Parts for your 1996 Toyota Caldina-Centre bearing

1996 Toyota Caldina centre-bearing — what’s fitted and what isn’t

Based on Toyota technical references, a centre-bearing (centre support bearing for a two-piece propeller/drive shaft) is not used on front‑wheel‑drive 1996 Toyota Caldina models (e.g., ST190/ST191). Those cars have a transaxle driving short front half‑shafts only, so there’s no long tailshaft to support. In contrast, 4WD/AWD Caldina variants of this era (commonly coded ST195G) do use a two‑piece propeller shaft with a rubber‑mounted centre support bearing. This fitment is shown in Toyota’s Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC) for ST195G in the Propeller Shaft section and described in the Toyota workshop manual driveline chapter for the T190‑series 4WD models.

Why FWD Caldinas don’t use a centre-bearing: without a rear differential there’s no propeller shaft, so there’s nothing mid‑span to support. The front shafts are short, directly supported by the transaxle and wheel hubs, so a centre-bearing simply isn’t part of the design.

For owners of 1996 Caldina 4WD (ST195G), the centre-bearing’s job is to steady the two‑piece prop shaft between the transfer and rear diff. It keeps the shaft aligned under load, cushions vibration through a rubber carrier, and helps the driveline run smooth at highway speeds. When the bearing or its rubber mount wears, tell‑tales include a droning or humming that rises with road speed, a shudder on take‑off, or a thump/clunk on lift‑off.

Service advice is simple: inspect it whenever the car’s on a hoist. Check the rubber carrier for cracks, sagging or separation, and try to rotate the shaft by hand to feel for roughness or excess play at the bearing. The bearing itself is usually sealed and not serviceable