[VIP1]

Diagnosing a bad tie-rod or ball joint
(knocking noises in front suspension)

Get that wheel up in the air.

Grab the wheel at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position.
Rock it left/right.
Is there any play/noise?
If so, then the outer (or inner) tie rod needs to be replaced.

Grab the wheel at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock position.
Rock it up/down.
Is there any play/noise?
If so, then the upper and/or lower ball joint(s) need to be replaced.
When you get the spindle off you can inspect the ball joints to see which one has the excess play.
(or take it to Sears and have them replace both with Moog parts)

Rotate the wheel.
Any noise?
If so, take the wheel off and rotate the hub.
Any noise?
Look for anything that can contact the rotor or wheel.
if nothing, take off the caliper and rotor and rotate the hub.
Any noise?
If so then the wheel bearing needs to be replaced.

If there is no noise in any of that, then the nut on the top of the shock might be loose and the shock is moving up/down/left/right in the mount making noise. I left this for last because its the most work to check. You'll have to drop the shock/spring assembly from the tower to inspect the nut. Also make sure nothing is missing like a rubber isolator or washer.

As noted by jmdale1984 below, when tracking down front end noise, also check the sway bar mounts and end links to make sure that they aren't broken.