Hi. How did you diagnose your bearings to have excessive play? I want to check mine now..thanks!

 

Jack the vehicle up and grab your tire at 12 and 6 o'clock positions. If you can move the wheel back and forth the bearings are shot.

My passenger side needed replacement.......... did the swap last night.

 

Awesome post, I'll be doing this next weekend so good to see a step by step!

 

I remember when 4x4's had easily serviced bearings. Seal was under $3, you'd take the rotor/hub off, clean everything out, repack the bearings, put everything back together, and be on your way

This isn't just a Toyota issue. Every new vehicle has "sealed" bearings, when they get water/dirt in them - or wear out - you have to throw away a lot of parts

I am looking forward to more installments from toyo22r: keep up the good work!

 

I won't have the o-rings for a few days yet, so I want to get as far as possible without them. The main culprit that failed allowing water, mud etc. into the bearings was the seals in the spindle. In order to replace these you must remove the spindle. Very easy. I started at the bottom ball joint, removing the two 19mm bolts. I placed the floor jack under the lower control arm to support the spring tension. Next remove the castle nut on the upper ball joint but do not take all the way off. Hit the spindle on this flat spot shown in the pic really hard a few times and the ball joint pops right now.. its not under much tension but the nut keeps things from flopping around.

Here is the spindle seal.. it gets driven out from the front with a punch. Installation is just the reverse. Tap sound the circumference until its fully seated.

Now at this point the spindle is ready to go back on and all that is left to do is the bearing assy. After looking at the old one, there is not an easy way to press the bearing of the hub at home w/o some fixturing and a press. However it does appear once the hub is free, pressing the new bearing on can be done in any number of creative ways, big vise, bottle jack, etc. I have a press at work I may use. So to get the old bearing off i used an angle grinder and die grinder and cut cut cut. I probably went a little overboard as what I found is the metal races are tempered hardened steel. Example in the inner race still attached to the hub... Grind a slit in the bearing race and use a chisel. Couple good hits and it cracks all the way through releasing its death grip on the hub. Here is whats left afterwords.

More to follow.....

 

That bearing is the definition of 'Toast'!

Thanks for posting this.

DEWFPO

 

Holy crap. I dont think I have ever seen on that bad!

 

Maybe this question has already been asked: did you do a lot of water crossing?

The gravel access road to my hobby farm flooded during our general flooding conditions here in Manitoba. I stopped driving through once the water was up to the top of the hubs

I now wish I had stopped crossing when the water was up to the rim, not even touching the hubs

 

No not too many water crossings normally. I am pretty convinced this is what did them in... What looks like water and mud is actually very fine silt, left from a mining operation. This crap got into everything.. wasted my idlers the next day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtJlukUGpKA

 

What looks like water and mud is actually very fine silt, left from a mining operation.

Now you have me worried

Where I have my hobby farm, the actual property is high and dry. The gravel sideroad goes through a swamp and a small ravine. During the peak of our Manitoba floods here, the low part of that gravel road had around 4 ft of water, so for about a month stretch I didn't even bother going to the hobby farm

When the water was rising, I did drive through stuff that looked like hot chocolate, due to all the sand/silt stirred up by the flood waters. I thought the FJ was rated at having a fording rating of around 2 feet. Once the water was consistently to the top of the hubs, I thought "better play it safe" and stopped crossing

I don't mind repacking bearings, and have done so on older vehicles. With older 4wd's, I'd probably repack the bearings as a precautionary measure after such water crossing. However, it really isn't possible to do that with modern vehicles, is it? They're "sealed" for life

 

I hate mud!! but holy cr@p thats nuts. I broke my block on my tacoma the last time i drove into mud of that consistency. Great video btw.

 

They're allegedly sealed. Nothing seems to be worse on the FJ's than watery grit / silt. I've had both front bearings replaced.

Thanks for this write up. Very concise and easy to follow. :cheers:

 

great post Paul.

 

The first time I pulled an CV Axle on my FJ, I saw
that my Inner seal (spindle side) was completely
disintegrated, understandably by the crap I had
been into, but just one of those things that I must
keep an eye after wheeling in mud !...

