2000 Camry - Front and rear wheels bearings needed. SKF still good?
- Thread starter Twisted1
- Start date
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I had a 2000 Camry for years. Gave it to my brother 6 months ago who still drives it. Had my mechanic put Timken bearings up front, they've been fine for the past 55k miles or so.
However, these are press-in bearings and can be a nightmare to replace. He's got a 12 ton press that he replaced the bottle jack with a 20 ton jack. Used a 4 foot pole on the end for leverage and barely got the old bearings out. And this is a Phoenix car, no rust.
The rears are a piece of cake to replace.
However, these are press-in bearings and can be a nightmare to replace. He's got a 12 ton press that he replaced the bottle jack with a 20 ton jack. Used a 4 foot pole on the end for leverage and barely got the old bearings out. And this is a Phoenix car, no rust.
The rears are a piece of cake to replace.
I’ve been watching several videos and that interference fit looks fierce up front lol. But nothing I can’t tackle. I’m coming from the world of modular v8 Fords so this is new to me but exciting at the same time.
How many miles are on this Camry and why are you replacing the bearings?
Never heard of a 2000 Camry described as exciting
If you're coming from 3V Fords you're gonna be bored like the Maytag repair man (er I mean repair person -- gotta be Woke)
131k original miles. Around 30 mph until about 45, I get this weird hum from the front end… I’ve done the turning side to side test but don’t get grinding noises..
Is it common for them to fail so early? Are you able to get any play at 12 and 6?
I just purchased nsk front and left wheel bearings from Amazon and they are legit and made in Japan and for sure are brand new. Not exactly cheap though…
Trav, is iljin bearings/hubs decent?
I honestly don't have enough experience with them to give a solid answer, they are south Korean so I can only guess they are decent enough. It is claimed they make bearings for Timken and other makes that get rebranded boxes.
From my own recent experience, SKF and BCA by NTN both substitute for ILJIN made bearings.
On a side note:
I ordered NSK recently for my other car (Lexus) and they were legit. Made in Japan, with koyo bearing. Purchased from amazon and sold by amazon which was a surprise given the reputation car parts and amazon seems to have.
Timkin and SKF and likley made in China. I've had very good luck with China bearing onmy older vehicles
I cannot comment on other applications, but my experience with SKF wheel bearings has been iffy. The factory SKF-sourced, U.S. made bearings on my Grand Marquis lasted 17 years and 338,068 km (211,293 miles) and both were replaced in January 2019. Naturally, I opted to go with Motorcraft replacements (P/N HUB-97) which were now made in Korea by SKF. Didn't think much of it until the passenger side wheel bearing failed at 347,649 km (217,281 miles) in February 2020. This time, I replaced it with an SKF BR930168 which was exactly the same as the Motorcraft HUB-97.
At 375,526 km (234,704 miles) in November 2023, the driver's side (Motorcraft HUB-97) wheel bearing failed. This time, it was replaced with NOS Ford F8AZ-1104-AA hubs made by SKF in the U.S. Then at 377,695 km (236,059 miles) in February 2024, I replaced the passenger side wheel bearing, again with NOS Ford F8AZ-1104-AA hubs made by SKF in the U.S.
Will be interesting to see how long these last, but one thing I noticed right off the bat is how heavier they are compared to the later production units sourced from Korea. Again, this could very well just be this particular application, I don't know. YMMV.
At 375,526 km (234,704 miles) in November 2023, the driver's side (Motorcraft HUB-97) wheel bearing failed. This time, it was replaced with NOS Ford F8AZ-1104-AA hubs made by SKF in the U.S. Then at 377,695 km (236,059 miles) in February 2024, I replaced the passenger side wheel bearing, again with NOS Ford F8AZ-1104-AA hubs made by SKF in the U.S.
Will be interesting to see how long these last, but one thing I noticed right off the bat is how heavier they are compared to the later production units sourced from Korea. Again, this could very well just be this particular application, I don't know. YMMV.
I just replaced a wheel bearing and found out it was the wrong one. I did the turn left to right tactic and it was a misdiagnosis. I watched this video and the guy highlighted that the turn test can fail sometimes.
I also had no play in ANY wheels. In fact I have never had play issues with bad wheel bearings because I like to replace them when they make noise, which seems to be sooner than play issues. The video I linked mentioned feeling for vibrations in the suspension. I am hoping that will be a more foolproof way to find the faulty wheel bearing.
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