See if you can rent one from your local auto parts store.

 

See the link I posted earlier - its a lot less than $300 for a quality case spreader delivered to your door. You can also search eBay for 'case spreader' and you will also find cheaper ones, too. You can also see if you can rent or borrow one. Just be careful - you do not want to spread the case too much - only just enough to get the differential out.

 

So what exactly is it that I have to spread? Certainly not the cast iron differential housing?

I work at an industrial pipeline shop and we have all sorts of spreading tools. Everything from tools with jaws that can get into 1/8" openings all the way up to large hydraulic rams. Just need to know which one to borrow for the weekend...

 

I've always been able to get the gears out and back in without a case spreader. I'd try getting it apart before getting a case spreader. You're only out some time, a little silicone, and some gear oil if you can't get it apart.

 

See the use of a case spreader used for installing/removal of the differential carrier at the 3:58 mark of this video - - yes, the case spreader spreads the differential housing no more than .015".

 

Thank you Gentlemen. I'll watch the video when I have time and decide if I'll do it or not.

 

I'm in the middle of the job right now. I was able to get the gears out and back in without a spreader. Seals are in place. Problem right now though- I can't get the passenger side intermediate axle to mesh with the differential. It needs to go in another 3 or 4 inches, but I can't get it to line up. Any ideas?..

 

Need to turn it, to get the splines to line up. Having someone on each end of the axle makes life easier.

 

Once that intermediate shaft is out of the differential, you have to make sure that its going back into the differential straight. If I recall correctly, I reached in through the CAD cover and pushed down a bit on that shaft and gradually worked it back into the differential.

 

Thank guys, got 'er done.

When I had things apart, I could feel some roughness in the passenger side U-joint and I had a new Spicer at home so I changed that too. The drivers side got a Spicer last year. And also while I had things apart, I looked back at my records and checked on when I last replaced the hub/bearings. Turns out it was 110,000 miles ago, so even though both hubs felt fine, I replaced both of them too. I'm really not wanting to take things apart ever again. But just in case, everything got a good coating of never-seize (as always). Infact, to remove the old hub I didn't even a hammer. I loosened the 12-point bolts and pulled the hubs away by hand.