Hi guys... Tom, I'm in agreement that I see in unlikely to get the Looong cross bolts out while still installed. I haven't tried this...but can't imagine it possible. You "could" in theory.. take mounts loose and jack up to change relative positions to try and find a sweet spot that those long bolts could be slid out... feasible, but have never tried. The side plates come off with the stub shafts attached. To properly change the paper gasket or the shaft seal, the plates need to come off.
There are a couple of guys here who are much more SME (subject matter expert) than I..such as Ron McCall for example...so maybe one of these other guys will see this thread and chime in with other remarks.
Last remark, I've experienced more leaks with synthetic than traditional oil.
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