Thanks for taking the time to read through my lengthy post, much appreciated

Yeah I think that's my next plan of attack in terms of testing. All things replaced up to this point needed to be done due to wear and tear. The knocking noise has just been around and getting louder over the years, but not the focus.

Since posting I've been pretty much obsessing, more than before, on the noise. Initially, I indicated the rotational knocking only happened with the wheel turned left at highway speed. Well, it is also making the same noise, although not as loud, with the wheel turned right at highway speed.

So, I'll get everything off again, try spinning the hub/wheel with the axle removed and see if there are any irregularities. After doing the rear bearing, I kinda know what to look out for

 

*UPDATE*

The rotational knocking noise has been fixed!

Convinced that a wheel bearing was the problem, I decided to purchase the parts. It took two weeks to get a new hub from the dealership. Supposedly there were none to be found and it needed to be shipped from Japan to Canada. The wheel bearing (NSK), snap rings and grease seals were available 2 days after I placed my order

After I received all my parts, seeing as how I had not performed the test njmaxseltd mentioned, I decided to do that first rather than just tear into the driver side hub/bearing.

Well, it was a good thing I raised the front of the car, removed both axles and spun both hubs because the passenger side bearing was the culprit! My original conclusion that it was the driver side bearing was wrong and the traditional diagnosis was correct.

The inner grease seal was torn apart and allowed contaminants in. This plus age eventually caused the bearing to fail. I suspect it was damaged on the second CV axle replacement that was done in 2011

So, after hammering out the hub, pushing the old bearing out and pressing the new bearing + hub in, the car is quiet again. There is no knocking in gradual bends, turns, etc. and the vibration in the steering wheel while on the highway is gone

For those who are tackling a wheel bearing + hub replacement and are not removing the knuckle, here are the tools I used which made the job pretty straightforward:

• Ingersoll Rand W7150
• Powerbuilt 648741 23 Pc Fwd Bearing Remover & Installer Kit
• Powerbuilt 940369 Slide Hammer Puller Kit
• Channellock 927 Special Purpose Retaining Ring Pliers
• 36mm Axle Socket
• 30mm Axle Socket for the bearing puller bolt head
• 21mm 6-point Impact Socket
• 19mm 6-point Impact Socket
• 17mm 6-point Socket
• Floor jack
• Axle stands
• Torque Wrench
• Digital caliper tool
• Large adjustable wrench for the nut on the bearing puller
• Strong flat head screwdriver
• High grit sandpaper
• Safety glasses
• Pliers
• Multi purpose grease
• Anti-Seize
• Brake Cleaner
• Shop Towels
• Motorvate.ca

 

I have similar issues but this is when turning left while pushing the gas at a turn light. What is the problem? Also the more weight the car has the more likely I'll hear the noise. The car has lowering springs

 

just to share. the heavy metal to metal noise at sharp bumps or eneven pavements turned out to be a broken lower brake caliper pin bolt on the front passenger side. this broken bolt made the caliper loose and at every sharp bumps the caliper would hit the brake pad really hard and that would made the heavy metal to metal noise. just add it to one of your check points.

BTW, mine is a 1997 nissan cefiro (A32) with VQ20DE.