SW20 MR2 Front End Problems

[hamgatan]

im not sure whats going on but all i know is its serious and SW20WA may be off the road for quite a while unless i can pinpoint what it is.

occasionally before i would drive slowly through the carpark at work and pull out of the driveway and whel i would pull out there would be a nasty crack noise come from the front end, but then go away and not come back for weeks. i could feel it through the clutch pedal too. didnt take much notice of it because it didnt do it very often.. thought maybe a ball joint was on its way or something.

then i noticed a squeaking coming from the front left wheel a couple of days ago. it wasnt really there all the time, just sometimes when i was standing still then would creep forward.. and then accelerating up to about 30kph it would be there then just go. it was a rotational squeek on time with the wheels turning so i know its in something that moves. today i wound down the windows and listened to it. yes, definitely increases in frequency on acceleration and its a LOT louder than it was 2 days ago.

problem is just then i was coming back from the city, the front end just started to shake violently through the steering wheel. i slowed right down on the freeway and pulled into the emergency lane and sat there for a moment idling, then i took off again and it seemed to be okay. it was shuddering a little earlier on as well, but nowhere as bad as this.

im afraid im going to be coasting along and then FWAP! ill lose a wheel bouncing off down the road.. so the question is what have i broken? axle? joint? im a bit perturbed about it at the moment as it just randomly comes back again and then goes away. it is getting worse and worse every time it happens though... whatever it is i need to fix it fast!

[Ghetto-AW11]

Sounds like a wheel bearing.

[thechuckster]

steering rack, wheel bearing or wheel nuts.

lift car of ground and inspect starting with tyres and working your way inwards doing each side (e.g. right wheel, left wheel, remove wheels, right hub, left hub ,etc)... report back here when broken bit found.

[hamgatan]

wheels nuts are fine, checked those last weekend. all are tight.

wheel bearing... thats behind the rotor in the hub innit?

[Vios-GT_07]

squeaking while moving forward eh? maybe it's the discs and pads??

sounds like u've got a combination of problems... check that everything is tight and the wheel bearings are alright... then u'll be sure everything is secure and that eliminates any problems with that end..

wheels nuts are fine, checked those last weekend. all are tight.

wheel bearing... thats behind the rotor in the hub innit?

lift up the car and spin the wheel... if it makes noises or doesn't seem to be spinning smoothly u've got a problem there.. to be sure take off the wheel and poke around the strut assembly SW20s are pretty easy to work on from memory

[c2888]

Jack the car up
Hold the wheel at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock
Push with one arm, pull with the other
Check the other side
You will feel movement on one of the wheels

I've seen 10mm of play on a sw20 that had a dead wheel bearing
If you wanna save yourself some folding, rip the spindle out and take it to your friendly Toyota mechanic and get them to press in a new bearing
It's quite a big bearing so it may cost a fair bit, make sure you get it from a bearing place, not toyota, it'll be lots cheaper.
They tend to go in pairs, so if you have the time/money, do both



Dan

[hamgatan]

i think im leaning more to the bearing being the problem when i think about it now..

checked the bearing price. $136.02 (Part #90369-30044)

from what i can see though, it looks like a PRICK to dismantle the hub, is some kind of SST required to get the outside off the hub?

Image -

[Ghetto-AW11]

Last time a got a wheel bearing done i think it cost $150 all up, wasnt so bad.

[hamgatan]

oh thats alright... shit if it was going to be that cheap i wouldnt have bothered taking apart the hub tonight myself but unfortunately i have and im stuck!

so off came the wheel, off came the brake calliper, but now i cant get the fricking rotor off and it looks like somethings holding it in place... namely this thing in the middle of the hub...



how the hell do i get that hub lock off so i can take the damn rotor off and get to the rest of the hub???

[CLG]

Unless you have big hammersor a press, and neighbours that don't mind noise - give it a to a mechanic to do - they're a prick of a job, best given to someone else!

[Vios-GT_07]

oh.. i thought it was a FWD where u just need a screwdriver, long nose plier and 30mm rattlegun... sorry mate

yea i remember a big ass pressing machine to do this job .. correct me if i'm wrong.. to push the bearings into place

[allencr]

looks like somethings holding it in place... namely this thing in the middle of the hub...

I don't see any "namely this thing" in the pic or the manual page, only the axle hub & rotor.
It's rust holding them together.
Penetrating oil(wd40 IS NOT penetrating oil) between the rotor & axle hub, and around the wheel studs.
In the pic you'll see a threaded holes in the 2 & 7 o'clock position.
Bolts tightened into those holes will puch the rotor off the hub.
Make sure the bolts are the correct size.
Clean the threads the best you can.
If the bolts first few threads are tapered, grind/file down the end so that
it'll have as many threads as possible making contact.
before & after the oil, hit the rotor in ALL directions that will loosen the two apart.
Then tighten in the bolts EVENLY so that the rotor doesn't get cocked/jammed on the hub while it's trying to slide off.
I have no experience with this.

[hamgatan]

agree with you 100% clint. toyota told me on friday, unless ive got a bearing press... it aint coming off! so im taking the hub to Hi-Tech on monday to get the new bearing pressed in..

thanks all to whove replied

[mullett]

If it's anythink like what I expect, there'll be a big locknut on the back of the hub. Take that off, and you can hold the hub while you press out the axle/bearing etc with a good press. Use the press to then remove the bearing, press in the new one, press it all back together, and make sure the oil seals are right too. Long story short: even with a press, not a fun job...

RM.

[hamgatan]

ok bit further down the track. ive replaced BOTH front wheel bearings now..

however im getting the intermittent problem popping up of the wheel on the RIGHT hand side now vibrating badly, and i only just replaced the wheel bearing like last week. now i know its not the bearings, and i know i put everything back together right and torqued everything to factory specifications.. but i have no idea what would be causing it.

like ill drive along then suddenly out of nowhere itll start vibrating, then it will increase until i basically slow right down and stop. then if i drive off again its fine and no longer shaking/vibrating.

ive got a funny feeling it might be fucked ball joints.... can anyone confirm this? the ball joint on my right hand side was incredibly stiff with its movement when i moved it around a bit...