G'mornin folks,

I was just under my 300D-T....and one of my CV loint cover/boots is beginning to crack....a little.....I was wondering if anyone here uses a product like "Armour All", or some sort of silicone spray....or any other product, stuff.....to keep those boots pliable??

I want to do a little preventative maintenance here....before I get to the duct tape wrap that I noticed on another thread somewhere on here...

SB

__________________

Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

You really should not put anything on the boots. Time, usage, grit, heat, etc are the boot killers.

Get that boot replaced before it totally fails and the cv joint's grease is slung out.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

yes, the job is pretty easy to do. It takes a little fidling with the jacks but nothing too bad. Try to just replace the boot.

Otherwise

O'reilly has the cheapest CV axle replacements and thet are actually pretty decent.

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Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

The boot rubber is quite thick. It can be cracked for a long time before the cracks work all the way through. Once it does, however, as rrgrassis says you'll lose the lubricant, dirt will get in, and the cv joint will fail.

Although it's possible to replace just the boot, it takes special tools and for most of us, replacing the entire axle is the way to go. I used rebuilt axles from CVJ Axles in Denver. Three year warranty.

http://www.cvjreman.com/index.php

Some people have had good luck with cheapie rebuilts from the parts stores and some have not. I prefer to get a decent one and not worry. It's not that expensive a job anyway, unless you buy new axles from Mercedes ($900 each!) or pay to have the job done (I was quoted $1300 using rebuilt axles).

Replace the seals in the differential case while you're in there. Lottsa threads here about the R&R job. My total cost was about $325 -- axles, seals, shipping, new 14mm allen wrench for the diff plugs, etc.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Go to your local autoparts store of your choice and look for 3M Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating part#03584. Jack up a wheel at a time. Spin wheel while spraying 2 or 3 thin even coats(it goes on thin anyway) on your boots. Like I said, it goes on thin and is very pliable. They'll last for years. Mine have anyway, 3 years and still going strong. I do it once or twice a year, especially before winter.

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1981 240d
Newport,RI

G'mornin' Folks,

That's just what I was lookin' for......Preventative Maintenance!!!

For the rest of the folks who replied, I thank y'all as well, you may have helped someone without a lot of mechanical maintenance experience. I personally have no problem fixing stuff....any stuff....given the time. I am a retired Marine Engineer, spent 25 years as a Ship's Engineer.....the last 10 years were as Chief Engineer on German built Diesel Ships....but I did Steam as well.....

Someone around here has a tag line, telling y'all to turn off the radio and listen.....I agree, and then some......a Diesel engine will talk to you, and tell you what's going on......a 300D-T is really happy when you can just hear the turbo whine at 3000 RPM.......

If you take time, learn your vehicle/engine.....you will be able to pinpoint possible future problems, and make adjustments to either eliminate the problem or delay it for some time......like spraying those boots......I may get a few more years out of this boot.....not because I am cheap, but because I can.....and because I don't have access to a lift, I am a tad lazy, and I hate working on my back.

Thanx again.....this forum is great....
SB

__________________

Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG