Does this sound like a rear wheel bearing going out?

Long time lurker, first time poster

Almost positive I have a passenger side rear wheel bearing going out.

Here’s the sound of the issue in the cab while going about 65 (you need headphones to hear it well)


Here's the sound of the play in the wheel when i jacked the rear end up. (Most sound is coming from wiggling at 3+9 o'clock, not as pronounced at 12+6 o'clock)


My mechanic changed the rear dif oil and diagnosed the WUBWUBWUBWUB sound as most likely pinion bearings in the dif as it was old oil and had some shavings in there. I asked them to check the wheel bearings and they said they were fine. Maybe because i thought the issue was coming from the driver side rear? Did they miss something? Turns out its the passenger side with the play. All my research done here on this site points to this being a wheel bearing issue.

Just had some service done so i'm not financially inclined to go back and have the bearing swapped if it is in fact coming from the diff. I even rode in the bed of the truck following my ear all over the place and it's very difficult to pin-point where the sound is located. I imagine if it is the wheel bearing going bad it is just resonating the whole axle/dif/frame/body.

i'd love someone to chime in to confirm!

 

bump.

Can anyone confirm the driving sound in the cabin is in fact a bad wheel-bearing?

shop said that play in the wheel is normal; now suspects driver side rear being the culprit but still isn't sure .

 

Sounds like a worn bearing to me. Will be difficult to pinpoint even with the stethescope due to the sound transferring through the axle to other areas. May be able to find where it's the loudest though. Likely won't be as pronounced with the wheels off the ground.

 

Had a 2000 FGT long time ago with a bad wheel bearing and it sounded different than the vid. Yours is more knock and rhythmic. Mine was a whirlly rolling sound with no rhythm.

 

Does the pitch of the sound change when you steer the truck back and forth?

 

UPDATE:

Turns out it was the DRIVER side rear bearing that was bad. It also turns out that just because there is play doesn't mean its a bad wheel bearing. The real culprit was the wheel opposite which had zero play. The final diagnosis was done with a stethoscope by my mechanic.

All said and done and the noise is gone!
Total cost to me was about $380 incl. new oem bearing

 

Awesome! Glad you got it all fixed up.

 

on my 08 I had both rears replaced... but i only heard when driving at slower speeds in my subdivision... and only when turning... good luck!

 

This is exactly how mine sounds right now. While driving and the back and forth play. Thanks for the info!

 

Similar issue. Did you end up getting it taken care of? Thinking about having both the rear wheel bearings done in one shot.

 

No I haven't yet, now I also have a rear axle shaft oil seal out as well. Its my goal for this week to get the seal and both wheel bearings taken care of. just not sure if I want to have a shop do it or buy the tools myself and do it to save money. Also, kind of looking at getting a preloaded axle shaft assembly. Figured may as well just replace it all with new stuff since I'm looking to bring this truck back to life anyway.

 

No reason to replace and axle that is not bent or the flange rusted beyond use.