When to Replace Wheel Bearing Grease

2001 Tacoma 2x4
160,000 miles

I have little experience in maintaining and servicing a vehicle. Using guidance from YouTube and forums like this one, I have been able to replace brake pads and rotors, install shock absorbers, install oxygen sensors - that sort of skill level. Today I removed the caps covering the front wheel bearings and looked at the grease. I am not sure what I was looking for and would like to have guidance on deciding if I should clean and re-grease the wheel bearing parts. I believe the parts are good and I simply need help deciding if the grease should be replaced. I purchased the truck 2nd-hand and do not know its service history.

 

Do you have a photograph of what you saw...the grease behind the caps?

More details about your truck will help as well. What model year is it? Is it a 5 lug or 6 lug with 4 wheel drive?

 

I believe he is talking about the dome cap that covers the axle nut that holds the wheel bearing to the spindle.

To the OP, is there a reason why you want to repack the grease?

 

I kinda figured that but I've had that cover off many times. No grease because the axle bearing is sealed on a 4x4 with ADD. And a non ADD setup does not have a cap over the axle nut.

I am guessing it is a 5 lug setup but would like to see pics of the grease.

 

The truck is a 2001 Tacoma with 2-wheel drive and there are five lugs on the wheel. It is the smallest engine (2.4 liter, I believe) and is not with the extended cab. It has 160,000 miles, which I mention because I suspect the wheel bearings may never have been regressed from its original state.

I have no reason to want to repack the grease, but merely lifted off the dome cap to look - make an inspection. However, I am not sure of what I am looking for - not a very qualified inspector!

Here are three pictures. One is looking down slightly. One is looking up slightly. One is looking into the removed dome cap.

 

There is no need to regrease unless you're replacing the bearing. In fact you may do more harm than good because you have to set the tension on the bearing correctly when you reassemble. I would leave it alone if you aren't running into problems.

 

Recommended wheel bearing grease repack is 30,000 mi or annually for Autos, 12,000 mi or annually for trailers.
According to web search.
Judging by all the BLACK brake fluid in reservoirs I've seen I doubt bearing grease get changed untill they fail.

 

IMHO..... at 160+ Kmiles and not knowing the service history or the type of grease......

To me the grease looks "worn". Its black and looks very wet like the oil is beginning to separate from the soap.

The grease in the cap is just along for the ride. It does nothing in the cap.

I would have the front bearings replaced and packed by a QUALIFIED TOYOTA MECHANIC or go to the Toyota dealer. Bearings and grease are not expensive parts. As a DIY job, replacing bearings is not a difficult task.

A break down on the road $$ spiral up real quick.

<edit> After a close inspection of the pictures....it appears the grease was "red" when the bearing were last packed. Compare the grease in the cap to the grease on the cotter pin nut. The cap looks shiny but remains a solid. The cotter pin nut, the grease looks wet and loose. Grease should not look wet and loose. <endedit>

 

Agreed. Change it and then you will know it's good.

 

I third this as well.

looks like some of it is dried out and stuck to the cap cover. wouldn't hurt to replace and it's a good learning experience for you @owyh33

 

This mentality leads to more harm than good.

 

I have gone in a little deeper, having removed the cotter pin and axle nut. Accumulated on the back of the nut is a bead of (very liquid) oil, so I have decided to proceed with regreasing. This is a little outside my experience, but that is one of the privileges of retirement in the Golden Years - testing one’s self in a new and unpracticed activity, like vehicle maintenance.

Now I have two issues I see ahead. One is making sure my current bearings are serviceable. For what does one look when holding the bearings in hand in order to determine they are still good parts? With the tire on the wheel and jacked off the ground, I could detect no play when attempting to wobble the wheel back and forth in a couple of directions. Also, I have heard no unexpected noise when driving in highway conditions.

For the second issue, I have seen cautions about both getting not enough grease into the repacking and getting too much grease into the repacking. I would be grateful for forum members’ experience on getting in the right amount of grease.

I am very grateful to all the advice and suggestions that have come to me in this thread. Thank you, all.

Sorry about the eight or ten redundant pictures I uploaded earlier. I am not sure how that happened. Apparently, putting pictures into a forum message is also outside my comfort zone.

 

@owyh33
https://youtu.be/BhL1uAp_WCw

 

When I was a kid I used to borrow my dad's bearing grease tool when I was working on my bmx bikes. Worked good for old crank bearings

 

Do yourself a favor. Don't fiddle with cleaning the bearings. Just replace them with new high quality bearings. Brands like Timken, FAG, NTN, Koyo and such.

Typically, on the edge of the race there will be a bearing number. These are standardized in the industry. Be aware, the inner and outer bearing are likely different sizes.

If you must examine the bearings, then you need to clean thing. Evidence of damage will be signs of pits or spalling in the race or on the rollers. Trust me, really no advantage. Just get new bearings. They are not expensive parts. Also get a can of grease with the NGLI 2 or the GP-LB designation (not sure if the GP-LB is correct). The NGLI 2 designation has been replaced with the GP-LB nomenclature.

 

Are the races pressed on to the wheel spindles?

 

My local auto store has a product by Lucas Oil called Red "N" Tacky Grease. It does indicate NLGI #2 and GC-LB (not GP-LB). Is this recognized as a suitable grease for this wheel bearing job?

Based on recommendations, I am ordering new inner and outer (front only at this time) bearings by Timken. It will be a week or 10 days before I expect to receive them.

 

That grease will be fine. GC-LB is correct. Hey....I was only 1 letter off...............

Timkin bearings are probably the best tapered roller bearings on the market.

 

I'm not sure you were a letter off, as somewhere I believe I saw reference to GP-LB. At that point I got the impression GP represented a General Purpose grease, as opposed to MP which identified the grease as a Multi-Purpose grease. In that regard, I was not (am not) sure what might be the reference for GC.

 

The "G" indicates bearing grease. The "L" indicates chassis grease.

The "G" has 3 service indicators. A, B, C. Where C is the highest performance..

The "L" has 2 service indicators, A, B. Where B is the highest performance.

This is all based and defined by ASTM D4950. The NLGI site is a good reference.

The automotive industry considers the GC-LB suitable for vehicle application.


Hope that helps.