I'm in it now - Front wheel bearing/hub replacement

great points, thanks.
I'll start in again on my searches.

 

good lord man is that snow??

SOMEBODY BUY THIS MAN A GARAGE ! !

 

LOL... I do have a small garage. Just took it outside for better photo lighting.

 

Like that hammer, that's what I need: a compact one hander. Good for use with a splitter ax too. Have a full sized one, but it's too much of a handful a lot of times.

 

Late to the party here but I'v got a 2012 Prius v (wagon) that I may change some of steering/suspension parts out on.

After reading through this thread...to avoid problems it seems like a good idea to change the steering knuckle and wheel hub assembly at the same time. Am I thinking clearly here?

Thanks!

 

Assuming the knuckle is similar to the Gen 2 Prius I see no need to change the knuckle unless it is unusable. I took mine to an automotive machine shop with the new bearing I bought somewhere else and they only charged something like $28 to remove the old one and install the new one. Some people with proper tools can remove the bearing on the car and there are some tricks taking that route. I'll see if I can find a video.

 

Ok. The reason I’m considering changing both is because the steering knuckle is *extremely* rusty. The hub assembly isn’t in great shape either. Seems easier just to replace both at the same time. However, the steering knuckle is a relatively expensive part.

It’s strange though...the knuckle on my my v (wagon) is orders of magnitude more rusty than on my 2010 Liftback. Apparently they are not the same part. Did Toyota possibly use a lower quality part on the v (wagon)? Or did the previous owner operate the vehicle in vastly worse conditions? I’m thinking the latter but not sure I’ll ever know.

 

Coating specs change? I've heard a lot of the better coatings were deemed carcinogenic, not allowed anymore, and unfortunately the replacements (if any) are not as good at preventing rust.

As an example, I'd speculate the rear axle on our 2010 has nothing more than a token coat or two of regular black paint, it's very rust prone.

I had it up a couple of days back to try boiled linseed oil treatment, and keep in mind: this is a low mileage car, we're not in the snow belt, and I've coated it with gelling oil treatment twice before:

 

Is this the part you are talking about the steering knuckle? It should be made of aluminum.

43211-12460 - Toyota Parts Deal

 

If you mean my pic: no, it's the rear trailing arm linkage, and a torsion bar of some sort.

 

You can see the top of my Prius v (wagon)'s steering knuckle here ( what the strut is bolted to ) :

• Certianly NOT aluminum. Yes, the entire thing is that rusty...
• Edit : When I search for a replacement they all say cast iron...

To compare, here is the steering knuckle on my 2010 liftback :

• Certainly is aluminum...and looks great!

Like I said...the suspension on the v (wagon) is NOT the same as on the liftback. I'm thinking they 'borrowed' the suspension components for the v (wagon) from another vehicle ...along with some subpar components. It is unfortunate....

 

Bolts and welds in particular do not fair well. Our older Hondas suspension components were much more rust resistant.

 

BTW - Since that pic I have replaced the struts..which makes the steering knuckle look even worse!

 

I'm impressed. My Haynes manual doesn't even include this repair (closest it gets is removing the drive axles). I've always thought Haynes manuals would show me just about anything I needed to know (unlike Chilton's, which are great for learning how to change light bulbs and little else).

I found quite a few Youtube videos on this repair.

Thank you very much for your detailed journey.

 

Actually cast iron knuckle will make replacing the bearing a lot easier. With aluminum knuckle steel bearing will rust into the place because of galvanic corrosion. It can be so strong that the bearing is hard to get out even with press. Bearing should come out of cast iron knuckle with just couple of hammer hits.

It does not look that rusty in the pictures. And rust on the cast iron parts is basically just surface rust that doesn’t matter.

 

Thx for tip!

You haven't seen the rest of it ..but I suppose it isn't *that* rusty. However, since I'm in there I thought I'd replace it when I replace the bearing. Why? Because this is my 'project car'.

 

They look pretty rusty but if they were cleaned up and painted I would bet they are still strucurally strong.

 

I had front wheel bearings replaced and it still howls!!???

 

For completeness, I did finish my front suspension job (control arms, steering knuckle, wheel bearings, tie rod ends ).

Details here :

Suspension component torque specs? | Page 3 | PriusChat

 

I assume you can't tell where the noise is coming from. Jack up the car with both wheels off the ground and supported. Start the car up with someone inside the car and have them put it in gear and let the wheels turn free but don't accelerate (traction control will try to kick in)
carefully with your foot against the sidewall of the tire stop one of the wheels from spinning, then go to the other side and do the same thing.
I have a YouTube video doing this and doesn't take long. If I remember right the wheels spin about 6 mph and if the engine is warmed up and runs on electric it will be very quiet and you should be able to isolate the noise to one wheel. I will look for my YouTube video and post it.

It really isn't all that noisy in the video but it sounded like a 4 X 4 with big off the road tires when I drove it and once removed it didn't feel rough at all but was NOISY.