My experience with front wheel bearings is that if you jack up one side of
the front end and then spin the tire, if your bearings are good, you'll hear
no sound other than the shhhhhh of the brake pads.  If your wheel bearings
are wearing, then you would hear a rumble noise that's caused by the fact
that the bearings are worn and have some wiggle room as the attempt to
smoothly rotate the tire about the axle shaft.

It is possible to have just one side go bad, but generally if one side is
wearing, the other isn't far behind.  If you have to change them, do both
sides.

Don't know what your experience with spinning the front wheels is, but it
would be normal (or at least not necessarily related to the wheel bearings)
if the drag on on the brake rotors was not the same all the way around.

Good Luck

John Graham
88 Westy Charlotte, NC

On 11/30/06, Mark Brush <mbrush@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi - Does anyone know of a good test to determine if a wheel bearing needs
> replacement?  I hear the rumbling when I drive, but I'm not sure if it's
> tranny noise, or wheel bearings.  Also, what tool(s) do I need to do the
> replacement myself?
>
> Thanks for you help as always!
>
> Mark B.
> 1990 2.1 Westy
>

--
This e-mail is a natural product made from recycled electrons.  The slight
variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and
beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.