I happened to notice, through the vanes in the passenger side front wheel cover, a bit of greasy axel this morning. Huh, I though, that�s weird. I don�t recall seeing that there. And the wheel cover seemed dirtier than normal.

This evening, driving into the driveway, there was a terrible clanking sound. Fearing the worst, I parked and pulled off the wheel cover. Sure enough, the bearing dust cap was loose in the there, and bouncing around inside between the wheel and the wheel cover. Well, at least I know for sure where the sound came from. And it *might* just be a matter of replacing the cap.

No problem, I tapped it back on with a small block of wood, but there seems to be a fair bit of grease inside the wheel cover. Is this a �no big deal, you�re fine now that the cap back on� kind of situation? Or is this a �don�t drive that vehicle, you have wheel bearings dying in there� kind of situation?

Any advice, tips, recommendations? My first thought was to jack up the van and see if I have �play� in the wheel and also listen to how it turns, see if it is rough or rumbly.

�r