Loosen the large nut on the end of the axle before jacking the car up. Loosen wheel lugs, jack the car up, support it by the frame or sub frame(not control arm). After putting the car on jack stands and removing the wheel, remove the large nut from the end of the axle(that was already loosened), gently push the axle to make sure its free within the hub. Use a piece of wood to tap the end of it if needed to not damage the threads.
Loosen the ball joint by the 3 bolts that hold it to the control arm, or the one bolt through the middle (trickier but wont lose alignment). Remove the sway arm bolt. Remove the strut assembly from the control arm, ensure axle is loose within the hub, the axle should slide out of the hub at this point now that the strut swings out of the way.
Use a 8 mm triple square to loosen the 6 bolts on the transmission end. once remove the axle should come out. Repair or Replace and re-assemble.
Good luck.
