How to diagnose front wheel bearing issue

2010 DCSport. 225k

replaced front struts 10k ago with Bilstein, same with rear shocks and one rear wheel bearing….

new tires OEM 25k ago……rotate and balance every 5k, plus 4 wheel alignment……

about, 5. Miles ago , what I think is tire noise starts increasing….no driving issue other than noise.

so Tacoma World……what’s your best guess……..how can I tell if it’s just tires, OR front wheel bearings needing replacing…..

thanks in advance.

 

Does it go away when you make turns?

 

Jack up the front end, spin the wheels, and listen for any noises and check for play up and down and side to side.

 

Jack it up spin it by hand see if it's grating or feels rough, grab it at 12 and 6 and push back and forth see if there's play.

 

It should sound pretty rough when you have it in the air and you spin the tire. When both of mine went I could feel the vibration in the floor and gas pedal at a fairly decent speed. The more I paid attention to it I could tell what side of the truck it was on.

 

^This?

 

Could be the new shoulder tread doing it’s job. I was surprised with how loud mine are when turning. Sometimes with bad bearings your brakes will squeak or chirp as the wheel leans out and lets the wear bar rub. This goes away when you drive straight

 

I couldn’t use the standard jack it up, spin, and wiggle it test.
The way I could tell was going into turns. Typically it will get louder or quieter depending on direction you are turning. I say typically, because you could potentially have 2 bearings bad (equally bad) but not likely.

There isn’t a load on the bearings when it’s in the air.

Here is how mine acted when it was bad.
Hope this helps.


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/pulsing-vibration-help-with-no-lift.731327/#post-26049139

 

If you're troubleshooting just through noise coming & going then it could be either side, at least through my past experience. On my '08 Tacoma it was the RH/passenger side bearing that was going out. The noise would disappear with a LH turn (load on bearing silenced it). However, on past vehicles it was the opposite where both bearing and turn direction were the same (i.e. RH/passenger side bearing going out and noise disappearing with a RH turn (load removed from bearing silenced it)). So if you only plan to replace one side then you'd want to narrow down the root culprit side with more certainty and move on to physical inspection (i.e. wheel/tire wiggle test, measuring, etc.), unless of course you just decide to replace both. Take this for what it's worth, but I didn't have to replace mine until ~200k miles (mostly highway) and when I did I replaced both sides.

 

Did you do work yourself…….. I’m guessing $200 a wheel bearing hub….or did you have a shop do the work…..guessing 2 1/2 labor for each…..and yes, I would replace both sides if only one is bad

 

Yes, did the work myself. Bought the whole wheel bearing hub assemblies (prices vary all over the place depending what brand you buy and where), so it was just simply unbolt old assemblies and bolt on new ones where I didn't have to deal with pressing bearings in & out and all that other BS. There are plenty of How-To articles/videos (i.e. Tacomaworld, YouTube, etc.) out there if you're going the DIY route.

 

If you are still on original WBs, consider yourself one of the lucky few that made it that far. Most failed around the 100k mile range. My recommendation is DIY, always replace in pairs and buy the whole assembly for ease of install. Avoid store bought cheap WBs with "lifetime warranty " and look to spend more for quality ones like the ones sold here on TW. Go cheap and you will likely repeat the labor not far in the future. Look into these:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

Like MARSHBUSTER I also could feel a vibration in the floor board and gas pedal at inter-state speeds. Only one was bad but changed both at 224,453 miles.

 

My first one went around 165,000 and that was on the driver’s side but I only did that one. The passengers side just went at 247,365 and they were both original.

 

Wheel bearings can be tricky to diagnose. It was a different application but it was a rear unit bearing on a Corolla that almost got me. I thought it was tire noise, it kept getting worse....you know the story.
The ONLY way I could tell was to take the wheels and drums off, and grab a stud and spin each by hand. Then, I could feel the wear.
My recommendation would be to change both, but it's easy for me to spend your money! If you have the ability, jack it up, take the front wheels off, remove the brake calipers, pull the rotors and try spinning the bearing/hub with nothing else touching it. You don't list it as a 4wd so I assume you won't have the drag or 'input' from an axle shaft.
That was the only way I could tell on my Corolla.
I'm at 118,ish miles on my Taco and am starting to hear what I think is a front wheel bearing when I make sweeping right hand turns. Based on that, I think it's the right hand side. I'll likely replace both in the next month or so, and my garage isn't so hot.....
Let us know what you find!

 

So you just can't buy the complete assy and bolt on? Like from NAPA or a OEM one?

 

Now days quite a few companies make ready to go assemblies for the 6 lug trucks, 5 lugs the bearing is pressed into the knuckle so only the bearing is serviced. In the early days most of what was available was just the bearing, you had to press the old one out and press the new one in.

 

Lift the front wheels off the ground, spin the wheel by hand while holding the knuckle with the other hand. Any roughness felt through the knuckle is a bad bearing, it should be whisper smooth and quiet.

Compare side to side. If one is smooth and one is rough(er), the rough one is the bad bearing

 

Sorry, but what do you refer as “knuckle”
Thanks.