Good write up. I googled and found this to confirm my suspicions on my car. Very helpful!!!
I performed the repair on the right, rear wheel this morning on my 2006 rx330. I already had both a 30 and 32mm deep well twelve point socket in my arsenal, and it turns out you will need a 30mm for a 2006. The entire job took me about an hour. I did a couple things a little different. To loosen the axle nut, I placed a long pry bar between two of the wheel studs and let the pry bar push against the garage floor, at the same time prying on the breaker bar with the 30mm socket on the end. This saved a lot of time and lifting as opposed to putting the tire back on and letting the jack down to keep the hub from spinning. I also used a small torch and heated 6 areas around the axle nut to break it free, as i had no success with my first attempt. Heating the nut allowed it to spin off with almost no effort.
After the nut was off, rather than hitting the end of the axle shaft with a hammer, I used a $30 gear puller. The gear puller popped the hub and brake dust plate off with just a couple turns.
Lastly, I know that this will make some of you cringe, but I opted for a hub/bearing set that cost only $58.00. Only time will tell, but I've changed a hub bearing or two in my lifetime, and they always outlast the car after being changed. The OEM hub lasted until about 107,000 miles. If this one goes out before the next 107,000, I'll just change it again. If it only lasts 10,000 miles, then I will upgrade to the $150 Timken hub I found.
As a side note, prior to deciding which side needed to be changed, I sat in both sides of the rear seat while my wife was driving. The noise was twice as loud on the right.
The best sound I've heard in the last few months was actually silence from the rear during my test drive after repairs. What a relief that was. "Honey, do you hear that? Hear what? Exactly."
Dealer quote: $1250
Total cost: $58.00
Tony
Good write up. I googled and found this to confirm my suspicions on my car. Very helpful!!! I performed the repair on the right, rear wheel this morning on my 2006 rx330. I already had both a 30 and 32mm deep well twelve point socket in my arsenal, and it turns out you will need a 30mm for a 2006. The entire job took me about an hour. I did a couple things a little different. To loosen the axle nut, I placed a long pry bar between two of the wheel studs and let the pry bar push against the garage floor, at the same time prying on the breaker bar with the 30mm socket on the end. This saved a lot of time and lifting as opposed to putting the tire back on and letting the jack down to keep the hub from spinning. I also used a small torch and heated 6 areas around the axle nut to break it free, as i had no success with my first attempt. Heating the nut allowed it to spin off with almost no effort. After the nut was off, rather than hitting the end of the axle shaft with a hammer, I used a $30 gear puller. The gear puller popped the hub and brake dust plate off with just a couple turns. Lastly, I know that this will make some of you cringe, but I opted for a hub/bearing set that cost only $58.00. Only time will tell, but I've changed a hub bearing or two in my lifetime, and they always outlast the car after being changed. The OEM hub lasted until about 107,000 miles. If this one goes out before the next 107,000, I'll just change it again. If it only lasts 10,000 miles, then I will upgrade to the $150 Timken hub I found. As a side note, prior to deciding which side needed to be changed, I sat in both sides of the rear seat while my wife was driving. The noise was twice as loud on the right. The best sound I've heard in the last few months was actually silence from the rear during my test drive after repairs. What a relief that was. "Honey, do you hear that? Hear what? Exactly." Dealer quote: $1250 Total cost: $58.00 Tony
