I must have picked up some "hot" fuel.
1981 300TD - PO had a manual 4 speed conversion done at Benz Friendz in Seattle. The transmission is the two piece-cast iron and aluminum-I believe out of a 240. The front driveline broke between the carrier bearing and the transmission (where the shaft becomes smaller in diameter.) No "jack-rabbit" starts involved.

Question: Do I simply need the front shaft from a 240 for replacement? I don't have the exact measurement right now but can get it if that would help.





Thanks in advance!!

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1981 300TD "The Green Lantern"
1980 300TD
1983 300D Euro "China Cat"

I'd be that during the conversion process which involves shortening the driveshaft that the old shaft was damaged and that's why it failed. Either it was not cut or welded correctly or maybe the heat from welding it made it brittle but it is interesting to see one actually break like that...

I'd guess that you will have to have one made up to order as the length of a standard shaft won't be correct...

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Yea, that one was not welded correctly. Dozens of members here have had their propeller shafts/ drive shafts shortened professionally and they have yet to shear/snap like that

but you can now say your TD is a drive shaft killer

Go back and ask Roger too fix it. Those drive shafts must be replaced as a "unit", you cant just replace the broken half so you'l need a complete replacement and re shortened. Should be no problem at Benz Friendz.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

It looks like the spacer that they welded in failed. You have a 300d engine, a 240 driveshaft will not fit because it is too long. Your going to have to get another shaft and have it shortened the right way without a spacer. The other thing you might want to investigate is that I heard a w116 300sd driveshaft might work.

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

you can have the front section replaced and then have the new driveline neutrally balanced

Right, if you have too take it to a drive shaft shop too have it shortened they can re balance it, but you cant just grab another "half", have Buba weld it up and away you go

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Thanks Guys!
Luckily I had just shifted out of 1st gear when it popped so my speed was pretty slow. No damage underneath that I can see. The day before I was pulling 70-75 over Snoqualmie Pass. That could have presented a problem.

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1981 300TD "The Green Lantern"
1980 300TD
1983 300D Euro "China Cat"

So, I need to take the rear half and carrier bearing off, get another front half, have it shortened and then have the whole thing balanced? Right?

Can they use the front piece I have and just replace the broken section or do you recommend a different front piece altogether. Thanks again!

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1981 300TD "The Green Lantern"
1980 300TD
1983 300D Euro "China Cat"

With one caveat: Some driveline shops don't have the adapters needed to jig-up to the Mercedes-Benz driveline flanges. I had to go to San Antonio to find someone that could do it...no one in Austin could.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Steve-O - Do you have any local recommendations for driveline work?

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1981 300TD "The Green Lantern"
1980 300TD
1983 300D Euro "China Cat"

Accepting that looking at the piccie is no substitute for looking at the real fracture, it looks to me as though there was a fatigue crack initiated at the weld toe. The crack will have grown a bit under every load cycle until the remaining section became too weak, and the whole thing just unwrapped.

If my guess is right, you might see some corrosion on the fracture surface near the weld toe where the crack grew slowly, and then clean metal where the sudden failure ocurred.

Is the weld continuous around the whole tube, or, are there discrete sections of weld. From a fatigue point of view, a continuous weld would be better.

Another theory is it could also be that the piece they welded in was just too thin...it looks to me as though they may have cut a shaft and welded in a sleeve to make the length be just right but not used material of sufficient thickness to carry the torque.

Since I am unfamiliar with the exact length needed for the wagon it is possible they needed to lengthen the shaft, not shorten it. I would think that a good driveshaft shop could take what you have and repair it by removing the sleeve and installing a new one of sufficient strength to carry the torque. Even using solid stock would not be out of the question, just turned on a lathe to be the same OD as the ID of the shaft ends and inserted and welded in place.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Run it by Driveline's Northwest, downtown on Fourth before Spokane St. No better shop on the West Coast. Once you drop by there, you'll know exactly what I mean.

FWIW if you have access to some good bone yards you can find the correct length shaft, in a 116 I believe.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42