Replacing front wheel bearing and hub

I'm out in Colorado and away from my mechanic back east and need to get a wheel bearing/hub replacement. I was quoted 800-1200 dollars by a few different mechanics here. It seems really steep from what I've read online, and the cost of the OEM parts and estimated labor. It looks like it's also a popular diy fix but one mechanic told me I absolutely could not do it myself. Don't really know where to go from here so thought I'd try and get some opinions...

thank you!!

 

There are threads on here explaining how to do it. It's really simply if you buy a complete assembled hub. You will need some tools though, including a good sized impact wrench with a large socket. I bought the socket on Amazon and borrowed an impact. You might want to soak the four retaining bolts with PB blaster or something to help loosen them a day or so before hand. A bolt might also be necessary to break the brake disk loose from the hub (you thread it in and it separates them, hammering on the disk didn't do it for me).

Now that I've done it before, it's super easy. First one took me a bit, the second one took me like 15 minutes.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-replace-front-wheel-bearing-2nd-gen.189356/

Here's a link. You can stop at the hub being off. There are good youtube vids available, too.

I did mine in the backyard with a handful of tools, and I'm not a mechanic!!



Just don't pull my trick of installing the dust shield 90 degrees off...

 

Front or rear wheel bearing? Front's are definitely way easier than the rear since you need a special press but you can absolutely DIY the fronts with basic hand tools. You can get Doorman or Moog hubs/bearings from most auto part stores but if you want to go something closer to OEM, here or here. Please note that there is a difference between 2x4 and 4x4 front hubs. There's plenty of videos on youtube on how to change your front hubs, especially if they are preassembled. After you get your tire off and brake off, its like 5 bolts. It's been a long time since I did a front bearing so my memory might be foggy but I do remember it took me about 3 to 4 hours in my garage and I wasn't going fast. I had my 5 yr old helper and his younger sister asking questions about everything, snacks, drinks, etc.. On a scale of 1-10, if you have all the necessary tools, its about a 4 difficulty for the fronts. The rears on the other hand, well you'll need to remove the rear axle and separate it from the differential then press off the old bearing and press on the new one over the rear axle then add more rear diff fluid and call it a day.

-J

 

Shops mark up parts and require labor. Labor is $230 or higher.

Book time is likely at least 2-3hr. The math maths.

if my name was Bezos I’d pay a shop. It is not and I don’t.

Guy on here sells good quality kits everyone goes with. Popular thread.

 

yeah can be done with handtools, but impacts sure help.

now if i remember for the front
36mm for the axle
14mm for the 4 bolts that hold it to the hub. a good quality box wrench. id recommend for those bolts and a good dead blow hammer as well
a whole bunch of break cleaner.
12mm if you're paranoid like me and I pulled my ABS sensor from the hub because again less issues possible.
I made sure my bearing were good and packed with grease because I don't trust others.

oh and i used a sharp edged chissle to get up under the lip of the hub cover. after that walked my screw driver around the edge and was good to go. took me about 2 hrs. but ive done hundreds of CV's in my life

 

Pretty sure it's actually 35mm, but I also went with a 36mm for it (needed it for my swingout nut). It works, just slightly looser. Not a huge difference at that size, but noticeable.

The dead blow was a must for me!

 

if you are doing it yourself
-intuition
-DIYs
-repair manual
-already having a general assortment of tools enough to work on a car
-if it is hand tools that’s cheaper than power tools just means more physical effort and longer repair time

probably not a bad idea to keep some of that stuff in the truck anyway for a trail side CV repair that is kind of overlapping in terms of tools involved.

 

@05Taco4x4 has a real good price on a set of bearings that are as close to oem as you get ,with quick shipping.


Then go the regional thread of where you are and ask for help & I'm sure someone close will be willing to help you.

 

might be, ive a weird 35/36mm toyota socket.

 

As others have said, theres DIY guides on here to guide you step by step. All you need are basic hand tools. Buy the complete unit, otherwise you will be in for a tough time with pressing out bearings etc on your old units.

If your past experience working on cars has included projects like having done your own brakes, then I'd say you should have no issue.

 

05Taco4x4 is the way to go. Just got these NSKs yesterday. Worked out wonderfully and I cannot wait to drop them in. Positive and professional experience all around.

 

Just did this on both sides of my 2012. Don't forget to replace the rear seal in the back of the knuckle. It's a huge seal, so an ordinary seal driver kit doesn't have a puck big enough to drive it in. I made one at work so all it took was one good whack to seat it.Others have used peices of wood to do it. Still others don't even bother to replace it.

 

I was quoted $1,200 a side and the shop couldn't get to it for a couple of weeks. So, I bought a set from 05Taco4x4 and then followed this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvmwz8OXhhc and this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKNJYqBh2iA&t=351s . I took my time and It took me about 1.5 hours for the one side I did.

 

Saved a lot more then you make at work in a day and it only took a couple of hours. Good deal.

 

Hey thanks for the heads up Ryan! Much appreciated!

 

No problem!

 

Hardest part for me was getting the cap off. Once that's done, the rest is pretty obvious.

 

I've found that a cheap wood chizzle works amazing at getting up under the edge, and i like to smear just a bit of anti seize around the cap edge before re installing makes the next time in even easier.