Seized wheel Bearing?

Hey guys, a couple of days ago i started noticing a grinding/ popping sound from the front drivers side wheel of my xj when making a left turn at slow speeds. The noise has gradually started to make itself known not only when turning left now, but also from standing starts at traffic lights and stop signs. I have inspected the axle u-joint and it is fine but i know the sound is coming from that area. I tried shaking the wheel when i had it jacked up but there was no play at all that usually comes from worn bearings. Is it possible that i still have a worn bearing and it doesnt move because it is seized into the hub? It has even started to hum slightly when getting up to speed. Any input is MUCH appreciated!

thanks for your time

Typically a bearing makes a grinding noise when it's starting to go bad. The last time one of mine went, it would get louder or quieter depending on where more of the weight was leaning. It can come and go, but once you start to hear it, it's only going to get worse. Depending on age and miles, it probably wouldn't hurt to replace 'em anyway.

only when turning one direction could mean anything from differential bearing problems to a ujoint with no grease left in it. Usually a bad hub will make a sound no matter if you are going straight or turning. The fact that there is no play in the wheel makes me think the hub is not related to your problem. when you jack up just that one side, take the wheel off and turn the hub by hand. you'll be able to feel it if the hub bearing is grinding as it rotates. If it were me I'd pull the hub and axle out (it will slide right out of the differential once you get the hub loose without opening the diff) and feel for play or rough spots in the ujoint itself.

you can also take the plug out of the diff cover and stick the end of a telescoping magnet into the oil through the hole after you've gone for a short drive - if it comes out with metal dust stuck to it you have a bearing in the diff that is beginning to fail. When the side bearings on the axle carrier are worn out they make noise only when turning because the load force is being applied laterally on them, usually makes them groan something awful.

good luck, hope some of this helps.

When my pinion bearings ground themselves to dust last year it sounded/felt like the description above.

You can grab the front of the front DS at the yoke to look for ANY side to side, up/down movement. With the wheels in the air you can also spin them and listen to pinpoint where any noise is coming from.

I had to pull the axles to stop the grinding (and thereby save the gears from destruction) until I got around to replacing the pinion and carrier bearings. All good now.

thanks for your input guys. today i went on trying to pinpoint the issue. I took the jeep out and drove until the popping started at slow speeds. i was idling in a parking lot listening to the sound and decided to put the brake lightly and give it a little gas at the same time to hold the same speed and the noise stopped completely, and as soon as i went back to just idling it started up again. I really hope this helps to disprove differential issues as i am currently on a budget. I also thought could possibly have something to do with the brakes themselves because i changed my own pads for the first time a few weeks ago.

brake on while moving and no noise means one of 3 things. either the pads are dragging due to a gummed up piston on the caliper (or the popping/clunking noise could be a loose caliper bolt), a ujoint is self destructing, or bad bearings in the diff. i'd lean towards option 3... especially if the noise gets louder and changes pitch the faster you go. if the noise keeps the same pitch it may be option 1... you need to pull both front wheels off and go back over everything, checking the ujoints and hubs as suggested above, and making sure the caliper bolts are tight. if you have access to a micrometer it may be beneficial to check both rotors to see if either one is more worn than the other as well.

i'd suspect the diff bearings because by putting drag on the carrier with the brakes you are putting a different load on the bearings, and brakes because the pads are forced against the rotors which would negate any drag from the pads or caliper movement. good luck, sounds like you need it.

The sound completely stops once i get up over about 15mph no more popping or anything. It sort of hums slightly around 45mph nothing unbearable just noticeable enough to worry me. One thing that is odd about my situation is that when the front is jacked off the ground and i spin the wheels nothing sounds abnormal everything spins freely with no grinding or popping

I'd check brakes then, but without being there it's hard to diagnose time to bust out the tool kit and check everything. If it's been more than 3 oil changes since you changed out the front diff fluid pop it open and take a look in there. if you see some shiny sludge on the bottom of the housing inside you have a bearing problem, worst case you have new fluid in there and eliminated that as the source of your noise.

Thank you very much for your help. Ill check em in the morning. I might just have to cave and take it to a shop to get it fixed alot more quickly than i could do it to prevent damaging anything else. I'll update as soon as i find the culprit.