lexuseng

Here's a GOTCHA to avoid when I replaced the rear wheel bearing on my 2007 GS350 AWD

When I re-assembled the right rear bearing assy, I couldn’t get the ABS sensor back in the hole even though I visually aligned the dust cover hole prior to tightening, but you basically have to have the dust cover fully seated for the holes to line up and once fully seated you can’t make minor adjustment. No matter what I did I couldn’t get the ABS sensor installed so I removed the axle nut to push the axle back in again so I could adjust the dust cover. This time while the dust cover was partially loose, I installed the ABS sensor into the hole in the dust cover before fully tightening (thought good idea but mistake 1). Remember this is a blind assembly so as I tightened the axle nut the thin sheet metal dust cover is supposed to self-align and fit between tapered surface of the rear bearing and the housing that supports the rear bearing (except if Murphy’s Law has a say). Putting the ABS sensor in first probably prevented it from self-centering and I somehow pinched the sheet metal and deformed it. I used an impact wrench to tighten the axle nut (mistake 2) and did the damage. If I had done this manually, I probably would have felt something wasn’t right while tightening and backed off.

Anyway I didn’t know I had done this and buttoned everything up and drove off but returned after only ½ mile. Immediately ABS sensor/check AWD idiot lights lit up. My first inclination was that the bearing I just installed wasn’t the right one for ABS. Spent about 3 days contacting the seller (through Amazon) and finally confirmed I had the right part (luckily I had another car to use while I waited so I didn’t do more damage). So I took the bearing out again (really fast this time) and saw what I had done. A few whacks with a hammer and rod straightened the dust cover good enough. And I was really careful putting it back in place but I still couldn’t get the ABS sensor back in so while the dust cover was installed I drilled out the dust cover hole slightly bigger and then it went in fine (should have done that in the first place!). In retrospect, the dust cover mis-alignment probably pushed the ABS sensor slightly off angle which is why the ABS sensor didn’t work. Unfortunately as I waited those 3 days, I bought a new ABS sensor (another $100) just in case I damaged it trying to shove it in.

Things are much quieter now and my rear wheel is not overheating anymore. BTW, I couldn’t tell which bearing was bad since I only heard the noise at 50mph and above and couldn’t use the trick of turning the wheel one way or the other to help identify the bad wheel but I did use an IR thermometer and took temps of each wheel. 3 of the 4 wheels read about 150F degrees at the base of the rotor and the right rear wheel was 450F degrees! So that was a dead giveaway.

At first I thought, it must be that right rear (common on these cars) brake caliper seized again, I had replaced this one about 20K miles ago so I thought no way, but you never know. After inspecting the caliper it still slid easily on the pin. So it must be bearing, right? But after reinstalling everything, I noticed the brake caliper piston was seized. So I replaced this fairly new caliper also. I’ll never know if an overheating bearing caused the brake piston to seize or vice versa.So I won’t disparage the after-market 2 year old caliper I bought since it might have seized due to an overheated rear bearing but I’ll never buy that brand again.

Other tips: the bolts that hold the rear bearing are 10mm Allen head bolts so you’ll need a 10mm hex with a socket extension and if you can get the type with a small neck ground about ¼” from the end that allows you to angle the Allen hex a bit, that would help immensely (mind did not).And get a slide hammer ($75-$100 variety with adapter for 4 or 5 bolt lug pattern). This will save you an hour of frustration as I had a $30 variety and it wouldn’t budge the bearing. With that, if you’ve replaced brakes, you can do this job.

Gs3500

I’m ready to do mine. Looking bad, do you really need to remove the abs sensor out of the rear housing?

mspearl95

yes you definitely do. you'll break it off if you don't.

mspearl95

i did my left rear one in-car, and i think that if i eventually have to do the other side, i'm puling the whole wheel assembly and doing it out of car with a press. getting to those 4 allen- head bolts that hold the hub around the rear axle is a PITA, and it doesn't seem like it can be that good for your differential to shove the axle back into it.

Gs3500

How will the abs sensor be broken off? If u pull the hub straight out from the carrier, it shouldn’t interfere with the abs sensor since it’s behind it?

mspearl95

the sensor is just a flimsy piece of plastic. the dust shield fits tightly around the back side of the hub inside the wheel race, and will need to be pressed back into place after installing the new wheel hub. i think it would be extremely difficult to keep the shield in place while inserting the new hub, and most likely the sensor would be broken off.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I see some sensors with and some without a new abs sensor. So is it best to buy with? If the plastic is flimsy most likely the sensor would break if trying to reuse the old one. Are you guys buying oem or aftermarket sensors.

mspearl95

A

as long as you are careful and have the hole in the dust shield aligned properly, you should be able to reuse the original. It’s just one 10mm bolt holding it in, and it pops out relatively easily.

