Front wheel bearings shot - try DIY or take it in?

Here is my BOM for the job. This is discounted OEM parts, adds up to $661, plus shipping

Hub Assembly, 43502-35170, $155.50 x2
Outer Seal , 90312-95001, $18.16 x2
Snap Ring, 90521-99114 , $6.44 x2
Bearing,

$90 90369-54002 Bearing

90369-54002, $73.30 x2
Inner Seal, 90316-69001, $39.64 x2
Bolt W Washer, 90119-08571, $1.04 x8
RH Backing Plate,

$48 47704-35091 Disc Brake Dust Cover Sub- Assembly

47704-35091, $33.34 x1
LH Backing Plate, 47703-35091, $33.34 x1

 

Dude, thank you a million times over for that.

A buddy lent me a 4-runner today so I have wheels now. Gonna try to get my parts ordered up tonight & start pulling stuff off tomorrow morning!

 

Will do. Haven't heard back though so not holding my breath and I contacted them just over a week ago. If you do decide to have a go at it, I may be able to lend some moral support & possible a hub tool...assuming I pull it off . Seems easier than the water pump & belts though & that's still working. Maybe there's hope.

 

FWIW I found the seals for $18.78 and $20.42 at the dealer! Amazon wants WAY more for the inner seal - at least double what the dealer wants and it takes a while to get here even with prime. Just gonna go get the seals in Boulder - be in my hands today! The bearings were a bit more. They quoted me $119.76. Think I'm gonna go with the Koyo for $75...IIRC it's an OEM bearing.

 

@BamaToy1997 hubs are what I use. It ends up being just 11 bolts to swap it out. 6 for the wheel, 1 for the abs sensor and 4 for the bearing

 

1st gen doesn't have bolt-on bearings. These are pressed.

 

Err, scratch that. Not only did they not have all the parts they said they had, they were 3x as much when I showed up to get them - one hour after calling.

 

WWW.Bluepitbearings.com
as simple as it gets and top quality stuff to boot!

 

Thanks for the effort, but not on a 1st gen

 

Hey @Timmah! , any chance you remember which sleeve kit you bought?

$97 SCITOO Fit Cars LCV and HGV Engines Universal Press and Pull Sleeve Kit Removal Installation Bushes Bearings Tool Kit

This one maybe?

I went down to HF to see what they had & only found SAE kits - not sure if it matters with bearings, but left it on the shelf 'till I can figure out if it matters.

Anybody think I could pull it off with There are several on the shelf at HF.

Also going to buy the 12 ton press i/o the 20 ton. Looks like it can get the job done - isn't much smaller than the 20 ton HF and also comes with press plates.

 

FWIW this is about where I am. 2 bearings from Amazon were $185 shipped and the seals & new rings ran me $205 at the dealer (only way to get them in under a week) which really wasn't that much more than buying online and waiting a week to get them.

So about $400 in parts so far. Gonna spend probably that much in tools as well.

 

Good luck! Remember that HB parts/tools are usually good for 1 use, so you may want to get the bigger one and not get stuck with a truck in pieces with a broken press...

 

Yep, that's the kit I have.

 

But, you can use those tools for other jobs. If you like to wrench, they will pay for themselves many times over.

 

Not true at all. I've used the shit out of my Harbor Freight 20 ton press. I've used it for around 7 rear axle seal jobs, 2 manual hub swaps, 2 front LCA bushing jobs, 1 front UCA bushing job, 3 rear upper and lower control arm bushing jobs and it's still going strong. I know this is the stigma for Harbor Freight tools but I'm glad I didn't buy into it and decided to make up my own mind on their products. I've also bought tons of tools that I've purchased via Amazon that I know originate in China most likely. For you average DIYer, they are fine. If you want to spend your whole paycheck on one tool, buy Snap On or Matco.

 

That's how I like to look at it. Lots of stuff with bearings - not like all this won't get used again. And I don't usually mind buying tools. The press will get disassembled & stored under the house after this is done, but the rest will get used at least occasionally.

 

Picked up some upper ball joints to do while I'm in there. Seems easy enough to get to the CV boots as well - gonna change those out too.

 

Good call. If I could go back & do it all again, I would have replaced the upper & lower ball joints at the same time while I had the steering knuckles off to do the bearings.

 

I just ordered lower and upper ball joints and will be doing that job next week.

What's the deal with the UBJs? It looks like they come partially unassembled with a packet of grease.

 

Unfortunately, you have to "assemble" the upper ball joints once you've press them in. You also need a special sized press sleeve. It's been a while since I did the job, but I believe there are a couple of youtube videos that will give you the rundown.