Ball joint or wheel bearings?

[poconojoe]

Hey all, 2008 Ranger XLT 4X4 4.0L, completely stock truck.
I went to the dealer for something and the mechanic said my left front upper ball joint had a little play in it. They want over $400 to replace it! Not trusting them, I jacked it up by the lower control arm and grabbed the tire and found a little play. However, I didn't see any movement in the ball joint at all. It seemed like just the tire and rotor. I removed the tire/wheel and the play seemed like it was in the rotor. From reading posts here, I found that if I grab the tire at 3 & 9 o'clock and there's play there too, then it's the bearings.
Now, I've been hearing a little clunking noise from that side when I hit a lot of bumps in the road. It sounds like sway bar bushings to me and they do look a little worn but I'm not sure if it's all related.
I know you guys can't see or hear my truck, but any ideas from my description?
Thanks,
Joe

 

[adsm08]

To test the upper ball joint jack the wheel up and push with both hands at the 12:00 position. If you have any in and out play, bad ball joint You should be able to see the ball joint when doing this.

If you have play at the 3 and 9 position, then yes, the wheel bearing is suspect.

It may also be helpful to have someone else shake the wheel while you watch from underneath, if the play seems to center around the axle shaft then you have a bearing problem.