Gs3500

Ok I will remove the abs sensor. Hopefully it is not stuck and fragile when removing them. Any tips on how to press the dust ring back in place upon reinstall?

09gs350rwd

My repair manual (RepairSurge.com) says to remove the parking brake block but I noticed in your photo you didn’t even have to remove the parking brake shoes/assembly (I already did this). i’m stuck On the block bolts since they’re behind the wheel assembly & tucked in w bolts sticking out thru them. PITA!!

Would it be easier to just go after separating the wheel bearing from he axle assembly!? I’ve read you can put your wheel back on & hand-tighten lugs to use it as a slide hammer to encourage that wheel hub to separate from the CV axle... would that pull the CV out too?

This is far beyond any brake job I’ve ever done (ie: removing all brake components & suspension arms & ball joints completely from the wheel assembly to take it completely off the car).

danotheman

Just learned the hard way. 2014 GS350 RWD. Replaced hub and left Speed sensor in place. When I cranked things down, I bent and destroyed the speed sensor, setting off several dash lights. This is now a $300 sensor so I highly recommend you remove it and stick a phillips head screwdriver in the hole to keep things lined up while your tighten the hub into position.

CowBoE

Good info!

I have a 2006 GS300 with little over 110K miles and I've not noticed any wheel bearing issues.
What mileage do you have on your cars to replace the wheel bearing?

energie8

What size do you need for the cv axle bolt?

PauloFR

I had the rear right one go out at 95k miles last march. Certainly due to many potholes found on Quebec roads, whose condition varies between bad and atrocious. Oddly enough, the noise began right away when driving off the shop who installed the summer wheels, so I thought the tires should be replaced, which was true because they were 7 years old and began to crack from the sidewalls. It was very light, and wasn't audible between 40 and 90 mph, compared to my Volvo on which when they went out, they were very loud and present from 10 mph onwards. But during summer when I took it in, my the mechanic then confirmed it was indeed a bearing.

There is a bit of a story behind the repair, having to do with this thread: the father of a friend is the mechanic I mentioned. He's specialized in GM vehicles but works on any (likely not as well as on GMs, what could explain the following). So I've been going here for a long time, and comes this moment where the bearing went out on the Lexus. So here I go, he replaces it, and two things went wrong: he didn't use a genuine part (I believe I remember this was a blue SFK brand box), and... He broke the ABS sensor .

This isn't exactly what bothers me the most. Everybody makes mistakes, and he told me that was because the hub was completely stuck to the car because of rust. Which makes sense given the climate conditions here in addition to the car's age. But the point is I had to pay for the new sensor, replacing the one HE broke, which worked absolutely fine before! And I'm really skeptical about whether the dealership or any bigger shop would have asked me to do so. If he wasn't a friend's father, I would have called him out. But because he was, I was running into a conflict. Plus, I paid cash, so I had no receipt. So I gave up. It took him a month to receive the part (at least it was genuine this time). Meanwhile I had no ABS, no traction control and no 4WD, and one time in a temporarily-transformed 1-way to 2-way construction zone on the highway, I had to slam the brakes because of a car in front not sure what they were doing. My car oversteered and stopped 90° to traffic direction between cones on both ways. Fortunately, there weren't many people because it was late, so I had the time to just reverse and go. Still, the next car came 45s later or so, so I could have died. He didn't tell me beware, don't drive much, the car is going to be particularly insecure.

Moral of the story, be careful with the ABS sensor if you do it yourself, or if you go to a shop, go to a reputable one, and maybe ask him what happens if he breaks something during the process because these sensors are fragile, and they aren't cheap to replace.

It ran me 415 additional $ to replace the sensor bringing the grand total to nearly $1,000. For a bearing. It has been the last time I did business with him, and the last time I cheaped out on a repair. Going to the dealer, very nice, properly equipped, trained and knowledgeable people and happy ever since even if I pay through the roof (nearly double the hourly rate)... I would gladly do my own work but in an apartment with only an outside spot, I just can't do ****, except oil changes which don't take much.

The bearing holds on to date but a 9-month period is too short to tell. I wouldn't be surprised if it only lasts 2 years, maybe 3. Well, the next owner will know, because I'm looking for a facelift GS anyway.

CowBoE

Wow...$415 for ABS sensor.
I have no issues with my wheel bearing, but that's a good warning to note.