How to check front wheel bearings

[robotman]

I am rebuilding the front calipers, they are off the car how do i check the bearings, they spin good and no noise but how do i check for play. You cant really move them by grabbing the disk and trying to move it do you use a couple of screw drivers in the cooling vanes and try to move?

[Flat6pac]

You tighten the lock under the cap until you can still move the washer under the lock with some resistance.
Bruce

[steely]

You'd have to throw the tire back up on the hub. More leverage to test for play.

Search some more, I think you have to differentiate between a ball joint issue and a bearing issue if you get movement, although there is another test for the ball joint.

If you have heard a constant noise while driving, that's another clue to the bearing.

[robotman]

Thanks guys

[DRACO A5OG]

Check the strut too.

Grab the dust shield then the strut and try to move the strut back and forth for play, Tighten if needed with pipe wrench if proper tool is not available. If Concours, buy a special purpose tool.

+1 on Tire on to check for play at 2 & 7 and 10 & 5 o clock. The way my wrench did it he spun the spun the rotor and tightened the nut until it stopped three times.

[Kraftwerk]

Bearings are pretty cheap. If your car has 125,000 miles and they have never been changed, I would just go ahead and put new ones in. The pricey thing, potentially, is getting a machinist or Porsche mechanic to press out the old bearings and press in new ones using a bearing press and the proper size arbor. Don't bash them out!