Wheel bearing question--there was play, now there is not?

When I bought our Mazda Tribute, there was a tiny bit of play on the rear passenger wheel--but no noise. This was the kind of small amount of play where if you're running tech at an autocross, you'd tell the guy that it passes, but to keep an eye/ear on it, and would look really closely at it at the next autocross.

Well, we started to hear some noise on it, and so I took it in to have it checked out (no time myself, and I don't know what I'm doing with it anyways). The mechanic said that there was no play in it--which is what I found myself when I checked. He does hear the noise, and agrees it is probably a wheel bearing, but cannot figure out which one it is. For right now our plan is to leave it be and keep an eye/ear on it until one of them presents itself as the culprit.

How is that possible that there was play in the wheel bearing, and now there is not? As best as I can tell is that the lugs weren't tightened all the way when I first checked (I rotated the tires about a week after purchase)? Otherwise I'm lost.

A bad/noisy wheel bearing often has no play. The noise will show up first when load is put on it. Outside wheel in a corner.

Every wheel bearing I've seen fail has either been noisy or had play, but never both.

iceracer wrote: A bad/noisy wheel bearing often has no play. The noise will show up first when load is put on it. Outside wheel in a corner.

I thought this was opposite, that the bearing usually will make noise when unloaded?

Robbie wrote:

iceracer wrote: A bad/noisy wheel bearing often has no play. The noise will show up first when load is put on it. Outside wheel in a corner.

I thought this was opposite, that the bearing usually will make noise when unloaded?

Not typically, the loaded wheel usually makes the noise.

Was the wheel bearing hot or warm when you checked it the second time? The clearance goes away as they heat up to operating temp. That is why you back the nut off a little when installing the old school wheel bearings.

gearheadmb wrote: Was the wheel bearing hot or warm when you checked it the second time? The clearance goes away as they heat up to operating temp. That is why you back the nut off a little when installing the old school wheel bearings.

Not especially--it had been sitting in the sun all day, but it wasn't any warmer than the metal in the general vicinity.

Are you just wriggling stuff, or actually checking with a dial indicator?

BrokenYugo wrote: Are you just wriggling stuff, or actually checking with a dial indicator?

Wiggling. More fun to be guessing.

The fail spec will be something like 2 or 3 thousandths of end play, you can't really feel 3 thou in this situation.