Rear wheel squealing

[wrs986]

So when I get the car on a jack and check to see if there is any play in the wheel and/ or if there is any noise when spinning the wheel and I find I don’t have any play or noise I could still have a bad bearing? How do you know if you have a bad bearing if there are no signs?

[blue62]

Originally Posted by wrs986

So when I get the car on a jack and check to see if there is any play in the wheel and/ or if there is any noise when spinning the wheel and I find I don’t have any play or noise I could still have a bad bearing? How do you know if you have a bad bearing if there are no signs?

Yes you could possibly still have a bad bearing even if you find no excessive play or noise when checking it. The sign is the increasing noise when you drive it. As you drive it could be heating up melting lube out, you get friction and expansion of parts, tolerances become less noise starts and increases.
I would first eliminate all other possibilities.
Make sure the noise is coming from where you think it is.!!!!!!!
If you have eliminated the pebble possibility look for other likely causes.
Brake pad wear indicators? bent backing plate? something rubbing on the axle? loose mounting bolts at axle to transmission.? If you eliminate every other possibility
what are you left with.????

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by wrs986

So when I get the car on a jack and check to see if there is any play in the wheel and/ or if there is any noise when spinning the wheel and I find I don’t have any play or noise I could still have a bad bearing? How do you know if you have a bad bearing if there are no signs?

You have to listen carefully as bearing noises can be hard to ID, usually they rumble under load, like if you turning hard to the right, you should hear a sound change on the left wheel..

Hopefully what I am trying to explain makes any sense..