4runner316

I have a 1990 4runner v6 4wd. Today I was doing some "urban off roading". Just simply drove over a few curbs and such. I then got on the freeway and eveything seemed fine. After about 2 miles on the freeway I exited again and began driving down a side street. I began hearing a noise similar to having a flat tire and the rubber flopping on the ground. I got out and checked my tires and everything looked fine. I began driving some more and the sound got worse and worse. Basically sounds like there is a clicking noise coming from my passenger rear tire area. Upon further inspection I realized there was gear oil all over the inside of the wheel. I got it towed to my mechanic (thanks to AAA) since I surely didnt want to damage anything any further.

My mechanic is going to check it out tomorrow morning. Anyone ever have this happen? From my understanding the only thing it could be is a locked up bearing? Any ideas as to what the repair cost might be? My mechanic mentioned something about having to take parts to a machine shop or something.

Thanks guys!

redhawk427

i had the exact same thing happen, with the same rig lol a few years ago. i believe i ended up replacing the wheel seals(cheap) and the wheel bearing(not cheap). you have to have the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in by a special machine. i believe there are ways to do it on your own but i cant remember. but i remember the bearing itself was like $90. which isnt like outrageous but it just sucks. the wheel seels i think were like $10-$15 a piece and i believe there was 2. you'll also need new diff oil, considering alot leaked out. now what i explained is best case scenario. worst, would be that it screwed up your gears, which i have no idea how likely that is. someone else will post on here about that. did you by any chance go through deep water? enough to cover your rear differential?

redhawk427

oh i forgot to mention, it cost me like $75 to have the machine shop press the bearings

2DoorRunner

Read this.
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...wheel_bearing/

2DoorRunner

Napa should do the bearings (press old off and new on) for like 30 bucks i think.

4runner316

Nope - no deep water. Shoot I dont think it has rained here it Phoenix for about 6 months or so!! What would cause this to happen? Is it just a freak occurence? Would driving over a few curbs really cause this to happen? I'm gonna read that article right now..

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Two friends I've had with similar scenarios....both with different causes.

1. He was 4wheeling and bent the rear axle housing, forcing the innards cockeyed and blew out the seals. His bearings, actually, were reusable, however the axle needed repair( often times, it needs to be replaced)

2. The second friend had simply worn out the bearings, blew the seal and then took it to Bear 4x4 Suspension and Alignment...letting them tackle the whole project.

I would recommend, considering you might not have much experience in this type repair, letting your mechanic handle it. First, you could just tell him, "I'd like a diagnosis and estimate." Then, you can be honest and tell him, "I'd like to save some cabbage here, so can I do the removal portion(if it's just seals and bearings) and let you have them pressed on? Will it save me some money?" Or, seeing as you tend to like this guy and seem to trust him(from your troubleshooting thread, lol)....you could just let him, as I said, handle the whole thing.

Just my 2cents......not implying you 'can't' handle it, 316.

4runner316

Got her fixed. I guess the bearing actually broke/snapped. He said he had never seen that before. The gear oil saturated the brake pads, so he recommend replacing the pads. I ended up paying $325 total with new brake pads on both sides. Hopefully that is a decent price for the fix.

iamsuperbleeder

LOL, you're luck you didn't loose that axle!

that bearing is what keeps the axle shaft held into the tube

wouldn't have been the first time I've seen them slide out on the road upon bearing failure

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Right on, 316. That's not too bad a deal, ....don't sweat it, ...like Bleeder said, but in other words, ...IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE! Fhewwwwww, lol. .....Did he at least turn the rotors for ya? Or didn't they need it. Just curious.