| Author | Message | ||
     86129squids |
Hey folks, maybe someone can shed a little light on the subject... My GF has what we suspect to be a bad right rear wheel bearing, which produces a horrible, loud, low frequency whine at 70-80MPH. In the passenger seat, it resonates bad enough to just drive you batty. Ride quality isn't affected, just this dang resonant whine... Shop wants $340 for the job... our Clymer manual doesn't go into enough detail to make me feel good about a DIY just yet. I've done plenty of stuff like this, some things more difficult, and from what I gather it will involve removing the spindle assembly and a press out bad/press in good bearing procedure. I'm not worried about a mechanical failure just yet, but this really needs to be addressed and fixed. Anyone have a good angle on what this might take? I'd love to get enough info on the fix to DIY it... FWIW, this whole thing reminds me why I hugely prefer Haynes over Clymer, Haynes seems to always go into better detail, plus pics instead of crappy sketch drawings... HALP!  | ||
| Hootowl |
It could very well be tire noise. I would try rotating the tires before tearing into the bearing. If the noise changes, you've found your problem. | ||
| Hootowl |
And if it is the bearing, it looks pretty easy to replace. Front wheel drive, so you don't have to deal with drive shafts. Here's the entire hub assembly for under $50. This may not fit your car, I don't know what year it is, but it'll give you an idea of the cost. From the picture, it looks like the bearing comes out relatively easily, so you could just replace the bearing. http://www.am-autoparts.com/Toyota/Solara/wheel-be aring-hub-rear/AM-15858125/374305.html | ||
| Nukeblue |
if you do indeed need to remove the spindle & press the bearing out & back in i'd recommend having a shop do it. you can really screw up the bearing if it's not done just right. i hate those kind, the bolt in ones are much easier! | ||
| 86129squids |
Thanks Hoot- I went ahead and ordered it from my local guys, about $70, fella I spoke with said it looks to be a pretty easy fix. I have no idea why our mechanic quoted us $340 for the job... | ||
| Hootowl |
No problem, but you owe me a beer if we ever cross paths.  | ||
| Crackhead |
make sure you ordered the correct ABS or NON ABS hub. I believe the Camery/Solara have the sensor & tone ring integrated into the hub. | ||
| 86129squids |
Shade trees... good for fixin stuff, and for cold beer. As for ABS or no, pretty sure it's non ABS. So we'll die as soon as we have to slam on the brakes, crap.  | ||
| Nukeblue |
ok so it is a bolt in type then? cool. cake. thought you said it was press type | ||
| Crackhead |
Well, if it is ABS car and you put a non ABS hub in it it will throw a ABS code, depending on the year / gen Toyota disables the cruise control lights the dash up like it is a disco Christmas tree and will beep at you every few minutes. Oh and some state will not pass your emissions if any check light is on. | ||
| Fahren |
Sounds like you are already on your way... but does the sound change under heavy turning? With the bearings, the sound will change as the load increases or decreases on the wheel as you turn hard. | ||
| 86129squids |
Yeppers- on the highway, rolling through a long right sweep curve, the sound goes away. Gonna get at it here after some breakfast, hoping not to aggravate too bad a cracked rib from earlier in the week... OUCH. Oh well. It's just pain... heading to the beach tomorrow for some MUCH needed R&R, gotta giterduuun. | ||
| 86129squids |
... OK, after a fair amount of cussing, more pain than I needed, and using a breaker-bar, got the job done... sent her off for a test run up to 70-80, and no more noise! WOOHOO! I'd like to know 2 things though: One, why would a part that costs $50-75 to me, plus easy labor (relatively speaking, grrr...), add up to $340? I'm guessing they were planning to extract and replace bearings in the old hub- that's the only guess I have. Including a new lug-nut key and spare lugs (almost completed destroying the original), I've got less than $90 in the job. And FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHYYYYY do shop mechanics put on those lugs so tight?!?!? An air wrench in the hands of an idiot, no doubt- a tire change or flat repair roadside would be almost impossible without a breaker bar and some penetrating solvent...  Time for a cold one. | ||
| Bandm |
Book time severe is 1.8 hours x $120 = $216 + Hub, $75 cost x 2 = $150, total $366. This gets you a warranty, so $340 is not out of line. | ||
| Azxb9r |
why would a part that costs $50-75 to me, plus easy labor (relatively speaking, grrr...), add up to $340? Quality level of the parts in question. It is common for these sealed bearings to cost $200-$3oo just for the part (especially if the ABS sensor is integral with the bearing). I have run into several problems with cheap, poor quality replacement bearings failing prematurely. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
By coincidence, I did my wife's Corolla rear wheel bearing on Monday. I can't say it was painless as the cross-pein hammer and lots of swearing was needed to beak the rusty bastard loose. Failure reason: Cheesy sheet metal bearing cap rusted through. I guess bearings don't like salty sand? Perhaps I should enter this data in my notes. |
