Hello, have not posted in some time. I own a 2000 sts with 95,000 miles and I'm starting to hear what might be a bad ball joint on the drivers front wheel.
When I turn to the right (usually on a sweeping exit ramp) doing over 20mph I'm hearing a rubbing noise that I can only assume to be the brake pad wear indicator touching the rotor. The pad is not showing excessive wear but it sound exactly like the wear bar rubbing on the rotor. The sound does not exist under normal braking.
Do you feel my assumption is correct and if so, what might a ball joint cost? I've heard that this is a common failure at this mileage. Is there any other way of confirming that the ball joint is failing?
Thanks for the assist!

Sounds more like a hub bearing. Do a series of "S" turns and see if the noise comes and goes.

Thanks for the reply Ranger! Hub bearing huh? Sounds costly to repair. Any clue what the part costs and where one could purchase it other than the dealership?? I'm trying to budget for this and want some idea of the cost.
BTW, I own the factory service manual for this car and I'm wondering if the replacement procedure is covered in the manual? I'll take a look tonight.
Thanks!

Hey Ranger, I forgot to mention that the sound is present while doing S turns. The sound is on the left front wheel only.

Try Lindsay Cadillac on the right side of this page. Also http://www.gmotors.com or http://www.rockauto.com
Price was somewhere around $200 last time I bought one from Napa. Proceedure is in the manual.

When doing the "S" turns, the sound should get louder when you load the bad bearing and quieter when you unload it.