svlexus

I hammered with a sledge for 4 + hours on the rear and it came out. The front was even more stubborn. But its easy to remove the spindle and take it to a shop to be pressed out. Im going to bring it to a shop tomorrow before throwing more wheel bearings at it.

svlexus

I hammered with a sledge for 4 + hours on the rear and it came out. The front was even more stubborn. But its easy to remove the spindle and take it to a shop to be pressed out. Im going to bring it to a shop tomorrow before throwing more wheel bearings at it.

1A1

Thanks for the how to. I ended up replacing my driver side last night. So easy! Much easier than my Supra that required the knuckle be removed and bearing pressed in.

Lexus quoted $500.00 to do it and I paid RockAuto $234.00 for the Timken part. Took me roughly an hour or so and while I was in there I noticed my brake pads are getting then. Next project!

Steve K.

Bocatrip

I purchased the Koyo Hub on line (OEM Hub) and had my Infiniti dealer dealer install it. Total cost. $500. No more annoying noise. Now I just have to wait for the other side to start becoming problematic! Never ending with these old cars.

srgilbert

Well I tried replacing both spindles. As shared previously getting them out was a bear. I finally gave up on hammering after 2 hours. I tried to remove the spindle but my luck one of the retaining nuts was not going to budge. I even tried hammering the back of the hub - no go. I rarely use an air chisel but decided to give it a try with a fat blade. After a while it budged and let loose. The corrosion was obvious - after cleaning it up reassembled and went on to the other side. One side took 3 hours and the other less than 1. I recommend the air chisel however it will require you to straighten out the dust shield afterward so it will not rub.

Tom57

Just replaced the left front hub on one of my '06s at 112K miles. (Years ago I replaced the front bearings on my '01.) For those who don't have air tools, and who don't want to remove the spindle and take it to a shop to have the old bearing pressed out ... I used a plumber's torch (Benzene) and heated the bearing around the spindle where the bearing squeezes into the spindle. Used PB Blaster and hammering then was much easier and the bearing released more quickly.

Also, it's not just corrosion that makes the bearing so difficult to remove. There was a white substance around the edge of the spindle/bearing surface which I suspect is some type of adhesive that is applied at the factory.

From my experience, I believe that the wheel bearings take more punishment when 18" (or more) wheels are mounted. My '01 (which originally had 16" wheels that I changed to 17" stock wheels) has nearly 300K miles now and the bearings have only been changed once. This in a winter pothole location of the country.

BizEagle

I did the same, got the Timken brand bearing hub from RockAuto. The picture on RockAuto's web site showed a Koyo branded Wheel Speed sensor. However, the actual part had no brand on it all, but I put it on anyway because the Timken brand part had highest satisfaction ratings. Now there is no noise coming from the passenger side front bearing, so I am happy.
BTW, I found a good way to get the old hub out of the steering knuckle. After soaking it with Liquid Wrench and hammering for a while, I wasn't getting any progress, so I took 3 small old flat head screw drivers and lightly hammered them in a tiny bit between the splash plate and the knuckle at various locations around the circumference. Then, one tap with a little hand held sledge and the old hub popped right out like it wasn't even stuck. I know the conventional wisdom is not to do it this way but there was really no observable damage to the steering knuckle. Also, before I installed the new hub assembly I cleaned up the knuckle mating surface with brake cleaner, a wire brush, steel wool and wiped on a layer of anti-seize compound on the mating surfaces.

white_lx

For anyone having problems with removing the front hubs: After trying almost every single hammer in my shop, I now use a piece of 12mm all-thread and place a nut behind the hub. That way you can jack the bearing out in a few minutes. Recently Astro Pneumatic introduced their "last chance" hub removal bolt kits, which are essentially the same thing.