Front hub bearing story

[Highlander]

Not really a question, but maybe so. The wife's '85 started making screeching (metal on metal) noises at different times on the way home (up a canyon, 18 miles, 3000' elevation gain). Sometimes it would sound normal (even with the window down), then it would start with the high pitched screech (like a brake pad wear indicator), then it would start growling and vibrating through the floor under my feet.
Needless to say, I stopped driving it and investigated. The wheel was tight, the axle nut was tight, but the castellated washer was distorted around the cotter pin, the pads were acceptable (not on the wear indicators), but I found the diagonal brace from the front cross member to the frame under the driver was broken. So, having a spare, I replaced it, retorqued the axle nut, replaced the cotter pin after tweaking the castellated washer back into shape, and sent the wife down the canyon in it.
2 days later, she says that its making the noise again, so I drive it up the canyon and sure as shit, its doing the same thing. I surmise that its the front hub bearing (nothing else left other than the GSP axle which is 2 years old-not), so I tear apart my spare and replace the bearing-good writeup by the way in the Repair Guides section, pull the wife's car in to do the job, pull the axle nut, go to pull the rotor off and to my surprise, the hub comes off with it!
The cause of the noise was that the inner inner race had been spinning on the hub where it is supposed to be pressed on, This also resulted in the bearings alternately being off of the races (possibly completely into the gap between them) that they should be well seated onto.
I know that the axle nut was torqued properly when I replaced the axle, so I'm not sure where all of the play came from, but man was it scary to drive!
SO, If you see your castellated washer all bent up, I'd take a good look at the hub bearing first. Everything's good now, just thought that I'd share the pain.
Now I've got a buggered up hub that's probably a good paper weight (like I don't have enough of THOSE!) or boat anchor.

[dlb]

just found this story, good info.