Front Wheel Bearing Trouble, No help from auto mechanic

[zoom zoom]

where's your spacer, it goes on the hub shaft between the bearings.

it looks like this:

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab2/mykromisfit/knuckle%20rebuild/IMAG0536.jpg

those little nicks in there shouldn't hurt you as long as they are countersunk with the rest of the metal around it. You don't want a protrusion sticking out causing the races to get scarred or not fully seat down in that bore.

[WmWatt]

You applying 150-180 ft-lbs torque?

[AZ-Treker]

Zoom, spacer is there, installed just as you said and showed in your write up.

WmWatt, I applied 50 lbft of torque, spun wheel, then 100 lbft, spun it, and then 150 lbft of torque. My torque wrench only goes up to 150. Should I try to put more torque on it?

I've been driving the car everywhere but to work and so far the noise hasn't gotten louder. If it does then I think I'm going to try to find a different spindle to put on and see what happens.

[zoom zoom]

I'm wondering if maybe they didn't crack the knuckle pressing in the bearing races? You didn't see any hairline fractures did you?

[WmWatt]

My torque wrench also only goes to 150 but that's about all the torque I can apply anyway.
I'd go ahead and tighten it as much as you can. You're unlikely to pull the axle through the hub.
If the hub were worn I think you'd have noticed any gooves when you had the wheel apart. I
think it would be unlikely because the bearings are in a cage and would not wear on the hub
unless the cage disintegrated first. I've seen a lot of that on bicycles. People generally don't
do any mainenance on their bicycles.

BTW people call the cylinder the bearings go on the "hub" on the front wheels and the "spindle" on the rear wheels.
The spidery looking thing which holds the races (technically cups) and goes on the hub is the steering knuckle.

PS What brand of bearing are you using?

[AZ-Treker]

Just picked up my son from school and it's really loud now. Guess I'll be looking for a "knuckle" now.

Zoom, while I had the knuckle all apart I looked at it for a good long time but didn't see any cracks in it. Well, at least where the races go.

Watt, I'll try applying more torque to it. At this stage it can't hurt it anymore that it already is. I didn't see any grooves in it. Just the knicks showing in the pictures. While at Autozone I made sure I got Timken bearings. I hear they're the best.

What years and models, other than the Aspires, interchange with my 95 Aspire. I think I read that 2001-2002 Kia Rio's also work. Is that right? Just wondering because I might have better luck finding one of those.

[AZ-Treker]

OK, here's the latest.
I replaced the knuckle with a used one from the Pick A Part. I torqued the wheel bearing to 150 then backed it off a little which I'd never done before. I still thought I had bearing issues because there was a squeek comming from the front drivers side area. Well, I used the sound recorder on my phone and held it outside the window towards the front wheel. Nothing. Held it inside under the dash. there was a faint sound. then I held it above the dash right above the speedometer. Listend to it. BINGO! So I got under the hood and was going to pull the cable from the transaxle but found there was a place where the cable unscrewed from itself about 5 inched from the firewall. So I took it apart and squirted as much of this Royal Purple Maxfilm lubricant in the cable as I could and put it together and it worked. No more squeek. Now let's see how long the bearing lasts. Thanks everyone for the help.