matt_c

CLIFF NOTES ABOUT THIS THREAD:

Read this thread if you need to replace a front bearing or CV Driveshaft. OR if you are experiencing a humming / vibration in your front end.


Original Postings by me have been cleaned up to make for quicker reading:



I have a 2005 xB with 72k on it.

I have noticed over the last few weeks a noise in my front end right side along with a vibration.

The noise and vibration only really occur (at a very noticeable level) when I turn left, it does not do it when I turn right. The noise sounds like the roar of a mud terrain tire on a 4x4.

I was thinking it may be the CV Axle or Maybe a Bad Bearing, tire scrubbing a fender or even a bad tire.

Please help!!!

Thanks,
Matt

Sasnuke

First off, lets not jump the gun & get rid of the box for a simple noise/vibration.
Try to first lift the right front wheel off the ground & then rock the wheel side to side & up & down. If there is no play, its not guarateed the bearing is ok. From your vivid desription of the noise, it sound like you have a bad bearing. I would suggest a hub/bearing for the right front.
Is the inner fender liner ok??

matt_c

I also found this information in the forum while looking for possible solutions:



and also:

matt_c

Well I have checked everything listed here in this thread and have found only one thing that is obviously damaged, and that is the CV Boot on the driverside closest to the transmission. :

flying_toaster

well the cv boot is only a problem when it breaks open and the grease comes out. if your cv boot is damaged then that is definitly the problem.

joshsbox

I second the cv joint, especially if the boot is damaged. Any sort of noise that is a result from turning is usually the cv joint. A bad bearing would be a constant noise. Bad strut bearings normally make noise when going over bumps as they develop "slop." I had a Ford Probe that had a bad cv joint (damaged boot and no grease) and it matches your description. At least it's a repair you could make yourself...screw the stealerships

matt_c

Well Im in the middle of trying to replace the CV Shaft. I have to wait one more day now to get the correct driveshaft. Advanceauto ordered the wrong side, then in the store when I said "no, thats not the right one, that ones too long", they looked it back up in their computer and insisted that I had the correct one. Of course when I got home and laid it under the existing one, it was obvious that it was the passenger side, not the driver side. So I ordered the correct side from a different parts store and will pick it up today.

I will report back here, wether or not this corrects the problem.

NOTE: Advanced Auto actually calls the drivers side the RIGHT SIDE and the passenger side the LEFT side. Keep this in mind if ordering from them.

Thanks for the help.

-Matt

matt_c

Update

I replaced the CV Drive Shaft ($70 + $75core) and that did not correct the problem.

So.....

I took the CV back out and checked the bearing, since I forgot to check it before reassembling the system, and it felt rough, so I am pretty sure that it is the culprit.

So I took the knuckle out of the Arm and off the Strut and pressed the inner spline out, then pressed the bearing out. Sure enough when pressed out it destroyed the bearing and I could see inside the bearing. It was burned and small metal particals where present.

Then I pressed in a new bearing, and began pressing in the drive spline/hub, thats when things went wrong. I had it in perfect, but being the "nut overtightening" guy that I am, I pressed it just a little bit further and ended up pressing the bearing into the race and simultaneously broke the mounting ear to the brake caliper!!!!!! So I not only fudged my new $40 bearing I destroyed the knuckle as well!!!!

So I called around and found a good used knuckle with 9k miles on it complete with bearing and drive spline/hub for $100 shipped from Minesota. Although it was a $60 mistake, Im glad it was not a $400 mistake, so in a few days I should have the "new" complete knuckle and I will report back what my findings are once its installed.

vettereddie

Matt, why so much. My 3 roller knuckle got messed up on the driver side drive axle where it slides in the transmission cup and I got a new drive shaft from Advanced Auto, $79 and came complete end-to-end, including the cup that slides into the transmission. (BTW, they ordered the wrong side for me as well, apparently their LEFT side is viewed from standing in front of the vehicle looking into the engine bay, so their LEFT is the passenger side)

matt_c

vettereddie,

I get the core charge back when I take my old driveshaft back to them and I quoted the price wrong, it was $60 for the shaft and $75 for the core. So in the end it will only have cost $60.

