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Rear wheel bearing replacement?

15K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  Funkycheeze 
#1 ·
Has anyone here replaced all four rear bearings and seals? The section of the TSRM that explains this procedure is seven pages long and requires special tools! I plan to do the rear wheel bearings, sway bars, shocks, and springs at the same time in two weeks when my 3.73s show up. If anyone has some tips on this please lay 'em on me!

thanks,
wt
 
#2 ·
I'd take the arm off and take it to a machine shop. You need a big ole press to get the axle out. Good time to replace the rear arm bushings while you are there.
 
#4 ·
Replacing the rear wheel bearings was one of the first big mechanical undertakings I ever did with a car. I replaced the rear wheel bearings on my 85 Celica GTS shortly after I bought it 11 years ago. The TSRM tells you everything you need to do step-by-step. If followed properly it can be considered somewhat easy, in a sense. The only special tool you'll need is an axle puller. Do the free tool rental from Auto Zone for this one. Attach the axle puller to the lugnut studs, give a few pulls on the handle ram and, bingo, the axle pulls out with ease.

DO NOT attempt what I did. I tried to hammer the axles out from the inside out. One side came out fine, the other side I totally boogered up the threads and was damn lucky that they could be rethreaded with a die and saved. Otherwise I would have needed to buy a new axle.

Also, you will need a socket or some other solid cylindrical object to use as a press when hammering in the new oil seals and bearing races.

If this is your first time set aside atleast a day, maybe the weekend so you can take your time, learn as you go and do it properly.

King of the hill,
Scott
 
#5 ·
O.K. like an idiot I'm trying to do this myself.

So far everything came appart ... with a big F@#king hammer and I've even gotten the new races hammered in. The seals will be a piece of cake after doing the bearing races.

What's got me is installing the axel and not having the special tool for pulling the inner and outer hubs together. I realize that both the bearings will be a press fit on the axel and have to be "pressed" down the shaft by the hubs being pulled together with the special tool.

Step 1.c is the bugger.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK2/manual.aspx?S=RA&P=9

I was hoping there would be enough threads that I could just put on the nut and crank on it but ... nope. I can get 2 threads on ... without a washer ... and I need a washer.

I'm taking home a cooler of dry ice tonight and I'll freeze the axel but I don't think it will be enough to make it slide in without "some" force. (more like a B.F.H.)

Any thoughts? How did you guys do this step?

Also, does it matter how the inner and outer hub are clocked to one another?

Thanks,

Morgan.
 
#6 ·
I've done one side, have the parts for the other side, but haven't done it yet because it's such a pita. It's basically like installing a pinion gear with the two conical bearings and the crush collar. I did the one side with an air hammer, a bearing press, a cut off wheel, and some other stuff I don't remember. I want to do the other side....but dang it's a crappy job to do!
 
#7 ·
Using an old axle nut, short piece of tubing and 6" of threaded rod I used my welder to make my own SST to pull the axle and new bearings into place. Took all of 20 minutes to make and worked perfect. Getting the axles out was a PIA though. Made a large drift pin to register on the end of the axle without messing up threads and used a large hammer to knock them out. Took a few good whacks but they came right out. Definitely remove the arms from the car to get room to work.

Keith
 
#9 ·
Sweet! Those are both great ideas.

I'll try the air hammer first, well simply because it's sitting on the floor beside the axel already. I'll cut a 2x4 and brace the inside flange against the frame somewhere so it can't move too far and then the outside flange will get the air hammer.

Failing that ... I could build the threaded rod number. I'll have to go get a spare axel nut but I know where I can get one. Why didn't I think about replacing the inner flange with a piece of tube so a regular nut had room. D'oh! Way to be creative.

Anybody can do a tricky job with the proper tools ... but it takes a special kind of person to it without them.

Thanks guys.
 
#10 ·
DO NOT HAMMER ON THE OUTSIDE FLANGE!!!!!!! You stand a good chance of bending it. The joker who removed my 5 stud axles in Australia did that to one of them and knocked the flange out by .010 so I had to get it remachined so the rotor ran staight.

Keith
 
#11 ·
Well it's all done. Air hammed worked great. I didn't even have to brace the inside flange. I just held it in place with one hand and air hammered the outside flange with the other. 15 seconds later it was in far enough to get the main nut and washer on and it pulled in the rest of the way without a hitch. Main nut ended up torqued to about 90ft-lbs with a rotational preload of 2 in-lbs. Both perfectly in spec. WOO-Fricken-hoo.

For the record ... I will never attempt this job again without a proper set of seal and bearing race drivers. Dissasembly was a bit of a pain ... but no so bad as to scare me off the next one. Pressing in the new bearing races and seals sucked ass big time. Definatly a proper tool sort of job.

I had a major issue with the inside seal as the tube diameter was smaller at the outside edge then it was deeper in the tube. The seal was pressing in well and all of a sudden "pop" it was 2" deeper and completely lose. WTF???
I had cleaned up the inside if the tube with a die grinder and small wire wheel so it either rusted more on the inside the tube then at the end or the welding durring manufacture of the trailing arm caused the tube the warp in. Some fancy punch work and I got it to snug up ... but I doubt it's a perfect seal. I'm not worried as I think it will still far outlast the rest of the car.

So thanks again guys. This jobs all wrapped up.
 
#12 ·
I will also confirm what a MAJOR MAJOR PITA it is to get it the axles out!! Little trick for getting the races out....a couple little welds along the race and it shrinks enough to EASILY come out. Just a tip...don't weld the inside surface of the hub!!

I would have had the control arm back together if Toyota didn't give me the wrong bearings!! Bah!!!! Not looking forward to the reassembly!

I was hoping to have the car back on wheels right now ...but that's not going to happen! Since I have one out of two bearings! Bahhhhh!!! Not a good weekend!!

Grant
 
#13 ·
an arbor press is highly reccomended - made this job child's play for me - took less than an hour after i machined a couple pieces of tube and bar to use as punches and stands in the press
 
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