On the differential I have, the bolts are on the front of the unit rather than on the rear as in the 7.25. What is involved in replacing the gasket. Do I need to detach the yoke pinion first?

No, but you do have to take out the driveshaft, and unbolt the axles and slide them partway out.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Argh.

It's not really as bad as it sounds.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

OK, I have removed drive shaft, axles, and diff. carrier fasteners with no real difficulty. Any hints on how to remove the carrier? It's stuck together. No luck today, I'll try again Sunday.

Put a couple of nuts back on the carrier about midway up and put a floor jack under the front of the carrier. Put some upward pressure on the carrier and it should pop loose, but not fall out. Keep a drain pan under the carrier to housing joint otherwise you'll have a mess. These things are heavy so be ready for it when you go to remove it completely.

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Joshua

I tried the floor jack trick yesterday, but no dice. So I sprayed solvent and let it sit. How about a little "torch-ure". Or is heat a bad idea?

Did you get all 10 nuts? I would not use heat.

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Joshua

Yes, counted ten. I'm hoping the spray, and a fresh start does the trick.

There is a flat spot on the carrier at the top. I usually wedge a flat screwdriver in there and then twist.

Learned a tip from Doc here - when you put it back together, use a gasket and put silicon only on the housing side. That way next time it will be easier to remove the carrier and often you will be able to reuse the gasket.

They sell gaskets for these?

I just use red RTV. No leaks here.

Time and PB spray did the trick! Came right off with a re-application of the floor jack. Also decided it was an opportune moment to use some new wheel cylinders I had in stock. Plus I got a new master cylinder. So it goes.