 

Nice writeup and pics - thanks.
I noticed that the replacement parts linked in the other thread are Timken or SKC bearings.. I wonder if anyone would care to state their opinion of Toyota vs Timken for bearings for this application.?

Perhaps it would be a good idea to just get some replacement parts to have on the shelf, since it looks like we're all going to be tearing into this at some point. So, we all need to get these and some idler bearings just in case.

 

As a reminder as to one of the reasons you bought your FJ in the first place:

FJ Cruiser | Limits + Capacities | Water Fording

*TWENTY-SEVEN POINT FIVE INCHES DEEP*

One thing in the video I do not like, and do not do, is to STOP in 2+ feet of water. I believe THAT has more of a negative impact than larger tires and a 3" lift - of which I have both.

I did my LEFT wheel bearing last October, the RIGHT one in June of this year.

And, the LEFT one again yesterday.

It appears the H2O is entering the "sealed" bearing via the outside. So, this time around I put a bead of silicone on the "grease-cap".

For your perusal:

Advance Auto Parts: Hub Assembly by National - Part 515040

Happy Trails!

 

Toyota.com : Vehicles : FJ Cruiser : Bulletin


Go to: Section 1
Click "Limits and Capacities"
Then click "Water Fording" - upper right corner

 

I have replaced mine last year also, my failure was quite a bit more intense, with only the rotor/calipers holding the wheel on. The axle bolts were grossly tight, took a cheater pipe to get the nots loose. That was the most likely candidate for the failure, along with a very over thorough washing of the seal area(live and learn, I could get away with it on my nissan4x pick up of old, but not apparently the FJ...)as there was lots of dried mud there. A shop installed the first hub/bearing, and I did the second(after having Musson Patout Toyota in New Iberia,La tell me I needed new cv's and more,all without even removing wheels or the cv boots...a real mechanic checked and gave em A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH) I noticed later when I completed the opposite side that the inner spindle seal was left out on the shop installed side.The shop is too far from to worry about going back,and the mechanics helper said,they are sealed bearings so you don't need em...I learned alot about the front end and have installed new shocks,upper control arms(total chaos)etc,etc, but damnit one side still needs the spindle seal.That is my " first" on the next "fj to do list"...all for a nine dollar+- part. I've been staying out of the mud but had no choice on the last outing, so it'll happen as soon as I return to the "beach".

 

yes it is "nuts" not "nots":jester:

 

[PROBLEM]

First off, thanks a lot for these instructions.
Another FJC buddy and I are doing this on mine today.

OK....so, we're getting things all taken apart, and then got to the 35mm nut, and can't loosen it because the whole hub spins.

Sorry to be an idiot if that's the case :silly: but how do we immobilize the hub in order to get the nut to spin on its own?

I think I see some kind of tool that you may have propped in place for just this issue, but not sure.



.

 

I used a large pry bar wedged between the lug studs and the ground... Look at the 3rd photo on the first page.

 

... or you could just engage 4WD and make sure the opposite wheel can't spin. If you're going to work on things like hubs and axle shafts, it's really useful to remember that this is a 4WD vehicle.

The front hubs and CV shafts are poorly sealed. Furthermore, the inner axle seal on the back of the knuckle is a flimsy part. It's very difficult to keep grit out of there, and what's worse, I have the feeling that the assembly is done poorly because I've seen a number of these from out here in the dryest of dry lands, where there IS NO RUST involved, and the inner seal has lost it's garter srping.

To booger up a garter spring is pretty easy, you just have to slam the parts together when you assemble them. You can knock the garter spring right off of the seal from the inside and then it quickly eats the rubber where it now crosses over the lip.

On the other hand, if you snap it together respectfully, and the garter spring stays in place, the seal can last a long long time (as long as it's sealing surface is basically clean).

Personally, I think they've got a disgruntled worker on the assembly line smashing seals out of spite.

