Once the bearing cap and adjuster ring has been removed it is just a matter of laying the parts out on the table to keep them straight. The carrier can then be lifted away from the differential housing. This is the time where you can clean up the bulkhead fitting if any foreign matter has found its way into it. We then set the differential housing aside to concentrate on the carrier itself. We then turned the carrier so that the 10 ring bolts were facing up. To remove the bolts, it is easier to use an air impact gun. Suzuki hasn’t let us down. They use their version of locktite here to make sure nothing comes loose and screws up your day halfway through the trail… but to do upgrades or repairs, it can get tedious. Splitting the carrier (lifting the housing cover) allowed us to see one of the side gears. Don’t lose the thrust washer as it is very important! Remove the side gear by simply lifting it out. Holding the two sizes of side gears side by side shows the difference in the axle shaft opening. Set the new sidegear in place. Assembling is just the reverse of what we just did. Don’t forget that thrust washer!
Putting the carrier back together is easy, keeping it together as you do the other side is not. We just used a zip tie through one of the bolt holes and it worked fine. You could also reinstall the ring gear, but since we were only half done (and we didn’t want to make a mistake and damage the ring gear) we will stick with the zip tie for now.