if you jack your car up and try to move the tire how much wobble will there be if you have a messed up wheel bearing??

 

Shouldn't move at all if all parts are in descent working condition.

 

if the bearings are messed up it wont move at all?? because someone told me in a previous post to check my bearings by jacking up the car and seeing if the wheel wobbled...

 

The wheel shoudn't even move and any play. What is wrong with the car? Is it side to side movement? Or top to bottom movement?

 

im not sure if its up and down or side to side...i think its side to side while im drivin but its mostly just a bumpy feelin ride like rough and gets worse the faster (obviously ) but im not sure what the problem is...you think it could be the bearings?

 

That does sound like a wheel bearing or balance issue to me. I'd get your tires re-balanced, check the alignment, and then if all that doesn't work I'd go for a new wheel bearing.

 

Wheel bearings can go bad 2 different ways. If there's ANY looseness in any direction, there's something wrong. First check to make sure the looseness is located in the wheel bearing. Loose ball joints & suspension components will also cause looseness.

If it's not loose, it's also possible for a wheel bearing to be too TIGHT. These can make a growling vibration or other noises. Best way to confirm that is remove the brake rotor & spin the bearing by hand.

 

The easiest way to check for wheel bearing and tie rod loose-ness is to jack the car up so the tire completely clears the ground. After that, grasp the tire firmly on the left and right sides. Push in and out on each side and if you feel any movement from right to left, your problem is most likely a bad tie rod end, whether it be inner or outer. Now, hold the tire on the top and bottom. Push in and out like before, and if you feel any movement there, it will most likely be the wheel bearing is bad. Also, this can tell if you if the ball joints on the upper control arms are bad when pushing in and out on the top and bottom of the wheel. Hope this helps.