YODAONE

The original.bearings in 1999 LS400 are being replaced.

Slight roughness, mileage and age of lubricant suggests replacement. (Original bearing could possibly be relubricated if extraction and reinstallation without damage)

Impressive durability...

Here's the thing...

The factory installed bearings were Nachi and incorporate a bearing race cover/seals

Toyota's North American parts distribution substituted Koyo brand replacement bearings with an open race...

The OEM production engineer specified the bearing cover/seal for a reason.

Will contact Nachi for comment and current offerings.

Meanwhile, anyone with information on an alternate bearing manufacturer incorporating a race cover/seal??

Thanks.


Original Nachi brand bearing...side cover/seal...no exposed bearings.

Dealer provided Koyo brand bearing does not incorporate bearing cover/ seal...

Superfast1

NSK & Timken bearings are also open race/non-sealed, however the SKF FW149 is a sealed bearing for about $40 a piece. They're all OEM suppliers for many automakers so you can rest assure they're good quality.

YODAONE

Were you able to check the physical.part?

NSK technical support advises catalog and online images are not of actual bearing...which means open configuration.

Superfast1

No, I didn't but am pretty sure it's a sealed bearing.

Sin1UZFE

The timkens I got were not sealed, bought the seals seperately

YODAONE

The seal an integral part of the Nachi bearing assembly.

Perhaps you are referring to the hub seal that is purchased from the dealer??

In any event event, to source the correct bearing (sealed as from the factory) purchase from a Toyota parts distributor in Japan....

Sin1UZFE

Got 2 of those went on just fine

YODAONE

The seal an integral part of the Nachi bearing assembly.

Perhaps you are referring to the hub seal that is purchased from the dealer??

In any event event, it appears necessary to source the correct bearing (sealed as from the factory) from a Toyota parts distributor in Japan....

If Toyota expects customers to pay premium prices for a wheel bearing then they should provide the CORRECT premium OEM part.

Have noticed of late hardware is not the original gold zinc dichromate plating but less durable zinc plating...

I shouldn't have to inquire where stuff is coming from or worry if original correct factory parts are compromised when purchasing from a dealer.

Sin1UZFE

Used these

bradland

Losiracer2

Here are the Koyo bearings I bought off a seller on Amazon for my 97'. I believe they're different than the 98-00 models however. But this serves to show you that it does come with a seal and isn't open.

Sin1UZFE

sadly I learned about koyo after the timkens were installed. But price wise it came out to be the same with seals and bearings

YODAONE

As far as I know it is same 1995-2000.
This appears to be a better part.

Can you post a close-up image of the P.N. from the bearing shell

jaaa

How's this for a butchered bromide: You can lead them to the forest, but you can't make them look.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

I'm ready to learn something new here, but ...

None of the bearings I see in the preceding posts appear to have seals. Those might be plastic shields or cages, but they will do hardly anything to seal the grease in and the dirt out.

Bearings are made with varying grades of tightness of seal (specified as "light contact," etc.), but none of the bearings I can see in the photos show anything qualifying to be called a "seal" of any type.

It seems the sealing function in this design is done by a separate part as shown in post #7.

So as long as the different cage / shield design on the replacement bearing does not interfere with the separate bearing seal, then I would not be concerned.