Front end noise, cv axel? hubs? what else?

[rcweston]

Last week as we drove, I heard a growling in what seemed to be the passengers front end. It was quite loud and very easily heard above regular road noise with the windows down. I've had a ticking in that wheel for 10 years since I purchased the car. But this is different, it almost sounded like a grinding/ growling type noise. It was pretty much constant and not just a tick in time with the turning wheel.
The car has set for a week without use until I found time to really work on it. After researching to find how to diagnose it, I came up with various tests of cv axles and hubs/bearing. I tried them today but, now there is no noise!
1st test was to raise car. grab tire on top and bottom and force wheel in and out, then change and holds to side to side movement. both tires seemed good, no movement.
2nd test, raise only one wheel one inch above floor, lock brakes and block the three other wheels. Start car and let the one wheel rotate. Listen for noise. I heard a little (very little) back under car about were cv axle connects with transmission, but didn't investigate, seemed a little dangerous with the car running. Second wheel seemed quiet. I don't think I would do this test again!!
3rd test was in a parking lot with plenty of room to turn, accelerate and slow down. could hear nothing with me outside of car and wife driving.
4th test was a road trip through turning roads, straight roads, and hills. Could not detect anything.
5th test remove wheels and rotate, push, pull on hubs. all seemed good. no play or movement, no resistance when turning hub.
6th test, check all the joints,tie rod, ball Joint, break calipers and pads, knuckle and everything else I could find to push on, pull or move. All seemed good, I was hoping that maybe the brakes were dragging a little.
** * One Thing I did find while under checking car, the cv axle on the passengers side can be pushed into the wheel hub and pulled back out so very slightly, maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch, you could hear a slight clunk as it reached it's movement end. the large nut on the end was not loose. The Drivers side had no movement. I don't know if that is significant or not.
We want to make a 300 mile trip, but are still worried about what we initially heard last week.
If someone could read this over and give me their expertise and share their knowledge to help point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks in advance
Rex

[rcweston]

Great news, I found the culprit! It has nothing to do with the cv axles or the front hubs.
We had to drive through construction that forced us to the very side of the road, within 1 foot of the gutters, and the noise showed up loud and clear. It was bouncing off the gutters back to the car. While my wife drove I leaned as far as I dared out the window to hear distinctly that the noise was coming from the driver's side rear, not the front as we suspected.
I took both back wheels off and their was much more resistance turning hub on the one side than the other.
I would have thought it would have shown up in one of the driving test earlier, but it didn't.
A new hub has been ordered. Seems pretty easy to replace.
One last item, my VIN number decodes to having an ABS anti lock brakes, but I don't! no wires, no controller, no block to control the hydraulics. Just regular breaks. So no need to order a hub with anti lock break sensors built in it.
Thanks rex

[Schurkey]

1. Are you sure the brakes aren't dragging and/or worn-out, and that's the source of the stiff-turning and noisy rear wheel?

2. WHAT CAR IS THIS???