Wheel Bearings question
 

So I'm getting a "vibration" in the steering wheel when I drive. I took off the driver's side dust cap and looked at the bearings. There isn't a ton of grease, but it's not dry either.

My question is: How can I tell if the bearings are bad if there is no obvious damage? There's a little "play" if I put my fingers in the inner Bearing casing and move it in and out, but I don't even know if that's normal. Can anyone give me some guidance?

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Get that wheel up in the air. Grab it at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock and see if there is any play. If there is play, and it isn't in the a-frame bushings or ball joints, you probably need to replace those bearings.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Gotcha! Will do!

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

To inspect the bearing they need to come out and be cleaned. Then turn each roller andsee if it has damage. Usually you can tell buy the race. It would be mared or pitted. Mostlikely you have either an imbalance or worn front end parts. Bearings usually growl whenbad.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Get the tires balanced or rotate them front to back and see if the vibration moves.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Update: so I jacked up the wheels and did what mrein3 said. On the driver's side there is "more" play ( I can jiggle it and it's more noticeable) than on the passenger side, but the passenger side does jiggle too.

To address what DWSCR said: I would agree, except this problem was sudden and not a gradual thing. I would think that if something "wore out" I would notice a gradual problem.

It sound like I should proceed with getting the bearings changed.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Spin the wheels & listen for a growling noise. If so it's sure to have bad brgs. No dought they need to be inspected & packed but unless they are just falling apart it is probably not the cause of vibration.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Hmm.. When I rotate the wheels, I don't hear a "grinding" noise per say-more like resistance (brake pads perhaps?) and a metal on metal scraping kind of sound...

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

I'm still putting my money on a tire or wheel issue. You may need to service the bearings but as others have said, I doubt that is what is causing you vibration.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

It's just that I've spent a lot of time/money into fixing up and I'm afraid if I drive it, the wheels are gonna fall off LOL!!

I'll try having the tires rotated, I suppose....

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

;)

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

So, I take it I'm just being paranoid about my truck then? I am *really* afraid of causing any damage to it that would run in the hundreds/thousands to fix (Money's tight right now) and I'm taking the approach of not driving it at all, but it's killing me cause I love that thing...

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

I hear ya. Do you have a floor jack? Just rotate the tires/wheels from the front to the back yourself and see if the vibration moves. I bet it will. Or take it to your local tire shop and have them rotate and balance them.

How often do you drive the truck? If it wasn't moved for a period of time the tires may have a flat spot.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Well, you may have a point about sitting for a spell. It was sitting for a while when I sorted out my previous problem (converting from externally regulated to internally regulated alternator-LOVED that fix, but I digress), and even when I started driving again, I would only drive it 2 maybe 3 days a week....AND the tires had started to go a little flat...so perhaps the tires DID start getting out of balance....

I'll start there-it's cheaper anyways, that's for sure!!!

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

A tire shop should be able to put a runout gauge on them when they balance them and check for out of round and flat spots. Be sure to post up what the solution is. Might help someone down the road that finds this thread

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Ok, so I'm back from the tire center. They did say that the tires were grossly out of balance and that one of the rear rims was bent (great, more money), but it still isn't solving the original problem. When I'm driving, I can feel what almost seems like (now that I think about it) one of the rims had loose lugs & the rim was wobbly....Wonder if I'm being "fooled" into thinking there's something wrong in the front, when the rim (in the rear) is actually causing the problem...

Ugh...so much fun...

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

How badly bent is that rim? That would be the next thing I would check. Do you have a spare? Maybe try to find a board member near you that would swap wheels and tires with you just long enough to isolate the problem.

EDIT: Did you have them rotated? If not you could still rotate them and see if the issue feels like it moves. You are heading in the right direction. Your new description of the problem could certainly be a bent rim. I have had that feeling from an aftermarket rim not seating properly because it hit the weights on the rear drum.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

They did offer to rotate the tires, until they found the bent rim, then they told me to leave it there because if it did, it would be "worse"....

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

i just went thru this with one of my trucks. Id rotate them. If it moves from front to rear its a tire or wheel issue. If not, Id pull the bearings, if all of your suspension is good.. The bad bearing I had, Id swore it was on the front right, but it was on the front left. It could be a # of things, broke or loose motor mount, u joint, etc etc. Sound travels, sometime itl fool you.

Re: Wheel Bearings question
 

Look at all your other front end parts too. Tie rod ends, idler arm, center link. If one of the ends of one of them is worn out, you'll be wandering all around.