hub bearing diagnosis

[NJallDAY]

I posted this in another older thread but its hasnt gotten an views in a while. Any was i needed to change a hub bearing on my 02. It was making the usual noises but a week ago i was driving on the parkway in a prety bad strorm and hit a puddle going about 60 65 mph. Then the noise stopped and hasnt returned. Its making me think maybe somthing was jammed up in there and te water flushed it out. Is there any other way to diagnose a bad hub bearing? I dont wana put a $120 bucks into it if its not needed. Thank my fellow jeepers

 

[yellocoyote]

You want to be able to spin the bearing without the axle being a limiting factor so you can isolate, feel and listen for any internal grinding or roughness. In my experience, you'd have to take the bearing apart from the knuckle in order for a better diagnosis - to be able to better observe all these things.

 

[NJallDAY]

Thanks for the info. Ill take the hub off and see how it feels. Hopefully it moves freely and smooth, and i have the new hub to compare the movement to. If all is well i can return it and get some window vent shades and some 3m tint rolls

 

[tjkj2002]

There are many ways to check a bearing and may need to do all to be sure as I've had bearings be bad with no play and no noise(heard noise while driving).

There is the "shake the wheel" method to check for play.Another method is to get up to about 30mph and do some slight turns to check for audible noise from bearings.Those pesky bearing may require the aid of a stethoscope or a electronic chassis ear to be used with the wheels turning(under there own power lifted on a rack in 4wd).

 

[NJallDAY]

There are many ways to check a bearing and may need to do all to be sure as I've had bearings be bad with no play and no noise(heard noise while driving).

There is the "shake the wheel" method to check for play.Another method is to get up to about 30mph and do some slight turns to check for audible noise from bearings.Those pesky bearing may require the aid of a stethoscope or a electronic chassis ear to be used with the wheels turning(under there own power lifted on a rack in 4wd).

Well it started off making noise while making a left turn at neighborhood speed (25mph) but only left turns. From there it got more noticeable and eventually no mater what speed its was very clear that the bearing was bad. But then i hit that puddle and now i cant get it to make noise. So i guess ill just take it off and see how it spins in relation to the new hub. I do know of a shop in town that does have a diagnostics tool that can check. Maybe the electronic ears you speak of? It has 4 little boxes that attach magnetically to the vehicle, one in each corner as close to the wheels as possible. They collect data on vibrations, noise etc, but with the labor rate at $95/hour here i would much rather try to diagnose it myself. Do you know of any other ways i can check other then what was posted above?