Now I know not everyone has had wheel bearing issues yet but when you do, watch out haha. A while back I found out I had a bad wheel bearing (my fault never checking for play etc) so I took the hub out and went to press a new one in realising the flange on top needed to be changed also ($150 from toyota) so all seems simple so far...30km later, noises again, I was thinking it was just the axle nut was not the right torque setting, find out the bearing seized, I couldn't be bothered to put a new one in so I payed someone to do it, 50km after the bearing, it was ruined again and had play, the flange was also destroyed. so $250 later I decided to find a hub in a wreckers, no problem on that side whatsoever since.

Knowing they often go one after the other I checked for play regularly and listened out for noises on the other side, but all seemed well until a few days ago it was making noise, I took it off and the nut was finger tight, did up to right torque settings and was fine until a day later, but didn't show any play yet, took it apart to get it pressed in and the flange moved up and down :s and had a little play.

I'm hoping I will have less problems as I got there early this time round, after finding one competent mechanic he told me how celicas always have that horrible problem and the flange and hubs get eaten away when they have much play. Not only this, when I had the first one go bad, it didn't make any noises at all and didn't show any signs at the hub of damage, and every incompetent mechanic said the hub was fine when I'd question it.

Is this a problem on all cars or do our cars just have a horrible design? I've just generally never heard of people having problems, ive heard they make noises, you get them fixed quick and they are fine.

Also to get a hub ($450 AUD) Flange ($150 AUD) and wheel bearing from toyota ($120 AUD) that is a lot of money for a bad wheel bearing, lucky for me I found a wreckers .

This post has been edited by Euphoria: Jun 17, 2010 - 5:06 AM

I've never owned my Celica long enough for it to go bad like yours, but if you don't install it corectly with the right wheel seals and have it pressed on tightly then lots of things can happen. If you don't tighten up your axle nut right it also effects your wheel bearing. I think this was just a case of bad parts and bad mechanics.

I'd say its a lot to do with how long you drive on it with play too, and I was driving on it for a while I was just interested in other people who have had problems.

If you run over lots of pot holes and hit the curb a lot it will go bad too.

I have almost 200k on the chassis and still have the factory oem wheel bearings FROM THE YEAR >>1994>> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tell your mechanic to stick that in his pipe and smoke it......and my suspension is not stock either haha.....

dealers recommend replacing the hubs at the same time as the bearings. busted bearings will soon ruin the hub. sometimes you can get by by just replacing the bearing, but it won't be long until it breaks again. it sucks you had to learn that the hard and expensive way..

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haha.. but i'm willing to bet you're not on the original drive axles... am i right?

^^^ Correct both axles are new not original, I'm just surprised since with my suspension set-up I though the wheel bearings would go out faster but its been 4 years and no noises or anything and my car was poorly maintained by the previous owners trust me that I know very VERY well.....

well both my bearings went out at about 230-240k and yes I agree thats a descent amount of time for them to last but is this a common problem on MOST cars that the hub and flange are destroyed before noises are even made? or all with macpherson strut?

same thing happened to me. Even to this day i still like i have a slight wobble on the drivers side. but when i have the car up on the stand, i check to see if there is play.

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...mp;#entry811747

no one cared to help me then though...

finally someone who has had my problems haha.

turns out the flange is ruined, the hub looks fine but so did the other one until I put a $150 flange and $60 bearing in it and not long after it did the same, so I'm gonna go straight to wreckers.

The mechanic this time seemed to know his **** and he said its fairly common on most cars for it to ruin the flange/hub, its just I've never heard of it.

My advice to you guys is if you have one bearing go and do this to you, REPLACE THE OTHER SIDE! I didn't, thinking I could just check for play but as soon as it played up it screwed the flange.

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Same here. I'm still running the original bearings from '94. Never had one make sounds. I think even if I tried, it wouldn't happen.

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Bearings don't always make noise, first one I had didn't make any noise I just failed rego and had to put a new one in, also I've noticed they get worse the hotter they are.

For some reason my driveshaft nut came loose 6 months down the track, so that day I tightened it to proper torque specs...fine for a week and then the same happened, this time round I got very bad sounds so I took it apart and yes, once again its destroyed the flange which is $150 and a used hub is the same money so I might aswell do that AGAIN.

I'd also say bigger wheels are a BIG thing on screwing up bearings.

^ and spacers haha

i learned this all the hard way about 3 weeks ago... but its all good now

94 gt 191k

i replaced wheel bearing + driver axel last winter

guy never said anything bouht a hub

now replacing all bearing n axel again as well as hub wth

That seems strange to me, ive changed both of my wheel bearings myself and i haven't had any issues. Changed both about 10k-15k miles ago. I don't trust shops with my car unless they let me watch.

People don't seem to understand, if you change it before the bearing goes then it generally is fine, its when it develops play it destroys atleast the flange with the bearing.