I need to change my rear axle seals. I removed the six axle screws at the flange, and...nothing. Can't get the axle loose.

I've hit it with PB Blaster. I've put a large phillips screwdriver in a bolt hole, and tried prying back and forth. I've hit the cv housing with a large rubber mallet. I've taken a drift and a pretty good sized hammer and rapped it pretty hard. I've cursed the gods of Rust and Road Salt [I live in Ohio]

The only thing I've not done is use a grinder to put a notch in the cv housing, so I could use a chisel to apply some direction to the force. Ok, I've also not taken a large hammer and beat the living sh** out of the cv housing, but I try to avoid losing my temper these days; it's expensive.

So before I button things up and take the car to a shop, anyone have any special methods they use to get axles off?

 

I did figure this out. Let the PB blaster have some time to work. After some time, and some more beating on the cv housing with a drift and big hammer, the axle finally came free-ish.
I say "ish" because I wasn't able to get the axle to compress enough to clear the housing at the diff. That's true of both sides. I don't remember seeing any particular trick to this in the diy's, but almost all of the diy's involve removing the axles, and that allows for getting clearance.

Has anyone successfully gotten clearance to move the axle out of the way of the diff housing, and how did you do it?

 

I tried this again, and wasn't able to get the axle to clear then flange. I tried some gentle prying, and there just wasn't any give along the axis to get it free.

Has anyone done the the axle seals without taking apart the suspension? Did you have any problems getting the axles free?