Thread: Properly stuck rear half shaft

Morning all.
So turns out I didn't do up my wheels bearings tight enough. So I thought I'd tighten up properly at camp.
Except for the half shaft is properly stuck in what we are guessing Is the diff.
30kms of sealed roads prior I had the whole thing apart and nothing untoward had happened.

I'm wondering what you guys have done in the past to get it out.

What I have tried so far
4 screw drivers to wedges it out (broke 2)
Hammers including sledge hammer
Driving around with the half shaft bolts loose hoping to pop it out
Shimmed it so the play was minimal in the bearing and off road for a day.
Spin wheels forwards and reverse
Broke a 60mm pry bar
Crow bar
Big slide hammer
Cold chisel - most success so far but gap is too big to be effective now

Before you ask....
Bearings don't touch the half shaft the hub moves on the stub axel, it has nothing to do with this.
Has a new stub axel seal with the metal ring, if it was this I would imagine it would have given in by now.
The other side comes out perfect no tools required
I can't take the plate off it's a banjo diff
The half shaft has backwards forwards play (taking up back lash) in it's 'all the way in' position
When I have it as far out as I can it doesn't have this movement, however I can put some bolts in the holes and use a pry bar to rotate it.
It was a brand new stub axel 30kms ago
It's about 1cm out at the minute


Any ideas would be appreciated
Thanks
Matt

If your still haven't fixed it, and its a 300 tdi, you could try this.
At the bell housing to engine mount brackets there are 2 bolts at each side.
These are m10, remove 1 from each side.
Remove 2 exhaust manifold nuts, or 2 from the exhaust manifold to down pipe, both are m10.

Place the nut into the gap you have already made at the drive flange and screw the bolt in. Probably best to go onto the flat of the hub and not into the threaded hole.
If you use 2 or 3 bolts it will give some mechanical advantage.
I wouldn't use the drive flange bolts for this as they are fairly soft and may snap.