The other thing that I've noticed is that of my friends who tend to play in the water, there's a lot more rust in the space between the hub/spindle assembly and the steering knuckle. That's not an interference fit. It slides together easily so there's at least 5 thou of clearance all the way around.

My recommendation, if you're going to drive this thing in water, is to assemble that spindle/hub part into the knuckle using a bead of black RTV. I recommend and use "The Right Stuff" by Permatex for almost all such applications, as long as both mating surfaces are ferrous metals. If one or both is aluminum I'd recommend "Anerobic Gasket Maker", also I think a Permatex product...

If you keep the sealing surface on the CV axle clean at the time of assembly, baby the inner axle seal, and use RTV around the spindle assembly, that space should stay rust free.

 

Found out today I have to replace mine. Shop wants an exorbitant amount for labor. They went with the expensive parts too. Might I ask how long it took you and how much it cost you in parts to DIY?

 

Parts online seem to be around $200 shipped for the bearing, 2 seals, and o-ring. Just htought i'd revive this thread since My fj is at the stealership for one of these repairs.

They're charging 685-750 for parts and labor. I had to put out $100 for a 2-day car rental, too, since they're keeping the car overnight.

 

WOW! :jawdrop: The shop I used (off road shop) charged a little less than $500 to replace mine + did a front brake job (including turning rotors) (I did buy the pads) and changed my front and rear diff fluids! and did this in about 4 hours!

 

Great write up.

 

I am have a clanking noise lately that I hear (definitely) from the front end as I go over speed bump and even smaller "cracks" in parking lots etc. It is a new noise that was not there for the for first 60,000 miles. I have checked all the suspension components, sway bar, skid plates, etc. and everything is solid. I can't for the life of me figure our what is "clanking!" The sound is similar to is the sway bar was hardly touching a skid plate (had this happen when lift was first installed). It's not a thump or a thud like two parts contacting with heavy force. Could this be because the bearings have gone bad?

If not... any ideas what else I should check up front!?!?

 

I wouldn't think this is a bearing sound. When my drivers side was going out, it sounded similar to the brake pads rubbing the rotors. It was more of a "circular" noise than a clunk. I did have a clunking noise when my lift was installed, we managed to lose a spacer for the shock and it clunked on every bump until Toyota got me a new one in.

 

Just another possibility..... I had a similar noise that only occurred when I hit certain types of bumps and it turned out to be a loose factory skid plate up front. One of the 4 bolts that held it backed completely out and disappeared and when I tweaked the chassis just right, it would make contact with the frame.

DEWFPO

 

I just double checked all the skid bolts and none were lose. I also jacked up each front side and did the 12:00/6:00 wobble and did not have any play. With no play does that mean my bearings ARE still GOOD... or can they go bad (= noise) and still not wobble?

This clanking is driving me nuts! I know my FJ is 5 years old now... but honestly,I drive like a granny and it is as clean as the day it left the lot... I just don't think there should be ANY clanking like this without something being wrong. I hope this doesn't turn into a mystery clank. My last clank was the transfer case skid just rubbing the bud built skid at stop lights, I guess more of a vibration....but that was an easy fix.

I can lift the front end a few inches and let go and get a pretty good amount of play, but no clank. Whatever it is takes the force of the FJ moving to put it into play. ICON factory tech (just in case I missed something obvious...and I was at ICON anyway) checked my coilovers, upper arms, sway bar, etc. and only found play in the front CV shafts at each inner side, where it enters the front diff. When pushing up the play would make a clank sound, but not very loud at all, and it seems this play is standard and would have been there from day one (and not all of the sudden make noise over speed bumps, dips, etc)!?!?

Sorry to temp highjack this thread! But... any other thoughts on what to check for source of clank!?!?

 

Does the noise seem to eminate from one side or the other? Wheel bearings typically go one at a time.

DEWFPO

 

Re: Re: Hub/Wheel bearing failure and replacement



No. Doesn't seem to be one side or the other. Maybe I need to have someone stand on top of a speed bump, on both side, as go over it.... to see if it is obviously one side or the other. Or maybe to get a better idea of location up front. It really is driving me nuts.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AutoGuide App