rear wheel bearing bad?

2014 4x4 regular cab variety. I have been hearing a humming noise from the rear for a couple months now, nothing big just sounds like louder-than-normal tire noise. It's more noticeable to me because I just replaced the front bearings last fall and switched tires to a highway tire that really quieted the truck down on the freeway. The driver's side rear wheel has play at 9 and 3, enough to be visible and make a clicking sound. I checked the lug nuts were torqued and the brakes haven't been a problem. That wheel turns harder than the passenger side and it doesn't feel or sound like its dragging on the shoes. I assumed its just a bad bearing and ordered parts and a puller to replace the bearing assembly.

Was told by someone that I should probably have had a professional confirm because that wasn't enough, and now because I have time to think while waiting for the last of the parts to arrive, I am second guessing myself. Am I missing a step here to diagnose a bad rear bearing?

 

pull the drums
spin the shafts
if tight, it might be the bearing

 

I had a rear wheel bearing go.
but didn’t notice a sound until my abs light came on because it melted the sensor.

 

Yeah, that was my fear if I let it go too long.

I'll check that before tearing apart, but would a brake issue cause play in the wheel?

 

No probably not.
mine had play and sounded bad if you jacked the truck up and spun the wheel.

 

I pulled the drum. It's not the pads dragging, feels the same without the drum. Measured the run out at 3 thousandths, book says .002. Now I am not a professional, so who knows. I usually don't deal in that kind of margin of error. But in hindsight I could have done that before ordering parts and the tool.

I appreciate the feedback all.

 

Are you replacing the bearing?

 

Oh yeah. I just was second guessing myself on the original plan to replace the bearing after someone made a comment to me about getting a professional to actually diagnosis it. I plan on pulling it apart this weekend, just wanted to confirm for myself that the bearing is the issue. At this point, it all at least points to that.

 

I if you feel confident send it what bearing did you get. I ordered a doorman one that didn’t fit I figured I save you the headache if you got a doorman one.

 

If you're able to to feel play, the bearing has been bad for some time and is in the terminal stages. You're on borrowed time before it grenades.

 

I got the BECK/ARNLEY on, the number is 0516106. Came with the Koyo bearing.

 

Yeah, the truck's been parked since I noticed the play. Seen too many people wait until it explodes and how much damage it can do to other stuff.

 

Ok good
The doorman one didn’t fit I didn’t have time to order the koyo one I have a carquest one hopefully it lasts. On the other side I have a koyo bearing I replaced the other side to keep this situation from happening again.

 

Cool. You have access to a shop press and the bazooka-shaped press tool?

 

As luck would have it, the 20ton press just went on sale at harbor freight this last weekend, so now I own one. I called a couple shops and only one would take the job but quoted 3-4 hours for one side. Figured I could buy the tools for that price and then the other side will just be parts when its time. I didn't get the bazooka one, I got the one from a guy in nebraska that makes a more universal design that fits the HF press. Was about the same price as the cheap bazooka ones, but the guy guarantees to work and not break. All the bazooka ones I could find all had reviews of welds breaking.

Edit: This one https://www.ebay.com/itm/204566316030

 

That puller from MCSpecial, Inc. I linked above is worth every penny. I know there are cheaper forms of that tool online, but it came quickly and with everything needed to do the whole job, including a nice touch of having offset spacers on the flange mount to bolt the puller tool above the hub bolts. I didn't get his inner race puller adapter he sells only because I was already spending too much on this job. I probably would have otherwise because it was only $50 more which is about the same price as a bearing separator I ended up using. I ended up bolting a 4.25" bearing separator loaner from autozone to the puller just because I wasn't sure it would work and didn't want to buy anything. I chickened out with the book method of cutting into the race and breaking it with a chisel. The mounting points all matched perfectly for a couple M12 bolts, and that was easier anyway.

Sorry about the unsolicited review, but I had to look for a bit to find a puller that didn't have hit or miss welds or mounting issues and that fit the harbor freight press without cutting the tool, so I wanted to put this out there to anyone looking.

 

One way to remove the bearing race is with a cutoff wheel cut most of the way trough the race then the race is hard enough you can shatter it with a hammer and chisel.

 

Thanks for the info, I need to do this job and your post cleared up some things for me. I have access to a press but this kit with all the small press pieces to fit the specific application.