one very good test for tired/worn wheel bearings is to drive about 35
to  40 mph and sweve gently,
listening for the sound to be worse swearing one direction, and less
swerving to the other direction.

- the idea being that the bad bearing/s are on the quieter side , as the
load is less on those bearing swerving to that direction.
Can't figure out what '0l means..
,makes me think of a  2001 vehicle.
oh I get it ..
it's your way of abbreviating it's Ole Red and Ole Blue.
Closest to that would be Ol' in normal english I'd think.

Did you raise the wheels off the ground and wiggle ?
I just check of up-down play at the rear wheels ....1/8th inch is normal
wear with high miles, beyond that is 'getting due' at least.
Fronts should have basically zero slop there, as they are easily
serviced and adjusted.

scott
turbovans

On 10/14/2012 2:44 PM, JRodgers wrote:
> I have this sound in the running gear on 'Ol Red. I have the same new
> General Altimax RT tire on both of my '88 vanagons - 'Ol Red and 'Ol
> Blue - so I decided to swap the the tires between the machines - one at
> a time - and see if I could isolate a particular tire/rim. Swap
> completed for all wheel/tires and the sound is still there. So it wasn't
> in the tires/wheels. So that means???? I can only think of bearings, but
> in my experience a wheel bearing produces a distinctive and continuous
> growl when it's near death. I have no vibrations, and no pulling one way
> or another - so there doesn't appear to be anything bent or out of
> alignment. I'm mystified. Any ideas, anyone?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>