Today I started on the replacement of the axles on the rear of my '81 wagon. With the help of this forum(dmorrison), and a good shop manual, I had little trouble in pulling the axles, although the C clips were a bit of a chore. I bought and broke a set of snap ring pliers, cussed and pulled with pliers, long nose chanel locks, and anything else I could think of. Finally went to a box store and bought a cotter pin puller. I didnt even know there was such a thing, but it worked like a champ.

ANYWAY, after pulling the axles and getting new ones, turning the old ones in for core charge, it occured to me that I did not see any kind of spacer or shim when I pulled the old axles. I looked them over fairly well, and even the guy at the parts store compared my old ones to the new ones and never saw a shim/spacer. I didnt even think about it until I sat down to do my homework for tomorrows reassembly, then I started to panic. Is it possible that my car did not have any? Do I need to go back to the parts store and see if I overlooked them? I have been tackling a few troubling project on this dear car lately and fear for my sanity and the cars safety if this doesnt go well...please advise.

The shims usually belong to the diff. It's possible that the diff didn't need any shims.

When you install the new axles, the C clip should have just barely enough room to install...........the axle should have almost no end play.

When I did the SD, one of them wasn't quite perfect and it probably has .010" play..........I'm not overly concerned about it.

Most of the time the shims stick to the diff when you pull out the axles. Check on your diff and I bet you find them there.

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

If the shims stuck on the diff, they could slide down on the oil film. I don't know if there is enough room for them to slide off entirely and end up in the bottom of the diff. If they are simply not there, your diff may have been one of the ones that don't need shims, as brian said. If the c-clips go in tight, you're good to go.

__________________

"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

We will find out as soon as it gets out of the 20's! I will check the diff and see if they are still there. I need to go buy some blue locktite anyway, so I will also take another look at the old axles. Thanks to all, wish me luck on getting everything back together. I will let everyone know how it turns out!

I just picked up a used axle for my 300cd on E-Bay and it came with the shim stuck to it. It is hard to see because it is the same size as the axle but it was there all the same. Whoever gets the dif will be in for a problem if they are not really observant. I also think that the shim comes in different thicknesses to compensate for the ring gear position in the case and if that is true then the spacers would be for one side only.

Just an opinion
Robert

Do you replace the seals when you have the axle out????? Seams like a good idea???

Yes, it is a good idea, and I would have done it, but they look fine. I am sure I will have to go back in and replace them in the future.

I looked in the diff, and on the old axles and see no shims or spacers of any kind, so I went ahead with sticking the new axles in. Snug as a bug, I jacked the diff all the way up to get the proper clearance. There was just enough room for the C clip and there is no play that I can tell....all seems well, so far. After lunch I still need to get the left side to seat more in the hub so I can get the bolt and spacer in. I am going to try the longer bolt-many washers technique, then we will see......

Be very careful that you do NOT break off the bolt in the half shaft. It is a very unpleasant undertaking to remove it. [of course we know how I know that]
Good news on the spacers. It would be nice to have a diff that didn't require them.....

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

WOO-HOO! All done! Axles fit like a champ, no spacers! I didnt break anybolts(I do know how you feel JimmyL, ask me about my two month alternator clusterf---), everything is buttoned up, no leaks(yet, it is still early though), no strange noises, nothing out of the ordinary. Between the axles and the accumulators that I also did, it like having a new car! The prospect of this job scared the hell out of me, it was all for not though, it went very smooth. If I can do it on a sloped, gravel driveway, then anyone could do it! Thanks to the forum for support and guidance....ITS MILLER TIME!

It is a great feeling to successfully repair an up till now , "mysterious" gear and bearing filled metal ball. It kind of demystifies the whole mechanical unknown zone .
Now you know with good info from folks who have done it before, some basic tools and the desire to get it done, any fix on the mechanically repairable Benz is within your grasp.
Good for you , enjoy the ride

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

Very nice work DinNC. You really did quite a bit of work and earned that Miller time. Nice feeling of accomplishment, eh?
Now, we need to talk to you about this lack of pics.......

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Tell me about it...I feel kinda bad about the lack of pics. For some reason I felt really rushed for time on this one, and couldnt spare a second...not to mention the fact that I need to post follow up pics for the $400 TDT now that she is all cleaned up and has a new door(almost the same color...almost). I do feel quite a sense of accomplishment.......now my wifes 124 needs a tune up

Too much beer?

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

No such thing...

Have you not heard of my $400 TDT?