jeepcherokee89

I just want to verify cause i cant afford $90 to have it not be it

How can you tell your front wheel bearing is bad. I have a rithmic thumping noise that starts at about 2 mph and speeds up the faster I drive and when i let off the gas i can hear a grinding noise. at times when its cold i can feel the thumping kind of like a bulg in the tire (tires are ok its the same with two different sets of tires).

axle u joints and driveline u joints are ok no movement
front driveline is not on
lifted jeep up and tire has no movement that it shouldn't
sound seems like coming from front driverside
sound is always there while moving even when turning

Thanks for any help

Aoneisdone

get wheel off ground with jack grab tire at 3 n 9 oclock n shake it shoulod be stiff n move with steering if any other play its wheel bearing if its up n down play its ball joint

jeepcherokee89

i did this and it has no play in any direction

jeepcherokee89

anyone??

mdcmn7

tire pressure, lug nuts, brake rotor, axle?

jeepcherokee89

tire pressure is ok, lugs are tight, rotors seem good (no grooves, and seem straight)

radio flyer

Have never noticed wheel bearing noise at such low speeds, but it could be bad. Assuming you have an 89- have you checked your rear diff. a bad pinion bearing could be your problem. Just a thought----

jeepcherokee89

yea its a 89, how would i go about checking the rear diff, i pushed and pulled on the drive shaft front and rear and there was no movement

the more i think about it its probably more around 5-10mph

radio flyer

I would lift the rear axle on one side,disconnect the drive shaft and have somebody spin the tire while you get underneath and listen, If you cant hear anything unusual it is unlikely to be the culprit although without a load on the pinion bearing it can be hard to reproduce a specific noise. If the noise is more pronounced in a turn than it points toward a bad hub-unit

jeepcherokee89

thanks, i will try that this weekend

mdcmn7

lay down on your handy dandy mechanics creeper under the jeep. Hold on to the axle while your buddy drives up and down the street. This will allow you to hear what is happening while the vehicle is driving

mdcmn7

Ok, for the record, I was just kidding. Please for the love of god DONT do that

jeepcherokee89

just might have to try this LOL

well i found the passenger ball joints were shot replaced them and its still there

PJsJeep

Is it constant or is it when you hit a bump

jeepcherokee89

constant as soon as im between 10 to 20 mph it starts and the faster i drive the faster it makes the sound. sounds just like i have something stuck in the tire. i have used a different set of tires (all Four) to make sure it wasnt the tires