That's awesome! Sometimes bearing noise can be tricky to diagnose. Usually it's the opposite side (side under load) that gets louder. Those type problems are a bit unusual with the wet tapered bearings (more common with the sealed type ball bearings). Glad you found it with minimal labor. Regarding retaining nut tightness.......the FSM actually says to torque it a bit. It's a very low number like 4 or 5 lbs (if I remember right). I always had a problem with that as it contradicts my training (from way, way back) and could never bring myself to do that. It sounds like you did it similar to the way I do. I always tighten a tiny bit beyond (probably similar to what the FSM says), spin the wheel, then back-off to hand tight (just enough to remove any pre-loaded torque). I've always set wet tapered bearings this way and have never had any issues with them (never once had a come-back). Tim