The dealership wanted $25 for one boot, so I figured for only $35 more I get a whole shaft complete and ready to install, which is worth it to me not to have to deal with repacking and reassembling the shaft.

vettereddie

Ah, ok. Advanced Auto didn't do a core swap with me. I bought the boot first and then once I pulled the axle I saw the damage to the knuckle, those press rings are fragile. How did you end up pulling the transmission cup? I'll be welding a bar to hook on the ridge on the back side and then use a slide hammer to pop it free unless you know of an easier way. the manual of course lists another SST.

matt_c

I was able to get a chisel, about 6 to 8 inches long, in one area and pop it out. Sounds really easy but it required some cussing and multiple tries with different tools, including an unsuccessful attempt using a couple pairs of visegrips to pull on the cup. I also scraped my arm and busted a knuckle along the way, but eventually I was able to get it to just pop right out, I guess I found the magic location and put just enough pressure at the right spot to get it to pop loose.

I think your on the right track making your own custom tool. If I had to do it again, I would do the same.

Good Luck.


BTW, my new hub/ bearing carrier or whatever its called should be in today, so I will install it tonight and hopefully my xB will be good as new again!

I really miss driving her around, and especially miss the fuel mileage and air conditioning.

After all this, I can tell you that the first gen xB really is a fantastic economy car. Parts are cheap and its easy to work on......its the modern day version of the old VW Bug if you ask me. Affordable, Easy to Repair, Cheap to Own and has unique styling. The Best!

matt_c

Alright, Problem Solved. Now an alignement should probably finish things up, because now my steering wheel is turned slightly to the left in order to go straight.

I had to remove the CV shaft twice yesterday, because when trying to assemble the assembly I dislocated the drive knuckle out of the drive socket near the transaxle.

So note to all and any reading this post and trying to make a repair on the front driveshaft. Ensure that the shaft does not get extended to far toward the outside of the car. If it does you have two options, one is if your lucky enough, you can somehow manage to get the bearing rollers to move all the way to the outer most range of their side to side movement and then slip the knuckle back into the socket, or you have to do like I did, and pull the shaft out of the transaxle, remove it from the car, remove the inner boot carefully as to not destroy the metal clamp that holds it in place (the one nearest the trans) and then slip the knuckle bearings out to their outer most range and slip the cup back onto the knuckle, then reassemble the boot and clamp, and then slip the shaft back into the transaxle.

I had to do that twice yesterday, it was very frustrating, but the end result is worth it. My Box rides smooth as silk once again!!!! Ahhhhhh so nice!

pointu

so what do i need to order for this just the bearing , or the entire hub assembly??

matt_c

pointu,

Do you have access to a Hydraulic press? If so, you can order just the bearing from someone that carries it. I got mine from O'Riely Autoparts for $38. Its a huge bearing that is actually two bearings inside one casing. I will try to explain exactly how to change it:

First here is a concern you should have and if you decide you can tackle this obsticle, if you do, do everything in your power to preserve this part. What Im talking about is the retaining bolt on the end of the CV driveshaft. Toyotas method of securing it is to make a punch mark on the outer flange of the nut, down into a keyway in the driveshaft, instead of using a castle nut and cotter pin like most other manufacturers.

So to remove the driveshaft from the drive hub / bearing assembly you have to reverse that punch, I used a small chisel that would fit inside the keyway and used a dead blow hammer to try and pop the punch back outward. I was able to straighten it out enough to turn it with a pull handle (1/2" drive) with a 30mm Twelve Point Socket. However, as you can imagine, the nut outer flange is no longer exactly round, so in the process I ruined the threads on the driveshaft. I wasnt worried about this because I was replacing the entire driveshaft with a new one that came with a new nut. In your case, if you plan to reuse the shaft, you must take care to ensure the survival of your threads. With that in mind, I would personally make myself a better tool to reverse the punch mark in the nut. I would take a chisel and modify it with a grinder so that it has an eliptical outer face as close to the curvature of the nut as possible, and leave the other side flat so it slides in the keyway. If possible, you should find a collar of some sort that will slip over the outer flange of the nut and be the same depth as the flange, so that it keeps the nut from getting bent out of round yet allows the punch mark to try to reconform to the radius of the nut itself. Then use a hammer to push the punch mark back out as best as you can. WHEN REMOVING THE DRIVESHAFT FROM THE KNUCKLE ensure that you DO NOT LET THE DRIVESHAFT EXTEND OUT TOWARD THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR TOO MUCH, if you do you will dislodge the bearings from inside the inner drive cup and it will be a pain to get them back into the drive cup. See above posts for deatails on this.


Now, if you've gotten this far, lets go into replacing the hub bearing.

(With the tire removed, and the driveshaft retaining nut as well and with the car up on jackstands).......

