Thread: Toyota Corolla - Not Land Rover - Mechanic Advice Needed

Originally Posted by garrycol

I put my RRS into the dealer this morning to get some recall work done. Was picked up by a Gen Y friend in his 96 Toyota Corolla Seca which has a dodgy front wheel bearing and which I advised him a month ago to get fixed.

Driving back home with wheel bearing screaming I decided the Corolla was unsafe to drive so drove him to work in my Freelander. I pulled the front left wheel off the Corolla and the bearing is not loose but feels very rough and dry. I go around to where the car is supposedly booked in but all closed for Christmas. I try another mechanic who says it has a needle bearing running in the hub and that if the bearing has gone the hub will have to be replaced (doesn't sound right).

The Toyota front suspension drive arrangement looks similar to a subaru and I have done those bearings a few times. However I do not have hub socket and other gear to do the job myself.

So - has any of you mechanics out there worked on a a 96 Corolla. If I was to buy a the correct hub nut spanner and pull the hub off - how hard is it going to be to get the bearings etc out of the hub. I really do not have special tools if they are needed but have heaps of general use stuff. If I cannot fix it, the car should really be be off the road until next year.

Gen Y . When I told him of the issues, his response was just put it together and I will drive around on it until he gets it fixed. He is a good kid though.

Garry

Garry, it may well be a better idea to get a hub and stub assembly from wrecker, we have just come across the same issue with an 89 model, brg had destroyed the hub and it was less than $100 for another used hub etc in excellent condition.
Yes they are easy to fit, but a wheel alignment will be required after.

JC

so long as its not the only car on the road in your lot.

pull the hub down its about the same as a trailer bearing on the earlier version and a cassette bearing on the later ones/ The cassette bearing can be a ***** but will usually sucumb to to abuse with the FBH.

If you're lucky and the stub isnt damaged new bearings and away you go.

IF the stubs stuffed then off to the wreckers.

Aside from the oddbod socket or tube spanner for the bearing nut a basic tool set will get you out of trouble and the alignment can be eyeballed in to good enough to get you out of trouble..

eyeballing it in is as simple as making witness marks on various parts of the suspension, body and wheel measuring them with the weight on the wheel and then again with the body lifted and the tyre just touching the ground.

when you assemble it all set it up so these measurements are the same with the enw componenty and you're laughing.

Thanks JC and Dave,

I have found a used hub with a good set of bearings for $75 so will use that - the main issue will be getting tie rods etc out without damage.

This car has done 280,000km and is starting to blow smoke on trailing throttle so will not have all that long for this world so the kid is not keen on spending much.

Any idea on what size the hub nut is - is between 27mm and 32mm most likely 30mm. It needs to be a deep socket/tube and I cannot check the exact size.

Thanks for the help - made things easier for me

Cheers

Garry

If you don't have access to deep sockets remove the wheel and get someone to stand on the anchors while you undo the nut. If you own a dirty big shifter and adjust it well it may come off quite easily. My wife's Camry (similar vintage) has a 27mm nut which is 1 and 1/16 inch.

The hub nut is in a bit of a recess so spanners cannot get on it - needs to be a socket but the thread is about 30mm out so need a deeper socket or tube. 27mm is too small, 32mm is too big - cannot find my 30mm socket to check. I will get the measuring stick out and measure the size of the nut.

Thanks

Garry

Originally Posted by garrycol

The hub nut is in a bit of a recess so spanners cannot get on it - needs to be a socket but the thread is about 30mm out so need a deeper socket or tube. 27mm is too small, 32mm is too big - cannot find my 30mm socket to check. I will get the measuring stick out and measure the size of the nut.

Thanks

Garry

Garry, yes 30mm, I have a deep reach impact socket here for these. And as far as the tie rods are concerned, use a BIG hammer, hit the end of the bracket at 90 deg to the pin of the tie rod end and it should then pop out of the taper. Using those tie rod end removal wedge type things results in damage to the boot etc.

JC

There are tie-rod splitters which preload the end of the taper against the arm it's in, making for a less vicious tap required to get it to pop loose.
They don't damage the boot, but they often squish some grease out.

My nissans have clearance in the tie-rod ends which is taken up by grease, with not enough grease they knock a little, with more grease they're quiet. Strange but true.

Collected the hub this morning - excellent bearings.

Started to remove the hub nut which was a worry as I was using a 3' breaker bar and it would still not move - the addition of a 3' piece of pipe to the breaker bar did nothing for about 5 minutes of 120kg hanging off the end but then it finally gave.

Hub came off all ok as did the ball joint and tie rod end - just a little tap with a small hammer and all off - including the ABS sensor - what ABS sensor . Didn't know about that - the new hub is all wrong - no ABS on it.

Back to the wrecker - no luck - did the rounds of all the wreckers no luck but one could get one from Melbourne for $220. So non ABS common - ABS rare as hens teeth and far more expensive.

Rethink - bearing kit $85 and a local mechanic said will fit at $106 per hour - so will cost about $55 to pull the old bearings out and put new ones in. Sounds reasonable but then the question - have you got the grease?? Well no I assume the mechanic will have some - grease will cost an extra $20. WTF.

Why do some mechanics do this - they have the grease - it is a consumable - it would cost just a dollar or so and a couple of dollars in labour to put it in the bearings.

Just leaves a sour taste in your mouth - still a lot cheaper than the alternatives but - anyway.

It will only take me about 45minutes to put it all together when I get the hub back.

Thanks for all the advice - has been great.

Garry