Wife's sequoia has humming/whirring noise at 35+mph. Has not changed much in two years. Shop says it is a rear wheel bearing but advises for us to wait for the noise to increase to the point they can determine which one is bad???? It drives me crazy every time I ride in it. I understand sequoias have had some wheel bearing issues. Questions : What is the degree of difficulty in replacement? Chilton's manual is a bit thin on info and the exploded view diagram leaves much to be desired, does anyone have a Toyota shop manual breakdown? Is there a way to correctly determine the correct wheel? Are there any other parts beyond the sealed hub ($215 OEM) that should be replaced in process.
As a baseline for my mechanical competence I just did my Tundra timing belt etc.
To all who offer help on these posts I would like to extend a really sincere thanks for your efforts. It is a real boost to the confidence of us weekend warrior mechanics

I'm actually about to embark on a similar job on my 2001 Sequoia rear bearings. I already paid to have the front ones done by a local shop. $400 later, it turns out the noise was coming from the REAR bearings. This explains why my normal test to see if the bearings are good didn't work...

What you want to do is jack up the car and get each wheel turning one by one. Usually I like to put the car in drive and stick my foot as a wedge on one wheel so only one side turns. If your bearings are bad on that wheel you'll hear it (so long as it's quiet around). The problem with MY Sequoia was that I only did this test on the FRONT wheels. Since I don't have a 4x4, I'll probably try just spinning each wheel listening for the tell-tale sound of grinding metal...

As far as the difficulty, if you're fine with pulling the axle nut, you should be good... I did a blog on the bearing job I did on my Mitsubishi a while ago. I found some YouTube videos that really helped me get through the job with little difficulty:

Can YouTube Fix My Car? Tranquility Computers (http://www.tranquilitycomputers.com/can-youtube-fix-my-car/)

Good luck and don't forget to share your experience here!!

...And I could also be talking out of my own posterior!! The rear bearings look to be a nightmare --primarily because this is a rear-wheel-drive. You have to deal with the drive axles and not just a little bearing assembly. I'm seriously considering biting the bullet and paying to have the work done...

Any updates to share??? Through the process of elimination, it appears I've got bearing issues as well. Just sizing up best approach (DIY or Stealership).

Thx
Kenreau

Just following up for others benefit. It turns out the noise was a front wheel bearing going out. I got two quotes, one from an independent and one from the dealer. They were both right at $400... with a few seals and abs parts, total was about $480 for parts and labor. Rolls quiet again.