Front Wheel Bearing

[imdav2u]

My 04 4Runner has a wheel bearing going out.It only has 69,000 miles.Is this a common problem? Toyota wants $800 ,local Dobbs tire and auto wants $530.Anyone else have this problem with this few miles?

[Tundradrenalin]

ok, first, who said it's bad and how did they notify you of it? second, bearings are a sloppy gooey job and required a few hours of labor, yet $800 is still high to me.

If it were me, and I had to pay someone else to do it, I'd ask one more place and get my prices nice and averaged. Then I'd ask the bottom two to fight for my business.

Usually bearings go bad prematurely when they've been under abnormal stress, such as when a truck has a lift kit installed for a while. The lift puts stress on the bearings that they wouldn't normally have. Same goes for wheel spacers, the axle length is increased thus giving undo stress to the bearings. Running larger than stock tires also can do a number on the bearings. ......ironically my truck has all of those things.

[imdav2u]

No lift kit,all original.Growling noise from front end,sounds like off road tires.Had the noise,purchased new tires,noise still there.Noise goes away when turning,like going around a corner.

[eric-the-red]

Originally Posted by imdav2u

No lift kit,all original.Growling noise from front end,sounds like off road tires.Had the noise,purchased new tires,noise still there.Noise goes away when turning,like going around a corner.

Which wheel is it and which turning direction makes the noise go away. If it's a wheel bearing the noise usually gets worse when the worn bearing is on the outside of a turn as it gets loaded more. A left turn will load the right front wheel and unload the left front wheel so in that case a worn left front bearing might get quieter. It would be the opposite for the right side.

[imdav2u]

I'll have to drive it,now that you said that,I do notice the noise only goes away on certain turns.

[indy500]

I just bought(last Week) an 04 sr5 with 71K...Part of the deal was put tires on it and have it aligned. The guy who installed the tires noticed the bad bearing on mine. When Off the ground the tire had some wiggle. I called the dealer, They quoted Approx $200 for the hub, $200 for the bearing, $20 for the seal, and the book called for 5 hr labor. i went back to the guy i bought it from and he made good no questions asked.
When i asked the delaer if this was commom, he said no, but has seen a few go bad with such low miles...

[imdav2u]

Had it fixed today.$331.12.Independant mechanic.

[69tundra]

I think Im about to go through the same situation with the wheel bearings. I have 67,000 miles on my stock 05 tundra.

[Ed_T]

Just had the driver side front hub replaced at dealer, about $600. Was growling for awhile.

~140,000 miles at replacement. They stethoscoped the pass side and could hear it but said wait it wasn't noisy enough to replace.

Maybe I'll have an indie do it if it goes.

2003 4Runner V-6 purch new. Sees mainly highway miles.

[Alligatorgar]

Living in Louisiana my whole life running my truck through flooded streets every time it rains (it seems) I can attest that running through high water allot wears out the front end parts and the wheel bearings. Water seems to find a way in somehow causing bearing pitting. After years of this Ive learned to run my truck for at least an hour at 70 If Ive run through the high water. This is a headache with traffic and time wasted but it does cut down on wheel bearings.

[kevincook]

My wife's 04 4runner needs a new right front wheel bearing. I just picked up the part while I am doing a brake job. Can someone tell me how to get the old front wheel bearing off?

I'm guessing I need to disconnect the axle shaft someplace. Is this correct? I don't want to start tearing things apart that don't need to come apart. I have the rotor/caliper off and I have removed the hub nut. It looks like if I can get the hub off I'll be able to get at the bearing module.

Thanks,
Kevin