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hmm, might be a bit different on my RCF maybe? I had no problems with the dust shield, didn't mess with it at all and the new hub went in pretty nice and easy. Took a bit of work, don't get me wrong, but relatively easy... getting to those allen bolts was a bit tricky but got it done without disassembling the whole damn thing
On this one, the dust shield must be pressed on a few mm. No way around it but to remove the entire assembly. If you didn't press the dust shield on, you either don't have the same setup or you did what I did the first time.
Well, it has taken yet another turn for the worse. My local machine shop cannot press the dust shield onto the hub. I'm going to call the Lexus of Nashville service department tomorrow to see if they can do it. If they can't do it, I'm not sure what my options are.
I have the hard part done. All the control arms and the axle are back in place. I had to make a tool out of a carriage bolt, some nuts and washers to spread the lower control arm apart to make it wide enough to get the rear knuckle back in place. Spreading the lower control arm apart.
FINALLY! I got it all back together, everything torqued to spec and the parking brake adjusted properly.
It was kind of scary when I hooked the battery up and turned it on for the first time. Every light for ABS, Traction Control and AWD came on and stayed on. There were no codes to read and once I drove it around the block and shut it off, it restarted without any lights.
On the lift, I also discovered the little heat shield that goes over the parking brake mechanism was all mangled and the middle section about to fall out. It was hanging by a sliver of metal.
I used some low-temp aluminum welding rods to repair it. It isn't pretty but it seems to be sturdy. Shield Shield Shield
Why not go for it? If you haven’t done it before, check out videos on YT. Plan for lots of extra time, go slow, and expect some mistakes or problems, but nothing you can’t handle. Besides, you can always spend all that dough fixing a mistake, if necessary. Good luck!
So overall, I probably shouldn't attempt to do this myself. Just got a quote from a local shop. They want $1770 for both rears. Geez
BCA rears only $153 each at RockAuto. I can't see more than 3 hrs labor each to put these on, right?
I originally did this with an Amazon part that was half the cost of a Lexus part. It lasted 11,000 miles. I must have been sub standard as I had to do it again.
Originally Posted by shrinkwrap
Why not go for it? If you haven’t done it before, check out videos on YT. Plan for lots of extra time, go slow, and expect some mistakes or problems, but nothing you can’t handle. Besides, you can always spend all that dough fixing a mistake, if necessary. Good luck!
The problem is if you don't get the dust shield pressed back onto the back side of the new bearing correctly, you can ruin the bearing, the dust shield and take out the ABS sensor. Ask me how I know? It is a bad design that was poorly engineered. The ABS sensor is more expensive than the wheel bearing.
So, yes, it is a DIY project if you are careful and make sure it is back together. One of my control arm bolts was seized and would not come out. If you can't get the dust shield back with the hub on in the car, you have to remove the whole hub assembly. No machine shop in my city of 100,000 could press the dust shield on. I had to take it to a Lexus dealership in Nashville to get it done.
@Knucklebus Thank you for your response. I read your whole thread and I am still a little confused about the dust shield. So, sometimes it needs to be replaced? The first time you replaced wheel bearing with the cheap amazon part, the dust shield was not an issue? Seems to be an issue for some and not for others and I saw your post before you had problems with the second replacement. Just looking for a little clarification as to when or why the dust shield needs to be replaced and/or pressed in
Got a few more quotes from local shops. They all want between $400 and $500 labor and they all state the whole suspension needs to be taken fully apart. Do you think the local shops replace the dust shield with the bearing?
@Knucklebus Thank you for your response. I read your whole thread and I am still a little confused about the dust shield. So, sometimes it needs to be replaced? The first time you replaced wheel bearing with the cheap amazon part, the dust shield was not an issue? Seems to be an issue for some and not for others and I saw your post before you had problems with the second replacement. Just looking for a little clarification as to when or why the dust shield needs to be replaced and/or pressed in
Call me an idiot but I took it apart the first time, not knowing what was involved. I assumed I could get it apart and back together with minimal effort. That was mostly true. The dust shield is supposed to be pressed onto the back, outer edge of the bearing with the hole aligned for the ABS/speed sensor. I must have gotten lucky because when I put it back together, it all worked fine for a few years until the new bearing started to roar.
