Roaring sound in rear caused by wheel bearings???

I have a roaring sound in the rear of my 2007 PreRunner that is getting increasingly louder. I took it to a local mechanic and he put it on a rack and ran it up to about 35-40 mph and said the best he can tell it is due to rear wheel bearings wearing. He recommends replacing the complete rear axle assembly because the labor would be much less. Anyone have similar sound that was confirmed as wheel bearings? I am shopping for a used rear axle assembly online and it looks like it will cost me $1200-$1400. If that fixes the problem and gets me another 100k miles from my sweet truck I am OK with that but don't want to spend that much if the problem turns out to be drive shaft or differential. Would appreciate any lessons learned by other owners.

Keioth

 

The whole rear axle for a blown wheel bearing???! I assume this guy replaces the entire engine come oil change time too. That’s insane.

 

Worn bearings will cause a roaring sound. It could also be a pinion or carrier bearing in the differential. Easy enough to pull apart and isolate to check which is the cause. It is definitely cheaper to replace the bearings than to buy a whole new axle. New bearings are about a $500 bill.

 

Ask the mechanic to run his quote both ways. One with just replacing bearings with standard labor hours and a 2nd with the axle replacement with standard labor hours.

Trust but verify the assertion.

Check your U-joints and carrier bearing.

 

I just had mine done on my 2011. 200 bucks for the bearing off ecgs and 270 for labor. Have mechanic put truck on lift and throw it in drive. If the bearing is bad the noise will be obvious which side it's on. Hope this helps.

 

And we're just going to hope & pray that the bearings in the used replacement rear axle assembly aren't near the end of their lifespan?

 

It’s actually easier to do it that way. Unless you have a press and the right tools plus the jig needed.
If you don’t already have all the tools and equipment needed, the aftermarket assembly is cheaper.
Definitely cheaper than OEM price.

They make new ones. I know Dorman isn’t the “best”.
But at least you’ll have your old assembly to rebuild later when you have time.
And you’ll have a running truck too.

Replacing the whole assembly is a lot more convenient for those without the tools and equipment. Or a way to get to and from a shop with the equipment to press the bearing On/Off.

 

I’m just shocked that it would be cheaper to replace the whole thing vs just the bad bearings.

 

Most shops don’t have the equipment. More specifically the right jig for the job.
Plus, you have to account for more book hours to actually press the bearing.
@6 gearT444E post a DIY. You can check it out if you want to see what all is involved.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-rear-axle-bearing-seal-replacement.734924/

 

I had no idea these were available. I figured when my rears finally gave up the ghost I'd be using @6 gearT444E How-To thread...but now, hmm? I already succumbed to laziness by running the Dorman assemblies on the front, but now possibly the rear?! He's not gonna like this...

 

I didn’t either @Dm93 sent me info on them 2 or 3 months ago.
They are just now starting to be available. Don’t you all go out and buy them all before I get one.

I’m trying to wait until it warms up a bit before I do mine. I don’t have a garage to do mine in.
And I don’t like asking to borrow someone else’s. All my stuff is done outside on jack stand.

 

What bull shit! It's retarded to change the whole axle!

Any auto machine shop will press off and on your bearing to your axle for $100 or so. Buy the bearing thru them and have them install it on your axle.

The axle comes out very easy. Remove the brake assembly and remove the 4 bolts holding the axle backing plate to the axle flange. Pull out the axle and the bearing and take it all to the auto machine shop. The axle pulls out very easy.

The worse part will be the parking brake cable. If you are in the salt belt, this will break if you are not in the habit of using the park brake often.

Buying the bearing thru thu the machine shop will get you a bit of a warrenty if that bearing fails in the next year.

 

That doesn’t seem to be a bad deal for a bolt on assembly. I’d be more worried about the quality of the axle shaft than the bearing itself, but it’s a nice solution for somebody who doesn’t want to be involved with pressing anything together. As with anything Dorman makes, they are hit or miss. Hopefully these are a good score, I guess time will tell.

 

What has me more concerned is the time at which they “released” them.
With everyone having problems getting parts, I am skeptical on the quality myself.

I’ll probably try one, and then save the OE one and try to rebuild it myself.
I believe the axle shaft is the same for both sides? The backing plate and bearings are different?

I know someone with a press. I’d just have to see if buying the jig and trying it myself is worth it?
It probably is, but I’ve never done anything like it before.

 

I mean, I understand your point.
But some of us don’t really have easy access to and from a shop.
Nor can we afford the down time in between. I don’t have a 2nd vehicle.
Yeah, I could borrow a vehicle. But I don’t like borrowing anything.
And I’m not necessarily big on throwing a stinky axle in the back seat of a car that isn’t mine.

I’m the type that usually just deals with what I’ve got, and Dorman is what I got.

Unless I want to buy a used axle and have it built?
That’s an option, but I don’t know if it’s the most practical option for me?

 

There are some things it just makes sense for a pro to deal with.

Pressing a bearing on a shaft is what automotive machine shops are there for.

It's a bearing. There are lots of good choices, but I guarantee that a local machine shop is not going to use a piece of Doorman crap.
They are fine if you are fixing them selling.

Many Toyota dealerships will send the axle assembly to a local MS to do the job. There is no reason you can't do the same. The reason Toyota charges so much is because your truck will be on the hoist for 2 days. No reason why you can't have your truck on jack stands in your own drive over night as well.

If a person is at all savvy with a wrench set, then this job is not a big deal.

If you don't have the time, then let the whole job be done by the pro's.

 

the axle is indeed the same for both sides. The backing plates are side specific due to the location for the ebrake mount and brake mounts, they are essentially a mirror image of each other. As for the bearing they are listed as side specific but I believe that is only due to the side that has the speed sensor machined into it. A left side will work for a right and vice versa but you’ll have to rework the ABS cable to route. You have to watch the orientation of the bearing because when pressing on you can have it 4 different ways in relation to the backing plate but only one side will be the correct OEM orientation for the speed sensor.

 

I can confirm this. When I ordered my new serrated studs for the hub assembly I asked the parts guy if he’d ever done a rear wheel bearing. He stated that they give the axle assembly to a local machine shop here and it’s too time consuming and requires a special press setup so it’s cheaper for Toyota to hire out a 3rd party vendor to do that portion.

 

If you have the time, it wont be cost prohibitive to buy the tools and do yourself, but if you have space constraints to say keep a press and all the tools then it’s probably not for you. Even if you bought the tools and resold them for only this one job you’d be ahead of the game. At a minimum, I’d recommend removing the axle shaft assembly yourself and bringing to someone to do the press work rather than paying someone for the whole job.

 

My dealer said they did their in house.
And the only place I found that would do it, sent theirs to a different shop.

Toyota quoted $1,1xx and offered a discount if I did rear shoes at the same time.
Which came to like $1,300. That was for 1 axle.

The other shop was like $900 with rear shoes.