Okay you have decided to act. I recommend some browsing in the archives on rear axels. In my humble opinion the cheaper so called rebuilt axels are just opened up and inspected and new oil added. There is perhaps nothing wrong with this approach but personally perhaps does not address wear patterns well enough as their failure rate is reported to be higher than just a used axel. In otherwords if parts look reasonable on inspection it is just an inspection and re oiling with new boots I hope. The very high price of true new axels is pretty extreme on this model although the most reliable fix. The joints are very long lasting so the used axel is usually a practical solution. Very few examples of 123s warrant the heavy expense of brand new axels in my opinion. Just another add on thought. Since some of my 123 examples have 240-250k miles and I suspect the axels are the originals. I would only change out the axel with the torn boot. If you believe the milage to be only 133k especially. Your problem was induced by a dry joint rather than general wear. There is not a very good chance the side that has not leaked out has the slightest thing wrong yet to justify changing it out. You do not have to change rear axels in pairs if you were thinking it. Nothing at all to gain.

Barry,

I agree with your post in it's entirety. I'm not one to purchase el cheapo parts and call it a day. This is just punishment for cutting up every single one of my credit cards!!! I'd like nothing more than forking over 16 digits in return for some new parts as I do this a LOT!! I have about $6 grand worth of fish tank to show for this and only one paycheck away from paying everything off in full, hence why things are just beginning to go sour. I like the idea of changing one axle to get things on the road, but the boots on the other side aren't looking any better. I figure that since my road trip has already been canceled, and I'm stuck crawling around the concrete garage floor (nothing breaks when it's warm outside), I may as well take care of the other side. Come to think of it, I could change one axle out with a new piece and do the other one at a later date. Now you've got the gears turning!!

The mileage on the car is correct. I can easily trace back everything to the original owner (I'm the third) as we all work at the same hospital.

Another terrible thought . If you can identify your boots as the type you can change out. Change the boots on the axel with the nasty but intact boots. Move that axel to the other side of the car. Put your new axel on the side that did not have a torn boot. With a little luck they both will then last about equally long. Or pretty close to it with a little luck. Read somewhere that it is a good ideal to rotate axels from side to side every 200k. Although I think you would get only one axel rotation. Getting your axels back into shape is a good ideal. Although it is not absolutly guaranteed to be the problem. Most likely it is. Also as someone suggested for your own amusement grab the axel shaft close to the torn rubber boot and check for up and down movement before pulling it. That joint may have been starting to get pretty bad as the vibration you felt might have been the axel starting to run off centre a bit. Also compare your in and out movement comparing one side to another. You might pick up a noticable difference.

Update:


I ordered a 14mm hex bit from a local tool vendor, axle seals from DG, and two axles from CVJ in Denver. Yes, I went ahead and bit the bullet and spent a little more than I had to. EVERY time I go against my gut instinct, I kick myself when it turns around to bite me in the ass. I figure that if I can get another 50,000 miles out of this car, I'll be one happy camper.

If the boots are cracked on one side, then chances are the ones on the other side are in trouble too. When my right outside CVJ failed, it only made noise during acceleration but not much and it would clunk in reverse. One boot was ripped and the other were visibly cracked. Rather than going into the differential twice I decided to replace both axles.

I got rebuilds from CVR in Denver. They rebuild SCCA racecar axles. With freight it was like $300 but I heard good things about their work. I installed them myself including grinding one of the shims and cleaning the internals of the differential and refilling with synthetic fluid. They have a three year warranty and one year later with 20,000 miles on them they are still nice and quiet.

__________________
Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

My axles were shipped out today for a total of $399.70. Not bad considering the weight, freight, and the core charges. Now I just need to get a few odds and ends such as RTV, anti-seize compound, and some gear oil and I'll be set.

What are the core charges for them? I'll bet the freight is close to $20.00.

The core charge is $50 if I'm not mistaken. I have it written down somewhere, I just don't know where that somewhere is.