Does this sound like a wheel bearing to you? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

87Camry5Speed · 02-23-2005, 05:56 PM

Symptoms- At around 40-50 mph, I can hear a low-pitched humming/moaning from my right-front. I can hear it in Fourth or Fifth, in Third the engine spins over too fast (read: the motor is too loud to hear the noise). In extreme cold, if I'm turning right (mostly during steady-speed curves) it gets a smidgen louder. Your thoughts?

I'm thinking the car is about ready for a front-end rebuild, pretty sure my RF strut mount is headed to that great scrapyard in the sky (it has the telltale squeak), and when I let off teh brakes after stopping I can plainly hear groaning (in the RF, and probably the worn strut mount at work). Funny thing is, when I try to compress the strut by bouncing teh car, I hear nothing... gotta be in motion.

So other than those two things, what else is good in a front-end refreshening? I figure swaybar bushings and endlinks, as well as struts... any other opinions?

Steve

amerikim · 02-23-2005, 06:38 PM

You are right about it being the wheel bearing probably the shocks too. You are quite a few dollars out. If you got the extra bananas, great time to do the rear shocks and springs at all four ends, your other shocks are pretty close in condition. Safer to do all four. Check your drive shafts, that could be a couple of hundred more.

If you still have a budget, engine mounts. Few more drops of cash? Add rear sway bar. If you still got bucks, come back for more.

***MR2Jedi*** · 02-23-2005, 06:43 PM

my driver side rear wheel bearing went out about a year ago. same symptoms.I have to agree with amerikim on this one. price of bearing isn't too bad, but labor is ouch, unless u do it yourself. sometimes not too easy to get off...I let trusted friend import tech do mine

87Camry5Speed · 02-23-2005, 07:22 PM

Thanks guys, we can handle the vast majority of the labor ourselves but I guess it's time to suck it up... Hopefully the bearing holds out at least til spring break (mid-mmarch) that's the soonest I can get to it, worst comes to worst I'll use my sister's Escort but I'd rather not.

Steve

YOTA_Power · 02-23-2005, 11:45 PM

well mine was making a low pitch grinding noise at any speed but i found later that it was the cv joint & wheel bearing costed me 400. Plus a week on jack standsin the garage in dec. Now that was a bitch. Also too get the cv out i had to pull the motor mount but i had a 190k on fatory axles so i geuss that why my car is being a bitch

dna59 · 02-24-2005, 07:10 AM

I have the same probolem with the front passenger wheel bearing on my Trooper.

87Camry5Speed · 02-24-2005, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YOTA_Power

well mine was making a low pitch grinding noise at any speed but i found later that it was the cv joint & wheel bearing costed me 400. Plus a week on jack standsin the garage in dec. Now that was a bitch. Also too get the cv out i had to pull the motor mount but i had a 190k on fatory axles so i geuss that why my car is being a bitch

I know the CV joint on my car is still intact, generally when they're going to shit the bed they give other warning signs (usually in the form of a clicking or groaning as you go from a dead stop, or in a really low-speed turn). But at 162k, I'm sure they'll need to be redone at some point. Just not in any great hurry to do it.

Talked with the ol' man about it last night, when spring break rolls around we're going to do the repairwork... until then I'll just use my sister's car a little more often so that I'm not playing Russian Roulette with my wheel bearing on a daily basis

Steve

***BLUEMEANIE*** · 02-24-2005, 12:06 PM

Just get a full lower milage steering knuckle from a salvage yard or a recycler and swap it. Thats what I did on my rolla and it only cost me $50usd.

Porkch0p220 · 02-24-2005, 11:33 PM

its a bitch to press it out, when i replaced my passangers front bearing it broke into 3 peices. its even harder to press a new one in the right way. just taek the arm off and have a shop unpress the bearing and axle and repress the new parts. save yourself the trouble

500KCamry · 02-24-2005, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLUEMEANIE

Just get a full lower milage steering knuckle from a salvage yard or a recycler and swap it. Thats what I did on my rolla and it only cost me $50usd.

That's the easiest way to fix a bad bearing. I did the same, and the steering knuckle came complete with a good brake rotor , splash guard and an ABS sensor. What a deal considering Toyota wanted $110 CDN for the bearing alone.

***MR2Jedi*** · 02-24-2005, 11:57 PM

PorkchOp220, u ain't kiddin' 'bout that. we used one of those pullers that has the big weight on it that you slide and bang till it comes out. shit, we had to take turns doing it from getting tired bangin' on the damn thing. it was alot easier to install than remove. i would much rather pay someone than do it myself again..

EggBeater59 · 02-25-2005, 12:54 AM

don't wait to do your wheel bearings!! otherwise you'll be investing in another hub soon too. and don't do it yourself... just bite the bullet and pay someone to do it.

***zoni*** · 02-25-2005, 01:20 AM

the way to tell your wheel bearing is bad for sure:
..... jack up that wheel's part of the car...
..... try to move the wheel tilting it up and down.
..... if it moves slightly, or greatly, you have a wheel bearing gone bad.

the way to fix your wheel bearing:
..... tear everything down to bear steering knuckle.
..... (axle out, steering knuckle is detached from the vehicle)
..... take the steering knuckle to your local automotive machine shop (find in yellow pages or ask at the autoparts store)
..... make sure you bring a new bearing (autozone brand : timken, or Toyota OEM)

the machine shop will probably charge you 50 bucks for pressing the bearing out and then a new one back in. its worth it to pay 50 bucks and do it HALF yourself. you dont want to pay 400 like someone did. if you have the minimal skill, more important TOOLS to remove the steering knuckle, then do it this way. if not, then take it somewhere and spend the day without your car, and without any clue whats going on. i like to work on my car so i know how it works and i know nobody is fucking it up. if its fucked up, its my fault

Porkch0p220 · 02-25-2005, 07:01 AM

yeah no kidding, good thing i have a hydrolic press now at my new work

87Camry5Speed · 02-25-2005, 08:00 AM

Ill run the steering knuckle idea by my dad, but I have some minor reservations- mileage being one, but even if it's a low mileage piece, what kind of miles were they? Did that bearing see a top-speed run or two? Trouble with j/y parts is you never know wha you're gonna end up with. I'm taking it to the ol' man's dealership to getthe work done, but man that bearing was roarin' like a motherfucker this morning.

Steve