Follow up note -- I just got back from a trip from the City to Oyster Bay Long Island. About 2 hours each way. I observed that the "main noise", i.e. the high pitched scraping at 4x wheel speed (i.e. driveshaft speed), while still present with foot off the pedal at low speeds, is not as bad as it used to be. So clearly the differential pinion swap is linked to that issue too, and it seems to be a worthwhile repair. The tech did it for a very reasonable cost too.

-Henry

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1976 Mercedes-Benz 300D, Colorado Beige / Mahogany
www.hmclever.com