are my rear bearings bad??

[Dreco]

should there be any play in the rear hub?? if so how much. I rocked the top of the wheel back and forth( pushing on top of tire) there is definately some play ( both sides). I also jacked up the car. and there is also some play in the rotation of the tire as apposed to the rotation of the half shaft. with half shaft not being able to turn, the wheel can turn an extra quarter of an inch. This may be the explanation for some of the clunking sound. The rear hub axles are original..

[2ManyZs]

Being able to turn the hub while the half shaft doesn't move sounds a bit scary.. sounds like you are heading for a catastrophic failure.....:disappoin

I'd pull both stub axles, and see what is going one before you drive it again. I don't think the stub axle is snapped off, but it sounds like it might be the nut has come loose, allowing play in the bearings and the inside flange is starting to take out the splines on the stub axle. That's only a guess, but either way, I'd pull them ASAP. If you saw a pic of what happens to a Z in a turn when something breaks and you suddenly are only driving one rear wheel.. you'd know what I mean. That's what happened to the IT car sitting in my garage.... lost control under braking and went nearly head on into a dirt embankment.... :tapemouth

[Dreco]

well, I checked under the car yesterday, made sure it wasn't the half shafts. I find it hard to believe the nut came loose, that 27mm nut is on there with like 150 ft lbs of torque!! both sides are doing the same thing. I put the car in gear and turn the drive line until the halfshaft won't move anymore, then the outside of the hub will 'slip' just a little bit further, then it 'grabs' and won't turn anymore. I had them checked back in Feb, when my car was inspected for NASA (national auto sport association) and they were within tollerance. Maybe that day at the track tore em up. I did have a nice little spin out that day. Look's like I'll be getting dirty this weekend.

[2ManyZs]

Well, the nut may not be loose per se... but, after the bearings begin to wear, the nut no longer will put the proper preload on the bearings which will contribute to even more wear and tear on the bearings...

I'm not sure what's going on, but it doesn't sound good....

[Downfall]

i'm not sure if this applies to what you are saying but if the wheels turn a little more after the car is in gear while jacked up maybe it's your uni joints. that's what happened with mine and i changed them and then the problem was solved and the clunking gone.

[Dreco]

I took a better look at what was going on under my car, and it looks like most of the play is in the rear end. probably cooked it. It is a used R200 after all. The half shalf u-joints are Spicer's with about 10,000 miles on them. Maybe it's time for a new LSD rear end. I might just replace the rear bearings just as a precaution.