Bearings Repack In 97 Lx 450

[Options20002001]

I want the front and rear axles bearings repacked in my 97 LX 450. I checked with my local Toyota dealership and they want $390 per axle. Then I checked with Midas and they want $200 for the front and said that only the front can be done as the rear gets constant lubrication from the rear differential (?). Is this true? Why would Toyota quote me $390 per axle? I actually went over to the Midas shop and their master technician showed me the front and rear axles explaining that the rear is (sealed) pressed. He further said that seldom people get the front bearings repacked before 120k. My truck has ~105k miles. What do you guys think?

Thanks.

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[dougjohn2]

What ever you decide to do, DON'T LET MIDAS TOUCH YOUR VEHICLE. What they said about the rear bearings is not true (check the threads below for more information).

Dealership prices tend to be a bit high, but about $400 per axle is what they charge around my area.

It's not difficult to you yourself, just VERY MESSY and a bit on the timeconsuming side. I did my front bearings when I replaced my front rotors. It was an all-day job, but I got it done. I did have a couple friends who've done it before near by and also had the factory service manual for reference.

If you read the threads, you'll come across a guy with the forum name of elmariachi. Jim's in Houston too -- he made a DVD that he's selling that goes through the entire front axle service process. It covers the wheel bearing repack as part of this process. He seems like a very nice guy. He might be able to suggest a shop for you in your area if you're not inclined to do the work yourself.

Some threads to read:

rear:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=432304#post432304

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52051

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52220

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=48493

front:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=51303

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=44886

Cheers.

[Options20002001]

What ever you decide to do, DON'T LET MIDAS TOUCH YOUR VEHICLE.  What they said about the rear bearings is not true (check the threads below for more information).

Dealership prices tend to be a bit high, but about $400 per axle is what they charge around my area.

It's not difficult to you yourself, just VERY MESSY and a bit on the timeconsuming side.  I did my front bearings when I replaced my front rotors.  It was an all-day job, but I got it done.  I did have a couple friends who've done it before near by and also had the factory service manual for reference.

If you read the threads, you'll come across a guy with the forum name of elmariachi.  Jim's in Houston too -- he made a DVD that he's selling that goes through the entire front axle service process.  It covers the wheel bearing repack as part of this process.  He seems like a very nice guy.  He might be able to suggest a shop for you in your area if you're not inclined to do the work yourself.

Some threads to read:

rear:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=432304#post432304

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52051

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=52220

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=48493

front:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=51303

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=44886

Cheers.

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Thanks...I really appreciate this. I am o.k. tackling electronics stuff but tend to stay away from "heavy" mechanical jobs. This one seems like a "heavy" mechanical job to me. Thus, I will contact Jim to locate a (credible) shop.

Options

[Rookie]

The first thread is straight money. Those guys have got their act together! :D

[dougjohn2]

The first thread is straight money.  Those guys have got their act together!  :D

←

I was wondering when you'd chime in with a comment like that :P

You're right though...they do know what they're doing

[Rookie]

The first thread is straight money.  Those guys have got their act together!  :D

←

I was wondering when you'd chime in with a comment like that :P

You're right though...they do know what they're doing

←

:D LOL

I figured that comment would solicit some wrenching apparel abuse from you . You're just a better man than me Dougjohn.

[Jim_Chow]

If you follow the 80-series threads on ih8mud, the recommended repack interval is 30K miles for the wheel bearings themselves, 60K miles for the birfield joint & bearings. I believe the dealer price is only the wheel bearings. The 60K birfield repack involves replacing those bearings, dealer price is more like $800. The risk you run by not repacking the birfields is wear, which is detected as a "click" sound as you turn sharply while driving slowly. FYI, replacement birfields are pricey. The wheel bearing repack is merely time consuming, but it'll save you hundreds of $ over the years. The parts are cheap (2 oil seals, grease, paper gaskets...maybe $30 total). First time it took me 5 hrs to do one wheel (had to disassemble locking freehubs, too), then 3 hrs for the second. Second repack took only @ 3 hrs, plus another hour for cleanup. The beauty of Toyota trucks is, once you can repack one vehicle (say, an old mini 4wd pickup or LC), you can do any...tools are even the same. If it makes you feel better, on an old 4runner, I didn't do the first wheel bearing repack until 102K mi...bearings were still fine. Now, I do them every 30-40K mi, and original bearings (Koyo) are still good at 186K mi.

[Options20002001]

If you follow the 80-series threads on ih8mud, the recommended repack interval is 30K miles for the wheel bearings themselves, 60K miles for the birfield joint & bearings. I believe the dealer price is only the wheel bearings. The 60K birfield repack involves replacing those bearings, dealer price is more like $800. The risk you run by not repacking the birfields is wear, which is detected as a "click" sound as you turn sharply while driving slowly. FYI, replacement birfields are pricey. The wheel bearing repack is merely time consuming, but it'll save you hundreds of $ over the years. The parts are cheap (2 oil seals, grease, paper gaskets...maybe $30 total). First time it took me 5 hrs to do one wheel (had to disassemble locking freehubs, too), then 3 hrs for the second. Second repack took only @ 3 hrs, plus another hour for cleanup. The beauty of Toyota trucks is, once you can repack one vehicle (say, an old mini 4wd pickup or LC), you can do any...tools are even the same. If it makes you feel better, on an old 4runner, I didn't do the first wheel bearing repack until 102K mi...bearings were still fine. Now, I do them every 30-40K mi, and original bearings (Koyo) are still good at 186K mi.

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Jim,

Thanks for info. What is "birfield repack"? I had read about it on ih8mud site and I can't figure out what it is? What additional parts are needed for this repack over just bearings repack? Does Jim's (the one in Houston) DVD cover the birfield repack too? How much a Toyota dealer would charge for this service?

Thanks again.

Options

[dougjohn2]

A birfield repack covers the removing the front wheel knuckle, removing the grease from this knuckle and repacking it with grease. Yes, the DVD covers this process -- in fact that is the purpose of the DVD, a birfield repack. If you were to do this yourself, you would want to have the Factory Service Manual (FSM) as well to guide you through the process. If you contact CruiserDan (you can find his contact info on IH8MUD.com) he has a birfield repack "kit" with all the seals, bearings, etc. you'd need to replace.

Dealership pricess for front axle service run anywhere from $800 to $1000 (at Toyota) to $1200 to $1500 (at Lexus) depending on which dealership you go to. Cost to you in materials is less than $200 (for grease, cleaners, shop towels, paper towels, "kit", etc.) It's not difficult...just messy and time consuming.