Thanks for the info. I did not remove the knuckle, yet.

How hard it is the knuckle to remove from the axle/driveshaft? Can a puller be used instead of tapping it out with a hammer?

 

OK, smoothness and not noise. When I pull it apart I will feel for that. I am waiting until mid-December to pull it apart when I have more time.

Can a gear puller be used to remove the knuckle from the driveshaft or does it have to be tapped off as the shop manual states? How hard is it to tap off? Any info on this part will also be helpful.

 

When I've done this, the difficult part has been the big axle nut. It's staked into a groove on the axle stub, and you can use a nail or something to drive that out of the groove. Once the nut is off, you don't need much to push the axle stub. As often as not, I've just pushed it out by hand.

Now removing the hub & bearing from the knuckle needs a press. I've carried the knuckle into a shop to have them do that. Saves their labor for taking the knuckle out of the car.

 

Great!! It sounds easier than the shop manual makes it sound. Thanks for all the info.