Try to rock the tire side to side. Stand perpendicular to the vehicle, grab the top of the tire on both sides, one hand on each side, then shake away from then toward yourself several times. If you can feel any looseness, play, noise like clunking its loose or shot.
You can also jack up the front of the truck and spin the wheel by hand as fast as you can keeping your hand or fingers on the tire while it spins. If its bad it will feel different than the good side. You should be able to hear If the bearing is dry of grease or bad. It will grind, squeal, or just sound like its dragging.
It also my not spin as fast as the other wheel or my turn really slow.
I had a front go out at 80,000 miles on one side, the other never did go bad and it had 362,000 miles on it.
There are several was to check Mike. You can check for free-play, by jacking up the front wheel in question. Just enough to get your hand under the bottom of the tire. With one hand grasping the inside top of the tire, and the other hand grasping the inside bottom of the tire- pull with one hand & push with the other to see if there is movement -(this is Free-Play). If the free-play is Excessive something isn't right. Feel the hub in the center of the wheel after driving it for a short distance (2 to 5 minutes). If it is hot to the touch, or if you hear screeching on the side in question- it could be a bad wheel bearing. Hope this is of help, and doesn't confuse you. Good Luck & ALWAYS BE SAFE !! Jim
Is it a one piece wheel hub bearing?
If it has 120,000 on it-- change both sides
The bearing & race type, you take apart & wash
off & look at for wear & markings & replace or
grease & return to service
If you hear a noise from 25 to 40 mph
On a rear drive car, you can remove the
brake rotor & feel the worn bearing --sometimes
You may be able to do that
I would just put the bearings on your Preventative
Maintenance list for 100,000 plus & change them
when you get there
Your Oxygen Sensors go at 100,000
Spark Plugs every 3 years & so on
I don't wait on failure,only as a learning tool,
then those items get added to my list
SOURCE: what is the proper preload on front wheel bearings
Simply snug it & back the nut off a slight bit,not alot,just a smidge. You'll be fine.
SOURCE: On my 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2 2WD, I just found
buy an older truck to answer question all newer model vehicles have gone to a hub/flange bearing assembly these bearing setups handle loads without or very minimum variance, when you go into a cornering situation these bearing setups give you a steady and consistent track thus a better handling vehicle now instead of cleaning and repacing tose old cone and race style bearings you just unbolt hub assembly and any related abs sensors and bolt on new
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