Wheel Bearing Bad?

[elks]

So I had the spindle nut back off enough to cause a vibration/wobble. It was really bad at 30 mph, but when I was looking for the issue there was just a very slight amount of play on my right front wheel. The pin on the spindle rounded off and backed out.

My question is: When it is apart how can I tell if I need to replace wheel bearings? I just did the front end on the blazer about 8,000 miles ago and the bearing were new then.

Will I be able to tell with visual inspection? Or do I need to put it all together and check for movement?

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Bearings SHOULD roll smoothly, no catching, or grabbing.
If they "growl" when your moving, at any speed, they're bad.

When you pull the hub, the inside bearing race will stick a little.
Not budging at all is when you know you killed em.


Bad:
- heat marks.
- pitting of ANY KIND.
- deformation of the bearing cage.

Check the bearings themselves, AND the races.