Hello ALL, First of all let me begin by saying THANK YOU to all who responded to my original post. I pulled the hub/knuckle/axle as a unit and replaced it with a junkyard knuckle + new bearing + new CV shaft. While shopping for the knuckle, I was looking for the newest knuckle I could get my hands on -- however, there was one thing I did not realize -- the ABS sensors are not the same on LH cars made in 98-01 and 02-04. They changed the ABS module that the used and the sensors are NOT COMPATIBLE (confirmed it with the dealer who pulled different part numbers for the 01 and 02 and verified by checking the listing in various parts stores -- also different parts). Since my "replacement" knuckle came off an '02, I had to get a new ABS sensor (sure I could have gone back to the yard and picked up one with the right sensor -- but I was really running low on time). As you can imagine the original ABS sensor was also "frozen" to the knuckle -- having soaked the area with penetrating oil, I attempted to remove it as per FSM by trying to twist it using a puch against sensor head. However, what happened was that the plastic part of the sensor (along with the coil inside) separated from the metal cover that remained firmly stuck in the knuckle. Just for fun I was trying to punch the cover out, but it was so stuck that I ended up tearing the metal. The remaining pieces were literally inseparable from the knuckle -- it was all so RUSTED. Installed the mess and test drove the car -- runs great, the noise is GONE. Once again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your help. Thanks, Alex P.S. I used a new nut/bolt pair (ordered from the dealer) when securing the new knuckle to the control arm as per FSM and Bill's advice. I did not end up replacing the control arm since the boot was actually intact -- there was a layer of rust caked on top of the rubber that made it look like it was ripped -- but the rubber is still OK (surprisingly). P.S. II -- Before deciding to use a NEW CV shaft I took my old knuckle with hub and CV shaft attached to a local shop. The agreed to TRY to push it out for $40 (if they were successful). I told them that they could risk destroying the unit in the process of getting it out. Well, no such luck -- they tried heat & hydrolic press to no avail. At the end they managed to break off 2 pieces of the knuckle (the parts that attach to the strut and to the control arm) and bend the protruding part of the CV shaft, but neither the bearing nor the shaft was willing to budge. Before taking it to the shop I soaked the whole mess in penertrating oil, but that did not help either.
