wheel bearing 2003 toyota camry

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engineer20

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Jun 22, 2014
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Michigan, USA
Does my toyota camry have a wheel bearing problem? i haven't found the time to go to a tire shop, as i've been there and they said they needed several hours and i didn't have the time but my indy mechanic said I had a wheelk bearing problem and i needed it replaced and it would cost around 400 dollars. Is that typical? is it an easy DIY job (i herad it's not)

how would i know I need a wheel bearing replacement

and is it due to going on a lot of unpaved "gravel" roads at high speeds? or bumping into curbs?
what can I do to prevent this and what are some good tire/wheel maintenance things I can do to prevent this from happening so that I can have good wheels/tires despite the rough roads in michigan?

what are the symptoms of a bad wheel bearing? my wheel begins to make a strange noise after 20mph and it sounds like a helicopter
 
$400 doesn't really sound to unreasonable, assuming the wheel bearing is included.
If you do it yourself, you'll need to have the bearing pressed out of the knuckle and a new bearing pressed in. That's like $80 for just that. the price of the bearing is like $60, an assembly withthe hub is like $100. Not to unreasonable.
then the labor.. you have to break the suspension stuff off the knuckle, remove the brake caliper & have it pressed.
It would take a shop probably an hour to R&R the bearing & put everything back together. so realistically, it's not a bad price. If you do it yourself, it'd be about the same time.
 
Use rims with correct offset / ET and tyres with enough profile height. And don't drive with bad bearing, it can cause collateral damage..
 
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Does the noise change when you turn the steering wheel? If so then it is a wheel bearing. If not then it may be bad tires; in that case, check for funny wear.

As for what makes bad bearings, rough roads can. Certainly hitting a curb. But IMO some cars are just prone to it, in some areas. I would not worry about if you did some to prematurely cause it.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
Where did I go wrong? What can I do to prevent this from happening?


Other than the general common sense smart driving ( not rubbing against side walk, too many potholes etc ), there is not much one can really do to prevent a bearing from going bad. Its a "Wear" item, i.e. it is made to last only so long. How long depends on different vehicle makes, driving habits etc.

I would shop around for a few quotes, $400 isnt terrible, seems a bit on the high side, check yelp etc to from recommended indy shops. Also verify where they get their bearings and what type ( there is a decent difference between economy and premium brands on pressed in bearings ).
 
Are you sure it's not the tires? Run your hands over the front tires to make sure that they're not wearing funny. Thought I had a bad rear wheel bearing when it turned out that the rear tires were cupped. Anyway assuming that you have either the 2.4 or 3.0 engine, they're about $70 or so on rockauto.com. I know I've been able to find mechanics on craigslist (usually I just look for ASE mechanics) that charge anywhere from $30-$50/hr and it's probably a 2-3 hour job for both sides so you might be able to get it done a little cheaper, a wheel bearing should be a pretty basic job.
 
Sounds good, thanks. THe awful roads in michigan with all the potholes and the gravel unpaved roads may have caused this. I've shopped around at parts stores and I saw advanced auto carries the oems for 60 and the beck arnleys for 90. Are the beck arnleys really better? What about napa brand bearings? What's a good suggested brand for my wheel bearings? My tires are all good except for my front right tire which has lower tread and should be replaced soon but the noise is coming from the front left wheel! So is it still possibly just the tire? And how long can you drive on bad bearings for without causing problems?
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
Sounds good, thanks. THe awful roads in michigan with all the potholes and the gravel unpaved roads may have caused this. I've shopped around at parts stores and I saw advanced auto carries the oems for 60 and the beck arnleys for 90. Are the beck arnleys really better? What about napa brand bearings? What's a good suggested brand for my wheel bearings? My tires are all good except for my front right tire which has lower tread and should be replaced soon but the noise is coming from the front left wheel! So is it still possibly just the tire? And how long can you drive on bad bearings for without causing problems?
Rotate the tires and see if the noise changes, then you can see if it's the wheel bearings or tires
 
Quote:
Does the noise change when you turn the steering wheel?
Good point. For the left front, a right turn puts a centrifugal force load on the left bearing. If the noise changes from a right turn to straight to a left turn, it is likely the bearing.

Bearings wear out. Every one. Impacts make them wear out faster. Front wheel drive cars have more complex front wheel bearings that cost more and take longer to change. If you do it yourself, buy a bearing with a long warranty as one possible sign of quality. NAPA and others may have Chinese bearings, and they're good these days.

Do you want to tackle the job yourself?
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_t...ory=0&page=
 
Update, the noise comes from the front left tire. When I turn the steering wheel to the left, the noise gets worse. But when I move it to the right, the noise subsides and I no longer hear it. So yes, it goes away on one side but not the other. Is this bad? It goes away when I turn the steering way in the opposite direction of the noise whereas it gets worse when I turn towards the direction of where the noise comes from. Could a simple tire rotation fix this? Or is it a shot bearing?
 
Tire rotation is easy, so, why not?

But it sounds like a bad bearing, yes.
 
Ok, I'll get the old parts. Are you sure it's the bearing or could it be another part?
Will this negatively affect my fuel economy?
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
Update, the noise comes from the front left tire. When I turn the steering wheel to the left, the noise gets worse. But when I move it to the right, the noise subsides and I no longer hear it. So yes, it goes away on one side but not the other. Is this bad? It goes away when I turn the steering way in the opposite direction of the noise whereas it gets worse when I turn towards the direction of where the noise comes from. Could a simple tire rotation fix this? Or is it a shot bearing?


This sounds like a wheel bearing to me.
 
Just don't be shocked if the noise doesn't go away. I've heard of stories where it was the other bearing.

IMO, if I'm paying a shop to replace one, I'd just as soon pay to have both done. Same amount of time to me, since the car is still down for a day. If it was me replacing it, I'd be tempted to do just one if it was a beater, but I'd still be tempted to both if not a beater. Just seems like an item that would wear the same on both sides.

For the record, on my Jetta one side was making noise. But upon inspection both were bad. Knock on wood, the replacements have long outlasted the originals.
 
if i don't replace a bad bearing, what could happen? could i wait a year or 10k miles before changing the bearing?
for how long can i drive with a bad bearing without changing it without causing further problems?
 
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