Wheel bearing

[supton]

Have one that I think is making noise. Gentle turns don't seem to make a difference, but a harder swerve to the right might... or might not... it's hard to say. It's not real bad, and wind noise at 60mph and up mostly masks it. I can't pinpoint which corner of the car it's from, either. At times I think I can hear a low frequency rumble, but for the most part, it just sounds like a driveline noise. Put on new tires and no change to the sound, either.

I had the wheels off today, and so I pulled the drums and felt the rear hubs. RR I can feel just a bit of notchiness at times, and feels like a fair amount of drag in general (although it was below freezing). LR didn't have any notchy feeling. So I'm thinking that RR might be the culprit. Looking at prices though is a bit of a shock, ranging from $40 or so for low end up to $260 (see Pep Boys !) . Duralast is $70 or so; is that "good enough"? MOOG was $111.

If a proper hub is >$200 I'd rather wait until it got actually obnoxious (and/or buy used ones from salvage yards). Poking around in old threads makes me think the Duralast/Driveworks/etc are all made by different vendors at different times, so its a roll of the dice as to good or not. I'm not sure what the current status is on wheel bearings, if MOOG is "great".

 

[drtyler]

If you plan on keeping the vehicle, I would get one from the dealer. The aftermarket stuff is very hit and miss now, especially MOOG.

If the bearing is for a Toyota, I've had good luck with CamelbackToyotaParts.com. They are a Toyota dealer with an online store and offer a decent discount over the price of buying over the counter at a local dealer.

 

[ford46guy]

Moog bearings used to be BCA/NATIONAL (I got a NOS box recently). Then they sourced from ILJIN (Korea), Now their bearings are made in China by (who knows). I believe they have a 3 year warranty from Advance Auto, so it may be worth a risk if the dealer part is very expensive. It is likely new cars sitting on dealer lots have China Parts in them.

The dealer is always preferred. There is also Timken and SKF, but who knows now where they source their product from.

I don't suggest the $30 no name units. Those are really hit and miss and may even be unsafe.

 

[supton]

Forgot to look at toyotapartsdeal.com. They show the part at $331, so I guess Pep Boys wasn't too far off.

From what I can tell, it's a 15 minute job to R&R. Well, maybe longer but you get the idea. Jack up, pull wheel, pull drum. Zip out 4 bolts. Clean, inspect, perhaps put on a new o-ring. Reverse.

If only the front was the same way...

 

[DriveHard]

what car is it?

 

[Ramblejam]

I've installed a Raybestos Generation 2 Hub Assembly (entire unit, not just the bearing module) on a '99 ES300, which is the same identical part as yours. $65 over on Amazon (with free Prime shipping). Went on perfectly, and has been in service for a long time now with zero issue.

Raybestos 712009A is the part number, and I'd highly recommend it.

 

[krismoriah72]

I like the SKF bearings from NAPA.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
I like the SKF bearings from NAPA.


+1, also available on Amazon or Rock, made in the USA. Trav recommends them and his top choice. Although for the money I'd prob just get the Raybestos since the whole assembly from SKF can get expensive.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: DriveHard
what car is it?


'99 Camry.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: drtyler
If you plan on keeping the vehicle, I would get one from the dealer. The aftermarket stuff is very hit and miss now, especially MOOG.

If the bearing is for a Toyota, I've had good luck with CamelbackToyotaParts.com. They are a Toyota dealer with an online store and offer a decent discount over the price of buying over the counter at a local dealer.


+1 Get the OEM. This is coming from a guy who put on 2 different wheel bearings prior to putting on the OEM. Haven't had an issue since. First was an SKF and then a Timken. I would generally recommend MOOG but I feel like they are hit or miss now a days

 

[Ramblejam]

For everyone saying OEM...

Please go look at the OEM hub assembly cost and report back.
While you're there, please see if Toyota offers just the bearing and report back.

For everyone saying bearing...

How many of you guys here have done the job on this car (bearing module only), and can discuss the time/effort/knowledge/equipment involved vs. the four bolts of a complete asssembly?

 

[mclasser]

I researched hub bearings quite a bit a while back and Timken's a well-respected brand. Installed one and it had an NTN bearing, same as the outgoing part with 200K miles.

After OEM, I'd say Timken is the way to go.

 

[NibbanaBanana]

If you don't know what wheel it is, jack up the wheel and shake it as hard as you can. In all directions. Then get a bar under it and see if the wheel moves any or not. You can't really tell by spinning them usually. If there's any play you'll feel it when you lever under it with a big pry bar.

 

[4WD]

If it moved West-East only - can be linkage - if N,S,E, and W ... bearings

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: NibbanaBanana
If you don't know what wheel it is, jack up the wheel and shake it as hard as you can. In all directions. Then get a bar under it and see if the wheel moves any or not. You can't really tell by spinning them usually. If there's any play you'll feel it when you lever under it with a big pry bar.


That doesn't sound right to me--I thought they made noise long before developing play. Once the races get some damage, they can be tight--and loud.

 

[4WD]

Not always - I have discovered them during a tire rotation and never knew one was out ...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Not always - I have discovered them during a tire rotation and never knew one was out ...


Fair enough. But that doesn't disprove that it can be tight and bad.

All I know is that it didn't feel quite right. I could find a spot where it would "catch", which says to me "damaged". No play felt, but I did not check for play with the wheel attached (as I wanted to feel the bearing as best as I could). Didn't think to wiggle the wheel too.

 

[Nick1994]

I replaced one on my 97 Camry. Easiest thing to replace on the car. I used whatever O'Reilly Auto Parts had. I'd get whatever is cheapest at a local store with a lifetime warranty. Takes 15 minutes to replace so warranty replacement every couple years isn't a big deal.

The fronts are a whole other ballpark... Had both of my fronts replaced this summer by my mechanic with Timkins. They're press in and he used a 12 ton Harbor Freight press, bottle jack in it was replaced with a 20 ton, he used a 4 foot extension bar on the handle and it took everything he had to get the old ones out. Bent the press too.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I don't get how FWD evolved into the setup it currently has. Seems like a kludge, but it's quite common, this pressed in bearing. I know some models do have a bolt-in hub, but for some reason most (many?) FWD have this awful bearing up front. The bearing gets destroyed in the process too, as the outer race gets yanked off while removing the hub. Must be a reason for it (and I bet it revolves around cost too).

Surprised your mechanic didn't have the tool to do the job on the car. HF has one, and course there is better. Uses a screw to run the bearing in and out, so the mechanical advantage is developed there.

 

[4WD]

Think they can - I have seen an industrial bearing try to inertia weld solid one piece (root cause lube) ...