Rear wheel bearing question?

[ohhh my]

how do you know you need to replace the rear bearings? I'm not sure if it's my rear tires or the bearings going out. but I'm starting to hear this very low rotational sound which is independent of engine speed and is dependent on car speed. Again, the sound is very low and not noticeable to the average person.

[brp987]

Jack the car up and spin the wheels. 3 of mine were smooth. The bad one sounded like the bearing was packed with sand. On the frwy there was also an obnoxious grating whining sound. When I got it apart the bearing was disintegrated.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by brp987

Jack the car up and spin the wheels. 3 of mine were smooth. The bad one sounded like the bearing was packed with sand. On the frwy there was also an obnoxious grating whining sound. When I got it apart the bearing was disintegrated.

Yes and no. I had a front bearing go on me (could hear the low rotational noises when driving), but when I jacked her up and played with the wheel (push/pull top/bottom and side to side, AND rotated the wheel) I heard/felt nothing unusual at all. But when I replaced the bearing, the noise while driving was gone, confirming the diagnosis. Whether or not you can hear it when the car is jacked up, I'm sure, depends on how far gone the bearing is.