[RI1470]

I think that I've got this problem figured out, but I want to look for a little more advice on here. I've got a 2000 Jimmy SLT 4x4 that has a constant "thump, thump, thump" on every rotation of the front drivers wheel. Having previously been told by a mechanic that I needed an inner tie-rod and a lower ball joint on that side, it would fix that noise and problem. Since they were the original I changed them both, but the noise is still there. From what I've read on here there is a history of bad wheel bearings on these trucks, and I think that the wheel bearing is the culprit this time. The noise started some time ago, and was only noticeable when there was turning at highway speeds, and has gradually gotten worse to the constant thumping on every rotation.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here, could it be something else (it's not the tire), and how difficult is the job to replace these compared to the lower ball joint where it seemed like you had to take half of the truck apart to get to it? From what I could tell doing the ball joint, it's just remove the tire, brake caliper and mount, disconnect the axle shaft from the hub, remove the ABS sensor, and unbolt the hub from the steering knuckle. Did I miss something, or zat about it? One last thing, is it a sealed bearing or is it one that you have to pack yourself like the old style bearing in the brake rotor?

Thanks in advance!



***UPDATE***

So it does seem that when I'm turning left at speed, the left side either bearing, or cv joint tends to roar a little more than the normal sound, however when I turn right, there is either no change to the noise, or the noise actually get's quieter? Does that help narrow down the cause to to the wheel bearing or the cv joint?

Thank