I'm new to this forum and new to forums in general so bare with me. I have a 88 pickup and for about 2 months I have heard growling like my bearings are going out. When I turn right it goes away but its pretty constant if not louder when I turn left. I assume its my right front wheel bearings. Along with the growling the truck shakes too. Its not my daily driver so I dont have to worry about an immediate repair. If it is my bearings what brand do you recommend?

Also my driver floorboard is rusted through. Is there a website where I can order a new one?

 

A buddy of mine fixed his floorboard by welding in a flattened computer case. It seems any decently thick sheet metal will work. My dad and I fixed ours with fiberglass cloth and epoxy a couple of decades ago. It seemed to work pretty well until my bro wrecked the truck.

 

Hate to hear that. My biggest problem is at the bottom of the fender, where the the finder begins to roll. Also there is a small hole around my body mount. That is the main reason I want to get a complete one.

 

when were the wheel bearings last done?

 

timken bearings is what toyota used on these trucks. Autozone carries them if you have it locally, or you can get them online.

 

As far as I know they have never been done. The truck has 147k miles.

 

Eventually I plan on lifting and running 33's. Will the timken bearings be strong enough to withstand the extra weight?

 

New bearings at dealer or online vendor.

Weld in new metal.

:wabbit2:

 

This is not correct...

Nachi or KOYO are the OEM suppliers of bearings for Toyota.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/axle/fr...el-bearing-kit

 

So Nachi or Koyo is what I need to go with?

 

You can go with whatever, but KOYO or Nachi is what came with the truck.

I have never had either one of these bearing fail...

 

Alright brother. Thanks.

 

i would personally clean, inspect, repack, and get the proper preload on the bearings before making the decision to outright replace. not a hard replacement either way.

 

I cleaned and replaced the front bearings. Pretty sure I didn't preload them properly. I don't have a spring scale or know what the tension is supposed to be. But it still isn't riding like it should. Could be the preload or axle bearings?