Front end noise

I have a 2002 ZX2. It is making a noise that sounds like it is coming from the front drivers side. There noise occurs more rapidly as you accelerate. It is hard to explain, it is not a howling or whining sound like you would expect from a worn out bearing and it doesn't make a clicking sound or handle any differently around turns or during braking. I tried replacing the front tires one at a time with the spare thinking it may have been a bad tire or bent rim. The noise wasn't as bad with the spare, but it is still there. Could it possibly be a bad tie rod? If anyone has any suggestions on how to troubleshoot the cause of the problem or ideas on what it could be I would appreciate it.

Clear up a few things for us. Is it a manual or automatic? Does it go away when you brake? Does it make any noise coasting in neutral at speed? Does it do it in relationship to the speed of the engine or to the speed of the car. Does the steering wheel vibrate? I'm thinking you've got something that is going to be really hard to diagnose because there could be so many different things that could cause a noise in your front end. One good thing. It's not your tie rods, ball joints or control arm bushings. Rather than throw parts at it take it to an alignment shop and get it diagnosed. I'm sure they have seen something like this before. .

I have seen CV joints that did not make any noise at all around corners..nor could you make them make it.
They also had no play at all in them when jacked up.

Sometimes they can be heard when that wheel is driven with the car jacked up..or on a hoist. Load/unload..on/off the brake.

Probablly the easiest way is to find an OLDER alignment/tire/suspenision shop with an OLDER on car wheel balancer. Have a spin and a listen. Newer shops don't use on car balancers.

The last one I did I could not find any play nor could I get it to make any noise.The owner swore it was a main bearing knocking. All the symptoms..louder with speed/load..knocking.

Changed the shaft. Noise gone.

The car is an automatic. I noise changes relative to the speed of the car. braking or accelerating does not make a difference other than it the sound happens more frequently when you go faster and less as you slow down. It also still makes the noise when coasting. There is a slight vibration in the steering wheel but the car still drives pretty straight. I tried jacking both front wheels off the the ground and putting the car in gear but I did not hear the noise then although you can steel feel a little vibration in the steering wheel. I think we will try taking it to a shop that does alignments to see if they can help narrow down the problem. Like you said, I don't want to just start replacing parts until I have a good idea of what the problem is.

The car is an automatic. I noise changes relative to the speed of the car. braking or accelerating does not make a difference other than it the sound happens more frequently when you go faster and less as you slow down. It also still makes the noise when coasting. There is a slight vibration in the steering wheel but the car still drives pretty straight. I tried jacking both front wheels off the the ground and putting the car in gear but I did not hear the noise then although you can steel feel a little vibration in the steering wheel. I think we will try taking it to a shop that does alignments to see if they can help narrow down the problem. Like you said, I don't want to just start replacing parts until I have a good idea of what the problem is.

Drive the car and get it to a road where you can consistentlly get it to make the noise.
When it is making the noise. Quickly shift into neutral. Rev the engine and try and duplicate the noise.
Failing that. Find an area where you can do with next to no steering or brakes for a minute!! When the noise is on..put the car in neutral..shut the motor off. Remember. Next to no steering..HARD.. and only a brief period of braking before it is HARD.. before you re-start the car.

Sometimes you can drive the car along side a brick or masonry building wall (like behind the buildings at a shopping mall) - with the window down, and hear sounds reflected back to you that you wouldnt otherwise hear. Do this in both directions, to see if you can hear anything unusual. I think it could be a wheel bearing. A wheel whose lug nuts are toqued down will make noise, getting worse as the holes in the wheel get enlarged. Sometimes you can jack up the car and put a wooden dowel rod against the hub, with the other end pressed to your ear, to hear a bad wheel bearing, but not always. The first part of a wheel bearing to fail is normally on the sections that carry loads when the weight of the car is on the wheel, not when the wheel is being held up by the car.
Also, could it be a noise due to a pattern worn into the tire tread - like you get with tires that have been on the rear wheels of many front wheel drive cars?