Front End Noise 97 Escort LX

My 97 ford escort lx has a noise in the left front tire. its a kind of ticking sound which is in rythym with the tires movement. It has gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks. When I step on the brakes and the car slows nearing a stop the sound becomes a rather loud clunking sound, also in rythym with the tires movement. This sound is constant it does not only occur when going around corners. The car steers normally and does not seem to have any alignment problems.

I am taking it to the garage next week to have it diagnosed ( this was as soon as he was able to see me otherwise I would have taken it in already )

What Im looking for here is maybe a general idea of what could be causing this. I am not mechanically inclined and it would be nice to at least have some idea what this could be and what I might expect in terms of cost to fix it. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Psy

There are two possibilities, a sticking brake caliper or a bad CV joint. I think you will find that the CV joint on that side of the vehicle is going bad and the axle shaft will need to be replaced. Should cost about $150-$200 with labor to replace.

Yeah that or you have a rock or nail stuck in your tire.

[QUOTE=Escort_Service]Yeah that or you have a rock or nail stuck in your tire.[/QUOTE
There are some updated slides and pins for the brakes too, my question is when you stop/or when you are braking does it pull one way, or does the steering wheel shimmy back and forth real fast. You could have an out of round rotor, a real bad one would cause a noise.
If it pulls when braking, more than likely, it's a frozen or sticky caliper and or slides.
I also agree with a rock or a nail in your tire too.

I actually took it in to the shop today. Turns out it was a missing Anchor Pin Retainer clip. So they replaced it and its good as new. Thanks for the answers :)