Again, blissfully ignorant of the actual assembly procedure, I tore it down to install a new Lexus bearing and axle nut. I did the same thing the first time as the second time but I was unlucky and the dust shield was cocked in the hole. It mangled the dust shield, broke the ABS/speed sensor and also rubbed the back of the bearing, exposing the field windings of the hub.
Three days, $700 later and a trip to the Lexus dealership, I got the dust shield pressed onto the hub. That required the complete removal of the rear knuckle that the axle/hub ride in. No machine shop in town could press the dust shield onto the bearing without fear of mangling the new dust shield. Maybe the old one was looser from being already fitted. I even tried freezing the hub and heating the dust shield to no avail.
Originally Posted by spineman
Got a few more quotes from local shops. They all want between $400 and $500 labor and they all state the whole suspension needs to be taken fully apart. Do you think the local shops replace the dust shield with the bearing?
I can't know for sure what they will do but if they can't get the dust shield pressed on in the car, then the entire wheel knuckle will have to be removed as I did. I don't know if they are talking about dropping the whole rear assembly or just the one knuckle. You'd have to clarify with them. It isn't hard with the right tools but I stumbled because of my inability and my local shops inability to get the dust shield on.
All in all, if my car needs a new bearing, it is gone. I like to be able to work on my own cars and this one is on the threshold of being too complex. I've never owned such a sophisticated car and I'm not sure I need or want such a thing in my life going forward. It's a great car but I grew up without AC in my cars, let alone heated and cooled seats. The problem is, there aren't many cheap rear wheel drive cars around anymore. I'm not a Mustang/Camaro/Challenger kind of guy. The last few vehicles I owned were GM trucks.
So took it to the local shop to get it done and he just told me he fried my abs sensor. Should he pay for the new one?
You entrusted him to repair, it not make it worse. That sensor is more expensive than the bearing. I know, I did the same thing but it was mine so I was on the hook for it.
Call me an idiot but I took it apart the first time, not knowing what was involved. I assumed I could get it apart and back together with minimal effort. That was mostly true. The dust shield is supposed to be pressed onto the back, outer edge of the bearing with the hole aligned for the ABS/speed sensor. I must have gotten lucky because when I put it back together, it all worked fine for a few years until the new bearing started to roar.
Again, blissfully ignorant of the actual assembly procedure, I tore it down to install a new Lexus bearing and axle nut. I did the same thing the first time as the second time but I was unlucky and the dust shield was cocked in the hole. It mangled the dust shield, broke the ABS/speed sensor and also rubbed the back of the bearing, exposing the field windings of the hub.
Three days, $700 later and a trip to the Lexus dealership, I got the dust shield pressed onto the hub. That required the complete removal of the rear knuckle that the axle/hub ride in. No machine shop in town could press the dust shield onto the bearing without fear of mangling the new dust shield. Maybe the old one was looser from being already fitted. I even tried freezing the hub and heating the dust shield to no avail.
I can't know for sure what they will do but if they can't get the dust shield pressed on in the car, then the entire wheel knuckle will have to be removed as I did. I don't know if they are talking about dropping the whole rear assembly or just the one knuckle. You'd have to clarify with them. It isn't hard with the right tools but I stumbled because of my inability and my local shops inability to get the dust shield on.
All in all, if my car needs a new bearing, it is gone. I like to be able to work on my own cars and this one is on the threshold of being too complex. I've never owned such a sophisticated car and I'm not sure I need or want such a thing in my life going forward. It's a great car but I grew up without AC in my cars, let alone heated and cooled seats. The problem is, there aren't many cheap rear wheel drive cars around anymore. I'm not a Mustang/Camaro/Challenger kind of guy. The last few vehicles I owned were GM trucks.
Thanks for the DIY but shouldn’t you update your original post then??! If I had not read the whole thread I would’ve followed the original DIY and not had the shield pressed and ruined my car.
11-29-21, 04:37 AM
