PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

Jeremy5848 · #12 09-24-2006, 03:40 PM

This is definitely a DIY job if you have any mechanical skill at all. If you can change the oil in a car you can change the axles. People (including myself) tend to be leery of jobs that involve jacking up the car and getting underneath where everything is dirty, but if you can get past that part, it's not difficult and doesn't involve special (expensive) tools. There are a lot of illustrated threads on this forum (some of which I left when I did my axles in early July) so you can see how other people did the job.

Be safe! Find a level surface on which to park the car. Support the car on jack stands at the rear jack points. Block the front wheels.

Clean the underside of the car first. Lots easier to work on clean or at least semi-clean parts! Have lots of light so you can see what you're doing.

The only tool I didn't have was a 14 mm Allen wrench for the differential drain and fill plugs. A recent post suggested a 3/8 inch "coupling nut" (used to join two threaded rods or bolts) in a 14 mm socket wrench. That's a great idea. I ended up ordering a 14 mm Allen wrench from a local NAPA store. I used it with an 18 inch length of 1/2 inch steel pipe as an extender.

Remember to loosen the fill plug on the differential first. If the fill plug won't come out, don't remove the drain plug until you think about how you're gonna get the fill plug out. Since you have to take the differential cover off anyway, you can put the cover on the bench and carefully heat it with a torch. The plug should then come out easily. (The cover is aluminum and the plug is steel.) You can also heat the cover while it is on the differential. Be careful with the torch under the car near the fuel lines.

The manual says to remove the rear brake calipers but it isn't necessary. They aren't in the way but it is easier to see when they're off. Two bolts each (blue Loc-Tite). Hang them from a piece of wire, not from the hoses!

There are several bolts involved that come new from Mercedes with blue locking compound on them (brake calipers, differential rear support to floor of car). Mercedes says to replace those bolts but I found that cleaning them and putting on some fresh blue Loc-Tite was sufficient.

The axle bolts to the wheel hub with an 8 mm long bolt, spring washer, and spacer (unless you have an older car, in which case it's a 12 mm bolt). Mercedes says to replace the spring washer but I simply turned the old washer over and re-used it.

Torque all bolts to factory spec and remember to go back in a week or two and recheck all the torques, just in case.

Use the search function! Lots of good info, no need to re-invent the wheel (or the axle).

Jeremy