ugzannin@sunybcs.UUCP (Adrian Zannin) (10/24/85)
First, let me say that I am immensely pleased to see this group! Next,
a couple questions:
1) Approx. how much would it cost me to have a complete bearing
replacement in the transmission of my 1980 Toyota Corolla SR-5
liftback w/5-speed? I was quoted approx. $300 for the job. Any
suggestions out there? Is this a little steep?
2) The bearings in the rear end have started to hum. How much damage
can I expect if I wait a few months to replace them?
3) I am going to adjust the valve lash in the car also. Now, this
manual I have, published by Chilton, says that it is ok to do it
with the engine not running, even though (and they admit) that
Toyota recommends that it be done with the engine running. What
is the difference between the two methods and will it affect my
performance any?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Replies via the net or by e-mail are
fine...
--
Adrian Zannin
..{bbncca,decvax,dual,rocksvax,watmath,sbcs}!sunybcs!ugzannin
CSNET: ugzannin@Buffalo.CSNET
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BITNET: ugzannin@sunybcs.BITNETmff@wuphys.UUCP (Swamp Thing) (10/28/85)
In article <2427@sunybcs.UUCP> ugzannin@sunybcs.UUCP (Adrian Zannin) writes: > > 1) Approx. how much would it cost me to have a complete bearing > replacement in the transmission of my 1980 Toyota Corolla SR-5 > liftback w/5-speed? I was quoted approx. $300 for the job. Any > suggestions out there? Is this a little steep? > That sounds like a heck of a deal to me. A few years ago, a friend of mine had a Datsun 310 that needed a few gears and bearings replaced and the bill was $600, and that was after we pulled the trani out ourselves! We called a bunch of different places, so that seemed to be the going rate. If the deal is legit, I'd grab it. > > 2) The bearings in the rear end have started to hum. How much damage > can I expect if I wait a few months to replace them? > If you're luckey, nothing will happen. If you're really unlucky, the wheels will lock up, causing lots of damage even if you don't wreck the car. If you've got the money, do it, assuming you know what the problem is. Mark F. Flynn Department of Physics Washington University St. Louis, MO 63130 ihnp4!wuphys!mff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark." P. Floyd
ccrse@ucdavis.UUCP (Steve Ehrhardt) (10/30/85)
> 1) Approx. how much would it cost me to have a complete bearing > replacement in the transmission of my 1980 Toyota Corolla SR-5 > liftback w/5-speed? I was quoted approx. $300 for the job. Any > suggestions out there? Is this a little steep? Looks about right for what amounts to a full rebuild on a manual trans. The previous comparison to a Datsun 310 really isn't a good one, since the 310 is a FWD vehicle, if my memory serves me correctly. Work on FWD transaxles always seems to cost more. > 2) The bearings in the rear end have started to hum. How much damage > can I expect if I wait a few months to replace them? Depends on which bearings are making the noise. If they're your rear wheel bearings, probably none. If the noise is coming from a differential bearing, (or you're not sure which) you should look into getting it fixed ASAP or risk replacing the entire unit. (Replacing the entire unit with one from a wrecking yard *may* be cheaper anyway - you might want to check into that if a differential repair is indicated.) Wheel bearings usually just keep getting noisier until they get so loud that you have to replace them just to keep your sanity. I favor milking all the mileage out of the original equipment bearings as possible, since they frequently last longer *after* they start to make noise than the replacements will after you install them. Wheel bearings get *real* noisy before they will freeze up, and the replacement bearings I've gotten have often been of rather poor quality.
ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems) (11/01/85)
> > 2) The bearings in the rear end have started to hum. How much damage > > can I expect if I wait a few months to replace them? > ... > Wheel bearings usually just keep getting noisier until they get so loud > that you have to replace them just to keep your sanity. I favor milking all > the mileage out of the original equipment bearings as possible, since they > frequently last longer *after* they start to make noise than the replacements > will after you install them. Wheel bearings get *real* noisy before they > will freeze up, and the replacement bearings I've gotten have often been of > rather poor quality. One thing to watch out for is *front* bearings. (I know the original was about rear bearings, but this is important). My sister had a small Ford that had the front bearings go dry (grease 'evaporated'). The result was a noisy front bearing. This first manifested itself in Los Angeles. As home was north of San Francisco, she decided to just drive it home before getting the bearing fixed. After several hours on the freeway noise was worse and the performance was off. She stopped at the request of a friendly Highway Patrolman ... The wheel then fell off. A *VERY* overheated bearing had softened the spindle it rides on enough for it to break. It was a dull red at the time... One wonders what would have happened if she had not been pulled over for a smoking wheel. Even if you do decide to push the bearings; grease 'em. Often and well. -- E. Michael Smith ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems 'If you can dream it, you can do it' Walt Disney This is the obligatory disclaimer of everything. (Including but not limited to: typos, spelling, diction, logic, and nuclear war)
ccrse@ucdavis.UUCP (0058) (11/05/85)
> ... > > Wheel bearings usually just keep getting noisier until they get so loud > > that you have to replace them just to keep your sanity. I favor milking all > > the mileage out of the original equipment bearings as possible, since they > > frequently last longer *after* they start to make noise than the replacements > > will after you install them. Wheel bearings get *real* noisy before they > > will freeze up, and the replacement bearings I've gotten have often been of > > rather poor quality. > > One thing to watch out for is *front* bearings. (I know the original > was about rear bearings, but this is important). My sister had a small > Ford that had the front bearings go dry (grease 'evaporated'). The > result was a noisy front bearing. This first manifested itself in Los > Angeles. As home was north of San Francisco, she decided to just > drive it home before getting the bearing fixed. After several hours > on the freeway noise was worse and the performance was off. > She stopped at the request of a friendly Highway Patrolman ... The > wheel then fell off. A *VERY* overheated bearing had softened the spindle > it rides on enough for it to break. It was a dull red at the time... My mistake. I should have been more precise in my answer. My reply was meant to apply to the case of the common, ball-bearing, permanently-lubricated variety of rear wheel bearing. This is the type in question in the case described, I believe. Roller bearings (the type usually used on front wheels) will sometimes have a roller break apart if you wait too long to replace it. The result of this is that the wheel will look up, and the bearing may very well weld itself to both the spindle and the hub. I have had this happen to me once while driving down the freeway, and I would personnally rather have a front tire blow out than have a repeat performance of that! If you know what bearings are making the noise, and their type, then you can make a decision about whether or not you should wait to replace them. If you're in doubt about what is giving the problem, or where it is, it's better to get it checked into than to get a rather expensive, and possibly dangerous, surprise.
qwerty@drutx.UUCP (Brian Jones) (11/05/85)
> My mistake. I should have been more precise in my answer. > > My reply was meant to apply to the case of the common, ball-bearing, > permanently-lubricated variety of rear wheel bearing. This is the type > in question in the case described, I believe. Roller bearings (the type > usually used on front wheels) will sometimes have a roller break apart > if you wait too long to replace it. The result of this is that the wheel > will look up, and the bearing may very well weld itself to both the spindle > and the hub. I have had this happen to me once while driving down the > freeway, and I would personnally [sic] rather have a front tire blow out than > have a repeat performance of that! > > If you know what bearings are making the noise, and their type, then you > can make a decision about whether or not you should wait to replace them. > If you're in doubt about what is giving the problem, or where it is, it's > better to get it checked into than to get a rather expensive, and possibly > dangerous, surprise. > Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe front bearings are typically taper bearings, while rear bearings are roller bearings. Whenever a bearing starts to make noise, it is subject to catastrophic failure. I have seen a rear axle break due to the heat generated by a bad (noisy) rear bearing. Whenever a bearing starts to make noise, get it fixed. You are playing Russian roulette if you don't. Brian Jones aka {ihnp4,}!drutx!qwerty @ AT&T-IS, Denver -- Brian Jones aka {ihnp4,}!drutx!qwerty @ AT&T-IS, Denver
ccrse@ucdavis.UUCP (0058) (11/06/85)
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe front bearings are typically taper > bearings, while rear bearings are roller bearings. Whenever a bearing > starts to make noise, it is subject to catastrophic failure. I have seen > a rear axle break due to the heat generated by a bad (noisy) rear bearing. :-) Well, you did ask me to correct you if you were wrong! :-) While I can't swear that it's true in general, and it's certainly *not* true for most FWD cars, most of the cars that I have dealt with use taper-fit roller bearings on the front wheels and ball bearings on the rear. The rear bearings may be either sealed ('permanently lubricated') or lubricated by differential lubricant. The only places I have ever seen a non-tapered roller bearing are in places like u-joints and steering gears. My original point was that the ball bearings used in this application are not very prone to catastrophic failure, while the taper-fit bearings used on front wheels are much more so. While there is always a finite chance of the bearing failing outright, with rear wheel bearings it is usually quite safe to run them until the noise becomes loud enough to become objectionable. This may actually require a couple years of normal driving to occur. Remember, though -- if in doubt, replace! While I certainly don't want to start an endless stream of people reporting what kind of bearings a certain car uses in a certain situation, I would be curious to know if anyone can provide *general* information as to what bearings are usually used for what purpose (automotive-wise), why they are used and their failure characteristics.