First dissassemble the front drive/steering knuckle by removing the Rotor from the hun, the Brake Caliper from its mount, remove the hose mount bolt on the back of the strut, and the little plastic keeper for the ABS line (tie the caliper up to something ensuring that it does not hang by its hose). Remove the strut bottom bolts, the steering rod end, and the lower control arm nuts. Now slide the Steering Knuckle and Drive hub assemble out of the car.

Take it over to a press and press the inner drive spline carrier out from the backside of the knuckle toward the rotor/wheel hub using the appropriate tooling. Now flip the knuckle over and press the actual bearing out toward the backside of the knuckle (side facing inside of car when mounted). Chances are you will destroy the bearing during doing this as well as probably noticing that a part of the bearing is still mounted to the drive spline carrier. I had this issue as well. You can get the bearing out of the steering knuckle just fine with your press, but the piece of bearing still left on the drive spline/ hub will need to be cut off more that likely. How I did this was to cut approximately 3/4 of the way through the bearing race left on the drive spline / hub on both sides (180* of each other) and then CAREFULLY strike it with a chisel and dead blow hammer till the race comes apart and seperates from the hub. If you strike it a little too hard like I did, you will get a bump and small gouge in the surface of the hub/spline. Make sure you take a file and some emory cloth and get it back to as perfectly smooth and round as you can, because if you dont your pearing will not be pressed on correctly. If will actually reduce the amount of contact area for your bearing and give it a better chance of slipping inside the race.

Now, if you made it this far, your doing awesome and your getting close to being done. Reverse the bearing removal process with the new bearing and TAKE CARE NOT TO OVER PRESS THE BEARING INTO THE CUP OR THE SPLINE/HUB INTO THE BEARING. Doing so will destroy the ***** inside the bearing by smashing them into the inner race and now your bearing is no good and will need to be replaced.

Once you have it all pressed back together, just reassemble the front end in reverse that you dismantled it.

It may sound like a lot of work and very difficult, but I ensure you, if your mechanically inclined you will have no problem with this repair job. And you will save yourself hundreds of dollars in labor costs.

If you dont feel confident about the actual pressing of the bearings, or if you dont have access to a press with all the proper tooling for replacing bearings, take your new bearing and the steering knuckle to a shop and have them do it. It will be far less expensive than just dropping your car off and having someone do it all.

vettereddie

Agree on the threaded nut on the drive axle. I actually used the fork end of a wrench to lift the indent out. It was tough coming out and there were some metal shavings, but the threads were intact and could be re-used once cleaned up.

Matt, I got my axle replaced, ended up borrowing a bigger slide hammer and hook configuration from a local Toyota tech. it was a curved hook with a flat edge, I just caught it in the groove on the outside of the cup and in about four whacks it popped right out.

Was making some horrible racket once installed, but then I found it was the sheet metal dust shield rubbing against the back edge of the rotor and had nothing to do with the axle. Just pried on the dust shield to get separation and now it's fine.

matt_c

Alright, with all that said for hardcore do it yourselfers, I have this to say for everyone else.

If you still want to save money but dont want to fool with replacing the bearings. Call around to the Salvage yards throughout the country and find a car that is being parted out. Find out the mileage, if its low, like the one I found, (it had 9k miles on it) and the part that you need was not damaged at all in the incident that got the car into the salvage yard. Just buy that complete steering knuckle with bearing and hub all one piece and do a simple and easy bolt in swap. The entire knuckle and bearing assembly cost about $85 from a salvage yard and shipping is about $15-25. So for about $70 more than the cost of a bearing alone, you can cut out the unsurity and hassle of changing a bearing. This would probably be the exact cost of having to buy the bearing yourself and have someone else do the press work. So its definetly the smarter option for repair if your not concerned with saving every penny possible on the repair.

matt_c

Eddie,

Yeah, I have had the same issues with the dust shield, its a flimsy thing that will bend just by bumping it with something unknowingly. It also really gets in the way when trying to press the bearing out, and you cant remove it prior to pressing the hub out of the bearings because it is circular and mounts behind the drive hub.

Glad to hear you got the driveshaft replaced. Feels good to know you fixed something and saved yourself a ton of hard earned cash by doing it yourself eh?

Speaking of which, I noticed just yesterday that my passenger side outside boot is throwing grease all over the inside of my wheel. Arghhhh, Im thinking that the boots that Scion uses on this vehicle are not good quality. I have 72k miles on my box, the boots should be good for at least 100k or more I would say. Must be low quality rubber.