97 850 T-5. 250K miles. Bought replacement axles due to long-torn boots.

I'm having trouble disconnecting driver side axle from hub. I removed control arm (disconnected 2 bolts & ball joint). (Driver side is first one I'm working on)

I started with the hammer on wood on axle end (nut loose to flush), no movement.

In moving things around, axle came out of trans easily, and is now hanging from the outer splines/knuckle/hub.

I've sprayed WD-40 liberally, finally pounding the axle end with a lead hammer and still no visible movement.

The only thing holding the knuckle/hub contraption on is the tie rod. I don't have a ball joint separator otherwise I'd undo that and haul the thing over to a bench and pound the axle harder. LOL

So, um, any suggestions?

UPDATE: I pressed a gear puller into service as a ball joint separator and now have knuckle/hub & axle combo on a vice, axle end pointed up. Squirted more WD-40, pounded straight down on the axle end and still no visible movement.

After soaking in WD-40 for days, banging with small-ish hammers, trying hub puller, I finally resorted to a full-sized sledge (8 lbs?). I put my hand up the neck and brought it down on the axle end from about a foot above. After about 6 blows it started to move. 5 more love taps and the axle dropped out!!!

Now my question is....is there any maintenance I should do on the hub bearing now that I'm looking right at it. Squeeze some grease in somehow? Anything?

I grabbed the wheel alignment pin and spun the rotor as fast as I could, and when I let go, it spun another 1 1/2 rotations. Is this all that should be expected, or should it spin more freely? I can hear the bearing protective ring go "ssshhhhh", but that seems normal.

Love taps...

You should not really hear anything, but I guess a shhhhh is a good thing. No, the bearings are a sealed unit and you cannot add grease, they are meant to be replaced as a unit when the bearings finally give out.

As for the axle, clean it real good and coat it, not smear it, with grease to keep the rust off.

Klaus
--
Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

Hi,
did my front left bearing of 850-94 some years ago, this kind where a quite big nut is on the axle end.
I first loosened the nut justa abit and hammered the axel with quite force, first after it meved a bit I started to dismantel the control arm etc. otherwise you loose a lot of hammering power as the axel gives back.
using a puller is a good idea and should work with combination of tension and hammering simultaneusly.
good luck
tapsa

the tie rod should pop free with a couple whacks on the knuckle sideways.

If u have another car available go rent or borrow a hub puller. It has 3 ears that bolt to the hub with lugnuts and a large bolt that screws thru the center and pushes the axle stub out.

Yeah guess I'll see if Autozone has a hub puller.

Thanks!

http://www.eeuroparts.com/Main/PartDetail.aspx?id=4300

Got that hub puller loaner from Auto Parts store and put it in a vice and cranked hard on it. Had about 2 feet of leverage on it and was afraid something was gonna bust (not the axle coming free). I left it all tensioned up and put a torch to the hub around the outside of the splines. Still nothing. Leaving it overnight under pressure, not hoping for any miracles tho.

The only thing left I can think of is get it to a shop that has a press....but what are the odds the hub will be useful after that???