Klaus/others,

I've got what I'm like 90% sure is a bad wheel bearing, but it doesn't make the standard noises that a bad bearing would make. That's about on par with things going wrong with my car, though - it doesn't conform to standard things.

I first noticed a sound Thursday out on the highway, and thought (well, did) I just overfilled the power steering pump. It sounded like a jack brake on a truck when I let off the gas pedal on the highway. I noticed the pump making some noise when I got back, took out some fluid, and thought hey, problem solved - the noise wasn't there anymore.

Not so. We put like over 600 miles on it this weekend and didn't get any noises out of it until Sunday afternoon. The noise is back, and sounds bad. It's almost like a whop-whop-whop noise like a tire out of balance or with a flat spot or something. But it's quick, increases with speed, worse going downhill than flat, and not overly loud. If I touch the gas, brake, or start to turn left slightly (loading that wheel), it shuts up - no noise. Turn right slightly, and it will often re-appear, but not always. It's very difficult to re-create the noise for others to hear.

I got concerned and stopped and jacked up the car yesterday - behind the wheel isn't hot, and I can't actually FEEL play in any direction. It spun alright - maybe not as freely as I would have thought, but I didn't hear any strange noises or notice any grabbing. As soon as I set it back on the ground and put on brakes, I felt a definite "clunk". It's doing this more noticeably now. I did brakes last weekend, and both calipers are working fine and not sticking or moving around.

Does that sound like a wheel bearing for sure to you without any of the "for sure" symptoms or sounds? I just don't want to throw money at parts I don't need. The axle is only 60K old, and the boot on the inner CV joint looks brand new still - so I don't think it's too much of a suspect.

Thanks for your input!