How do you tell the wheel bearing is bad

Or loose. not seated, bearing could still be good if it has not been driven like that

if you grab the wheel at 6 and 12 and have lots of play it could be a bearing or could be ball joints. if you grab it at 3 and 9 and it has play you could be looking at a tie rod either inner or outer. you just need to have some one look at the different components while you move to tire to decide where the play is coming from

Excellent answer kbro

One way you will know is the unmistakable screeching sound, Kbro is dead on with the hands on, but like he said it could mean different things. Using a mechanics stethoscope, you can spin the tire slowly and hear the bearing and crunching or grinding sound if it's not squealing like crazy when your driving, if the car has sat for a very long time the bearing will get flat spotted. I learned that when I bought a 60's car that hadn't moved in like 30 years, and you could literally see a flat spot on all the bearings.

No one seems to have a safety-kleen tank anymore. That was practically a full time job for me washing the bearings and blastin' em clean. We didn't just replace with new ones but the whole nine yards in seein it through-

This Venture has definite wheel bearing problems and how can I tell? Well it easy to see just look real close.

I did some looking for you and these hub assemblies include the wheel bearings, and come as a complete assembly. If the bearings wear down, then the hub could freeze, causing the wheel to lock up, which could lead to a serious accident. To solve the problem, you need to change out the wheel hubs with new ones, which takes a few hours to do.

i just changed mine today drivers side 3 hrs. to complete. i still have the thumping noise may need other side and or ball joint replacement its worn pretty good. the3 hub assemblies are hard to get out i had to heat it. Steve R.

Can it cause my tire to go flat. Im asking because I have had 3 flats on that side where my hub bearings are bad