I'm in the process of replacing my center carrier bearing on my 1985 300sd. Everything is unbolted and ready to pull. But when I try to remove the drive shaft towards the rear, the rubber damper on the front half won't clear the welded cross member. The damper isn't getting caught on the shifter linkage. It looks like the diameter of the damper is exactly the same as the distance between the cross member and the top of the tunnel.
I imagine I could get it out with some lube and a lot of pulling, but I don't want to damage the damper.

Anyone else experienced this?

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Greg Schwall

1983 300SD - 465,000 miles