Rear hub/bearing assembly replacement

by **Jeffrey Olson** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 10:16 am

I need to replace the left rear bearing and hub. I have a 99 6 cylinder SE. The Toyota people and my chiltons say I need to replace the whole assembly. Yet I bought a Timken 512009 bearing. It looks like the hub has a spindle that goes through the bearing. Can I separate the inner bearing and outer hub (the wheel bolts to the hub) and replace only the bearing assembly, or do I have to replace the whole unit.

by **CASTRO** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:03 pm

I replaced both front and rear bearings myself. For the rear, looks like you might have to replace the entire assembly since it has such a tight clearance. When I was looking at my old rear bearing assembly, it looks like you can have it pressed out, but in the manual as well as other mechanics I've talked to, they recommend to just replace it as a unit. I ordered an entire assembly from Toyota and put it in myself to be safe.

by **ZXLNT** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:40 am

Jeffery I had to replace a rear wheel bearing on my 96 camry. However it had drum brakes. The bearing and carrier should unbolt from the axle housing. 4 bolts and it should come right off. Then you will have to undo the nut that holds the spindle and the bearing carrier together. Once that is done you will need to press the spindle out of the bearing carrier. Then you should be able to press the bearing out of the carrier. However I think it would be easier to just buy a new bearing carrier assembly from a parts house and just replace the whole thing, than trying to press out the old bearing and press the new one it. Thats what I did. Not as cheap but less work for sure..

by **Jeffrey Olson** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:55 am

After reading a bit more and the responses to my original question, I decided to purchase the hub and bearing assembly rather than just the bearing. The bearing assy was $88. The whole hub/bearing assy, which involves removing the caliper and then four 14 mm bolts, as described above, is $255 plus $27 for overnight shipping - I'm headed to California in four days for three weeks. Pricey, but worth the peace of mind.

As an aside, the noise that's bugged me since I've had the car was diagnosed by Black Hills Toyota in Rapid City, SD to be the front left bearing. $180 later the noise remained. The mechanic finally checked the left rear and you can feel the metal to metal grinding when you turn the hub.

As another aside, the noise was diagnosed by many on the list to be a steering rack problem, because it happens only when the steering wheel is moved one or more degrees to the right, and the low vibration/hum can be felt with the feet. The noise doesn't happen when it is turned to the left.

by **ZXLNT** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 1:01 am

Wow 255? I think I only paid around 90 or so for the whole carrier assembly with bearing? The complete bearing carrier AND spindle from Toyota was closer to your pricing..

by **CASTRO** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:09 am

255 sounds about right, i paid i think 265 total from the toyota parts department for mine.

by **ZXLNT** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:28 am

For the hub/carrier or complete with spindle?

by **TadS** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:05 am

You should be able to get by cheaper, but you will need access to a press. I did one of the rears on my mom's Camry. Talk about a pain to diagnose. Lots of noise while driving, absolutely nothing loose when checked. I finally took the brake off and put a stethoscope on the bearing. I got the bearing at Advance, for about $90. Personally, I don’t think that it would be worth the extra cost just to get the whole hub assembly. It will only save you like 10 minutes. If you can’t get access to a press, I might just call a few shops for a quote, as they will be able to get the cheaper part and press it quickly. I don’t know what the labor rates are for the shops where you live, but I can’t imagine us charging more than 100 bucks labor for that job here, granted it might take us a month to get the part. :lol:

by **CASTRO** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:25 am

ZXLNT wrote:For the hub/carrier or complete with spindle?

complete assembly. just take out the 4 bolts and everything gets replaced. took only about 10-15min for the swap

by **ZXLNT** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:52 pm

Ah ok then thats closer to price I was quoted. I understood it as you just got the bearing and hub assembly sans spindle..

by **funboy102** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:16 am

Revival!

Well, I've been hearing a grinding noise coming from my left rear wheel area. I found out that it is the hub/bearing assembly after taking it to a mechanic. They want $650 to replace it. Now I want to know a few things.

Is this price fair? How much are parts only usually?

What happens if I don't replace it? (they said the wheels might fall off, is that really possible???)

Is this something I can do myself? (i've installed springs/struts, I replaced brake disc and pads, so I do got some mechanical skills)

Thank you SG!