MR2 Roadster Owners Club

The Workshop => Maintenance, Problems & Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Kimitech on May 24, 2015, 13:02

Title: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Kimitech on May 24, 2015, 13:02
Hello,
I´ll probably need to replace my front right wheel bearing.
Did it somebody before - just the bearing itself? How many of them is needed, assume only one.

To that purpose I would seriously appreciate some exploded view of the front hub, own tips and tricks.

Thanks
Kamil
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: cptspaulding on May 24, 2015, 13:45
The bearing is part of the hub c/w ABS sensor. Have to replace the entire hub.

About £250 for the genuine Toyota part or £50-60 for e-Bay after market part.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: StuC on May 24, 2015, 13:57
What are your symptoms?
Are you running stock wheels?

I ask as they don't fail very often.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Kimitech on May 24, 2015, 16:51
I have not checked it yet. But when turning right during the drive, it slightly vibrates and makes noise, not when turning left.
Stock wheels in a poor condition. Have not got a time to inspect it first.

I believe it does not have to be replaced by the entire hub.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: mrzwei on May 24, 2015, 19:15
What you describe does suggest a wheel bearing issue.
I think you can buy a wheel bearing kit but for the cost of the aftermarket ones on ebay it would be easier to buy the complete hub. I don't know what costs are like where you are though.
It can be a problem trying to remove the bearing without access to a press.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: gazza1286 on May 24, 2015, 19:31
 m http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 42&alt=web (http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=321746955142&alt=web) m

The complete unit for £50 from TCB. Not worth trying to split them at that price and no press required.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: colin123bell on May 24, 2015, 19:59
having my first hub changed next week they are best to fit on  front as whole hub as 2 to 3 hr hr job at garage
 then just brg change with press  on rear ones as front are quick release if you catch the mechanic garage bill its very fair on front so buy hub for 50 on ebay and go for it its the best option.rear ones take longer .
and do both at a close interval say a month of each other as it helps all round quietness and new showroom car feel come back,car will feel like new with both front done
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: colin123bell on May 24, 2015, 20:19
Quote from: "mrzwei"What you describe does suggest a wheel bearing issue.
I think you can buy a wheel bearing kit but for the cost of the aftermarket ones on ebay it would be easier to buy the complete hub. I don't know what costs are like where you are though.
It can be a problem trying to remove the bearing without access to a press.
can the hub split easy?????have you tried it as its a small hub hence special pull apart tooling or can you press out as abs sensor gubbins in the way maybe...
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Markb on May 24, 2015, 20:25
No need to do them all,do them as they fail (which isn't very often).......haven't done a front before on an mr2 but have done similar bolt on hub units on other cars.....i would say a 30-40 min job. At £50 its not worth messing about with imo.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Kimitech on May 24, 2015, 20:31
The bearing itself costs £20 here. So worth to maintaint the OEM hub and replace just the bearing I believe.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: mrzwei on May 24, 2015, 21:32
Quote from: "colin123bell"
Quote from: "mrzwei"What you describe does suggest a wheel bearing issue.
I think you can buy a wheel bearing kit but for the cost of the aftermarket ones on ebay it would be easier to buy the complete hub. I don't know what costs are like where you are though.
It can be a problem trying to remove the bearing without access to a press.
can the hub split easy?????have you tried it as its a small hub hence special pull apart tooling or can you press out as abs sensor gubbins in the way maybe...

Never had to do it on the Roadster.
Last time was on a Clio. Much bashing with a suitable sized socket, a lot of heating with a blow torch, loads of PlusGas, had to count to ten overnight, lost the ball bearings trying to get the new one in so probably a bit of grit in the cage, but apart from that, a piece of *iss really.  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Kimitech on May 26, 2015, 12:07
So no tips and tricky for removal of just the bearing on this particular car?
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Jon_G on April 30, 2016, 12:51
Hi all,

I thought I'd resurrect this thread rather than starting a new one. After putting up with a random, occasional, non-specific hum for over a year, the problem has at last become significant enough for me to confidently diagnose that the cause is the front nearside wheel bearing.

I was briefly excited to see the link to a relatively cheap replacement hub assembly, but unfortunately that offer has expired. I found these current offerings on eBay, but they are double the price (but nevertheless far cheaper than from a dealer)...
 m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252168325111? ... EBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252168325111?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) m
 m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300777061379? ... EBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300777061379?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) m

Can anyone recommend a different (cheaper) supplier? Has anyone used these ones I've found? Any tips on doing the job (although I do have a DVD manual on the job)?

Thanks
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: 1979scotte on April 30, 2016, 12:59
Parts are still listed on tcb parts web site.
Have you called them about availability.
I know they are still short of steering uj.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: lamcote on April 30, 2016, 13:00
That is not a bad option I reckon.

I have found a lot of negative reviews about the quality of bearings produced by the companies that manufacture the ones that sell for £50-60.

SKF are supposed to be good generally.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Jon_G on April 30, 2016, 13:25
Quote from: "1979scotte"Parts are still listed on tcb parts web site.
Have you called them about availability.
I know they are still short of steering uj.
Oh yeah, just found them! £33.66 + VAT. I'll give them a call... Thanks


Quote from: "lamcote"That is not a bad option I reckon.

