If you can find a way to transfer it over, then you can reuse the existing one.

I would not anticipate a problem with the existing one if there are no CHECK VSC warning messages for ABS sensors on that hub.

Yes Moog ABS sensor will accommodate the factory plug, from the pictures it looks the same and they would have a lot of angry customers if the plug was different.

 

I'm totally confused. The Moog as well as all the other Hub bearing assemblies have a black cover with a female connector attached which I assume has the ABS or Speed sensor integrated within. I thought this would make it a plug and play deal after installing. So far every vendor seems to give me a different answer. One Lexus dealer even told me that their hub bearing assembly did not come with the ABS sensor. That just can't be. If it has the black cover with the female connector on the outside of the black cover it should have the sensor. Now we are talking about electronics and if any aftermarket part is not calibrated exactly to Lexus specs, the main computer may not like the readings it is getting from the wheel speed and the ABS light can come on. I'm starting to lean towards the OEM hub assembly which I can get at the Lexus site mentioned earlier for about $300. Isn't it worth the extra few bucks to get the part which is least likely to give me any issues with the ABS system? I would hate to pay my independent shop to save some dollars only to see the ABS light come on after the install. To understand how these hub assemblies work I googled hub bearing assembly wiki to get a better grasp on how these hubs work together with the car's computer. Part of the confusion is differentiating the ABS sensor and the Speed sensor which may or may not be the same part.

 

I had a local dealership price-match an online Lexus dealership. I think the cost was ~$165 each wheel bearing.
I did the front left wheel bearing and it took some time to complete without the proper tools and a confined work area.

The hubs do have a black connector.

LS430 2005

 

For the front wheel hub it appears that it is not possible to buy the hub without the sensor from Lexus. The part number is given as: 43550-50011. However, it is possible to buy the wheel speed sensor separately - 89544-50010 for the NSK Hub and 89544-50020 for the Koyo hub. The front hub I got was a Koyo hub (OEM) and with Lexus usually 50020 vs. 50010 means an updated or improved part number.

The Lexus diagram shows an exploded view where the hub and sensor can be separated as does the service manual using the SST. I assume that it was meant so that you can replace the ABS sensor if it is bad and the hub is still good. However, the price of the sensor is given as $244.08 on myLparts.com, which is close to the assembly itself, then you have to fiddle around with transferring it.

For the rear wheel hub, the sensor is not integrated to the hub like it is on the front. It can't be as the axles go through the splines in the center of the hub. In this case the wheel speed sensor, 89545-50040, is a different style.

Some of the pictures on Rock Auto are a bit confusing. For the front most show it with the wheel speed sensor and a few do not.

I would ask before ordering and if there is not a big price difference go OEM. I wouldn't worry about the electronics. Basically the computer sends out a voltage and checks the waveform created by rotations of the wheel to determine its speed. Although the algorithms in the ECU computer are complicated, the sensor itself is relatively simple.

 

Thanks Archurus for your explanation. Considering costs, It's more practical for go with the Lexus OEM than aftermarket as aftermarket hubs with the sensor are close in price to OEM and purchasing a hub without the sensor and trying to do the transplant doesn't make sense. I'm on my way to my independent to isolate and confirm my noise before I order any parts. To be continued.....

 

Just came back from my Independent and of course he could not hear the noise. I told him it's a drone sound that only can be heard when on the highway going at least 50-60 mph. I mentioned it goes away when I turn the steering wheel putting the weight on the opposite tire. He said everything was tight, and had it up on a lift. He said it would be best to wait until it gets louder to be certain but more than likely I am hearing it in it's very early stages. Not to be funny, but I do have extremely sensitive hearing and can hear every noise in any car. I am familiar with bad bearings that scream like a freight train, so this is somewhat new with the droning. I'll wait a few more weeks and then order the Bearing Hub on line from Lexus. How loud were the bad bearings for the members that had theirs replaced? Were you able to hear it on city streets or only on the highway?

 

Not sure if you've already tried, but rotate your tires and see if the sound follows on the opposite side.

I've seen a droning noise where I was POSITIVE it was a bearing and it turned out to be a bad tire.

 

I mentioned that exact point to my mechanic who responded by saying that droning from tires does not disappear when putting the load on another tire (there is something to say about that). I may just rotate the tire to the rear to satisfy myself before I go any further. However, my tires are fairly new (Michelin Primacys) with 6,000 miles on them. Thanks BradTank for the suggestion.

 

Are you sure it's not the exhaust? I have a crack on my y-pipe and I get a droning noise at highway speeds. It is a common problem on this car. You'll often get a P0420 or P0430 error as well. I have to fix it but can never find the time.

 

I heard a high-pitched whine only at speeds over 55 mph on my '01. One OEM bearing failed before 55K on the clock. Replaced both front bearings at about 160K miles with OEM. Rear bearings are OEM at 265K+.

 

Noise goes away when I turn the steering wheel to the opposite side which would eliminate that as the problem.

 

Wheel bearing noise can be hard to pinpoint. Many times it cant be diagnosed by turning left or right while driving. I had a noise that I was positive was coming from the axle bearing in in the rear end. I even sat in the back seat while someone drove the car and no matter where I sat (passenger or drivers side), it sounded like it was coming from that side.

I raised up the back of the car and lowered it onto jack stands. I started the car, put it in drive and just tapped the gas to get the wheels moving. The sound became easily detected and it was coming from the rear drivers side. It was very loud and evident compared to the passenger side.

Not too long after that, the front started making a faint whining sound. It ended up being the passenger side. There was never any play or the noise would not change turning right or left in either case. The rear was easy to get the rotation going fast enough to hear. If you need to get the fronts spinning fast enough to hear, use a cordless drill with a wire wheel (or something of that nature) attached to it (bigger the better). Stick the wire wheel against the tire, start the drill slow and get spinning as fast as needed. Take the drill away and you can compare the noise on one side to the other. I've also used a 5" or 6" rubber disc used to stick a sanding disc on. Not the hook and loop kind, the peel and stick kind of pad. Stick it on you drill (without sand paper of course) and push it right in the center of the wheel. the rubber will grip the wheel if started slow enough. Increase the drill speed slowly and you can get it spinning very fast if needed.

Regarding the parts, I do my own work on all of my cars so I judge getting OEM vs aftermarket on how difficult the part is to change or gain access to. Since these are fairly easy parts to replace for a person experienced in working on cars. I went with aftermarket from Rockauto. They were less than $80 each with the ABS sensor included. The rear probably has 40,000 miles on it and the front maybe about 20,000 miles on it. So far, so good.

 

Thanks Brewmyown for all your valuable information. I'm fairly certain the noise is coming from the passenger side front, but am planning on waiting a little while longer to see if the noise gets worse and might rotate the front passenger side tire with the rear passenger side to see if the noise changes. With regards to the aftermarket bearing hub....I too looked on Rock Auto and found that the hubs with sensors were relatively close in price to the Lexus OEM ($300). I saw a Moog with the sensor in the mid $200 range and preferred to go with OEM. Since I am not doing the work myself, I did not want to take any chance that the aftermarket hub would not be compatable with the sensor and cause the ABS light to come on. We all know what it would be like to pay for labor twice when you use your own parts. Right now I cannot hear any noise unless I'm on the highway but knowing how **** I am with my cars, I'm sure it will be addressed in the not so distant future.

 

I did my driver's side front bearing last night. It was very easy. Don't be scared.

 

Rock Auto has SKF hubs/bearings.
Schweinfurter Kugellager Fabrik makes just about all bearing parts for Porsche Mercedes etc.
High quality part. check out the video on the rockauto site
Basically only for people who keep their cars for long term