Removing rusty / stuck rear axle in BMW E61 using Harbor Freight Tools (axle was bad as they get)

A detailed (and painfully long) blow-by-blow description of the methods I used to get a VERY rusty axle out of my BMW E61 (530xi Touring), though the principle is the same for many other cars.

This axle is worse than 98% other axles, and required a LOT of effort. Without access to "shop grade" tools, I resorted to picking up some tools from Harbor Freight, which actually worked well in this case. This includes a 10-ton hydraulic puller, and an electric impact wrench with 1050 ft/lbs of removal torque (and as you will see, I needed all that).

This removal was done as part of a rear suspension refresh, which includes replacing the upper control arms, lower "wishbone" bushings, axle bearings, and upper control arm eccentric bolts (due to breakage). The remainder of the job will be included on a separate (hopefully shorter!) video.

If you're not doing the entire suspension, you may be able to leave the axle attached at the differential (I removed mine...), though you'll have to unbolt enough components to move the knuckle out to allow the axle to be swung out of the way to allow access to the bearing bolts (accessed from behind, and they're obscured by the axle's rubber boot).

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