difference in the sound between the two sides - it sounded like tiny loose bearings. Very soft, but enough to differentiate. I know the safety police will flame me for this one...

 

a new Koyo bearing assembly is only $55 on eBay

if you even mildly suspect it
Why not just spend the $55 and replace it
Wheel bearings on any vehicle are expected to wear out by 100k anyway and start causing negative slight hard to detect symptoms such as noise, reduced MPG, etc

 

He could. I personally do not trust "branded" parts sold on ebay unless it's from a vendor I absolutely know. For the fronts on a base, you have to pull the knuckle and press it out since it's not the "modules" like the higher models (which I unfortunately learned after I got my 2013 base). So it's actually cheaper than that for the bearing itself (esp from Rock), but it's a bigger PIA labor wise to compensate.

Haven't really looked into whether it can be done with a Hub Grappler because I think there's a giant nut on the back of the hub that's not me.

On top of the bearing, he would likely have to replace the front and back seals - if the bearing is old enough to need replacing, odds are the two seals are too. I also think there's a spacer in there too (but I don't know if it's something that DOESN'T need replacing when the bearing is done).