Subaru cv joint replacement?

I made another post about pulling the engine, I got all that taken care of, and its ready to drop back in. I also need to replace the cv joints, because all of the boots are ripped. I have the new axles, and i have the old ones removed from the transmission, but how do you get them out of the knuckle? The manual says just remove them, and if they are stuck to use a special service tool to press them out. I took the knuckle off and tried to press it out with my 12 ton harbor freight press, but has no effect at all. Am I doing something wrong? Or is it just really stuck? Also, if its stuck that bad, should i just go to the junkyard and get another set of knuckles (if i can find some i can seperate from the cv joints in the junkyard).

I'm assuming you took off the 32mm nut?

If so, soak it with PB and wail on it with a hammer.

I was working on some GM junk that I couldn't get the stub shafts out of the knuckles. I used a BFH (Big effen hammer) to no avail. Then I used heat on the bearing, nada. Then I used a press. I bent the freaking wheel mounting flange!! Finally I had a mobile welder come over and cut through the axle/bearing to get it out. I've removed hundreds of axles and usually a couple raps of a BFH get's the job done though.

OK that's it, I'm changing my avatar now!

Is this for a challenge build? If so, I can see the need for cost cutting, but you can buy reman axles for around $100 each online. Sure beats the heck out of messing around with CV's and BFH's.

I have complete new cv shafts already, the problem is i need to return the old ones for a core, and would prefer not to buy new knuckles and wheel bearings, but the splines end of the old outer joint has become a permanant part of the hub. And yes i did take the nut off. lol Its a good thiing its not a challange car, just the timing belt replacement was $500 in parts ($300 worth of bad tensioner and idler bearings).

I had that happen on a Miata rear CV. I tried pullers, hammers, heat, 50 ton (!) press, cursing, screaming, crying all to no avail. I wound up getting another knuckle and etc. I got a bit miffed and cut the thing apart as much as I could just to see what was balking me.

The splines were rusted to the hub, but the rust was black. Weird. But the newsed stuff went back together with anti seize.

Keep soaking it with penetrating oil and hit it harder. Make sure if you're hitting it with a hammer that you have something holding it SOLIDLY, otherwise you're just wasting energy bouncing metal around. 3 pound sledge + long handle + manliness = success

Bryce

PB + heat + BFH has always worked for me.

Im going to take it to the napa machine shop in the morning, if they arent successful, I will probably just get some new knuckles from the junkyard. Im beginning to think it wasnt a good idea to try to fix this car though, other than the clutch, timing belt and cv joints its still in good shape,. but it has over 300k miles and has cost $1500 in parts already (with a couple things that were not in need of imediate replacement, but not much).

In reply to Travis_K:

My first tool would be BFH (general destruction), then I would move on to a heavy duty air hammer (precision destruction).