I have found a lot of negative reviews about the quality of bearings produced by the companies that manufacture the ones that sell for £50-60.

SKF are supposed to be good generally.
Any negative reviews on this particular supplier?
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: lamcote on April 30, 2016, 13:43
The poor reviews were for WJB Bearings, that is the bearing MANUFACTURER not the supplier. (I have heard nothing bad about TCB, in fact quite the reverse.)


I don't know which make of bearing TCB supply.

N.B. I have no personal experience of either WJB or TCB!!
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: FilipK on May 2, 2016, 16:22
Hey Jon_G,
Any news from TCB? I was wondering if that's the right part as it says "Japanese Pattern Part" - not sure what this refers to?
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: StuC on May 2, 2016, 16:27
I was thinking about replacing mine with a factored part. In the end I went OE, as they are such a rare failure.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: FilipK on May 2, 2016, 17:03
Is the TCB a factored part? I tried calling them just now but could not get through.

EDIT: Shit, it is bank holiday today isn't it?
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: StuC on May 2, 2016, 17:28
Yup, today is a BH.  s;-) ;-) s;-)  
What's left of it anyway.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: FilipK on May 2, 2016, 17:35
Luckily, they still answer e-mails!
Had a bit of a daft moment, never realised that "Pattern part" means it's manufactured by someone else.
Anyway, long story short the pattern ones are not available, only the genuine Toyota ones. Does that mean that the next cheapest option is the links posted above by Jon_G?
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Jon_G on May 4, 2016, 11:44
Quote from: "FilipK"Luckily, they still answer e-mails!
Had a bit of a daft moment, never realised that "Pattern part" means it's manufactured by someone else.
Anyway, long story short the pattern ones are not available, only the genuine Toyota ones. Does that mean that the next cheapest option is the links posted above by Jon_G?
I caIled them this morning and - as you've already reported - they are indeed out of stock (and do not know when that stock may be replenished, if ever).

Those eBay ones are the cheapest alternatives that I found, but I'd expect to find them cheaper if I keep looking. To be honest, I was hoping for recommendations, as cheap-ish parts can sometimes be of a poor standard. I was willing to take a risk with those very cheap ones though, and then refurbish the removed hub assembly with a new bearing. We can't have the car off the road for very long as it's in regular use for work.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: FilipK on May 4, 2016, 15:31
I found Tora (Japanese company) wheel hub bearings in Poland (that's where I am originally from) for 35 quid - just so happens that I am going for a stag do there next Friday and will pick them up, but the sellers said they're willing to ship overseas if prepaid. Quite a difference seeing as my garage quoted me 360 quid fully fitted...
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Jon_G on May 4, 2016, 18:39
Well that's almost exactly one third the price of the one I ordered...
 m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300777061379? ... EBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300777061379?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) m

I'm a little disappointed at the cost, but it now appears to be an easy task to swap over the hubs. We've owned this MR2 from new and (apart from the radiator and the alarm) it's about the first major thing that's needed attention, so I can't complain.

I've bought a fair number of suspension and steering parts for my Honda Accord diesel (which has covered an almost intergalactic mileage) from that seller and never had a problem that wasn't easily sorted out by a phone call.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: Jon_G on May 9, 2016, 20:47
The hub assembly arrived as promised, I've fitted it and all is now good.

The job was a little worse than expected, mostly because, as well as the expected 4 bolts, the hub assembly is a push-fit into the suspension leg and 13 years of corrosion had to be overcome using a club hammer and bolster chisel to actually get the hub shifted. Additionally, the heads of each mounting bolts are disproportionately small (only 12mm AF) resulting in a high risk of rounding the heads off while initially 'cracking' them undone... in fact I felt one beginning to give, so switched the 12mm socket to a 7/16" socket as it was a slightly tighter fit.

Tightening torques:-
4 x hub retaining bolts = 41 ft.lb
Brake calliper bracket/carrier = 80 ft.lb
Brake calliper slider bolts = 25 ft.lb
Wheel nuts = 76 ft.lb

My workshop manual (a collection of PDFs on a DVD bought from eBay) does describe how to strip down the hub assembly and replace the actual bearing, but it looks like a lot of effort with the additional risk of damaging the ABS sensor.

I pulled off the remaining tatters of the front disc splash shields a couple of years ago. If you wanted to replace a shield, then doing it as part of this job would be ideal, as the shield is held on by the hub assembly. However, if your splash shields were in a poor state, then the battering they'd get whilst doing this job could well finish them off!
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: lgriffiths on June 5, 2017, 23:08
Resurrecting this thread again - makes searching easier.

Anyone tried Koyo bearings, they claim to be the same as the Toyota ones.
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: SombreroPeak on June 7, 2017, 22:43
Yes, I had on fitted by Steve at D1 about 8 months ago. He rates them highly and it has been faultless in that time. I'm pretty sure he confirmed that they produce them for Toyota
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: lgriffiths on June 9, 2017, 21:36
Ordered a koyo bearing from TCB on eBay for £99.50 - arrived a day late, but very well packaged. Due to be fitted on monday  :-) :-) :-)
Title: Re: Front wheel bearing
Post by: SombreroPeak on June 10, 2017, 06:45
Result!