Driveshaft Support (Carrier Bearing) Replacement - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

psdsteve · #1 07-12-2010, 12:32 PM

I am going to be replacing the Driveshaft support bearing etc. When I was checking the drive shaft along with a lot of play in the support it looks like the U Joint direcly behind the support also has some play in it meaning it should be replaced.

I have not been able to find that u-joint listed here at fastlane in the driveline section (nor at some other online sources).

I am assuming it is replaceable? Suggestions?

85 300D

Thanks,
Stephen

toomany MBZ · #2 07-12-2010, 12:42 PM

The U joint is part of the drive (propeller) shaft and is not replaceable by itself.
Make sure your problem is not just the center bearing.

psdsteve · #3 07-12-2010, 01:23 PM

OK. Hopefully it is just the support bearing. I was trying to be proactive and replace while I had it out.

I can get the support bearing apperatus to deflect about an inch or so and hope that is the majority of the problem.

Thanks.

ashedd · #4 07-12-2010, 01:55 PM

correct the u-joint is not replaceable(for the most part), a new center carrier bearing will solve a lot of problems/noises.

JEBalles · #5 07-12-2010, 04:22 PM

Yeah, I heard that the u-joints hardly ever need replacing on these cars, so it's unlikely to be a problem.

charmalu · #6 07-13-2010, 01:32 AM

I had my U-Joint replaced a few months back. they do wear out.

I took it to South Bay Driveline in San Jose. they replaced the u-joint and center bearing. I think it was $265.

Charlie

75Sv1 · #7 07-13-2010, 07:47 AM

I think I read somewhere that the Ford Fairmonts u-joint would work. The original is staked in. I did ask a neighbor or got on this subject. He said there are some u-joints with c-clips on the inside of the joint. I haven't look into this any further.
Tom

69shovlhed · #8 07-13-2010, 10:24 PM

normal u joints have clips. the nazis weren't bright enough to use clips. (das izt perfect! der u joint vill neffer fail!) un-staking the old joint might just ruin the driveshaft. my joint is tight, and is noisy as hell. i hope i can find someone who can replace it cause i don't want to screw the driveshaft up on my daily driver.

hey_allen · #9 07-13-2010, 10:36 PM

There is a drive line shop in Portland, OR that will replace these, and machines the inside of the u-joint yokes to accept a joint that has the clips.

That being said, I think they are also in the $2-300 range like charmalu mentioned the shop who did his being in.

I was looking into doing it myself, but found out that the drive line is balanced with the joint in place as part of the assembly.

cjbrown · #10 07-13-2010, 11:02 PM

My center support assembly came with a bearing, was an aftermarket from URO. The bearing was so loose on the drive shaft I used the extra bearing I had ordered with it by mistake, was a better quality bearing. Everything fit fine then. Getting the drive shaft out is a bit of a pita. The flex disk bushings are a press fit when you bolt it up so it has to be pried apart once you get the bolts out. The nuts fit pretty close to the trans and diff, but a box end/open end wrench will fit in there. Also getting the bearing off the drive shaft is a press fit, I tapped it out by holding the support, tap with a ballpene on the splined end.
I'm not too impressed with that URO stuff, chinese junk. For some parts it seems that's all you can get, or what's readily available as aftermarket. Might be worth trying to get oem on this stuff.

ashedd · #11 07-13-2010, 11:42 PM

I used a hammer to remove my bearing as well. I cleaned the spline/pinion(whatever it's called) with 480 grit sandpaper... followed that with a very very thin coat of grease and the bearing "pressed" right on there. I was also able to pull it back off by hand(wiggled) since I forgot to put the washer thingy on.

It might be worth finding an extra aft driveshaft and sending it off for a new u-joint. I need to take my entire shaft setup back to get balanced this winter. I had a custom front shaft made... only get a very very faint vibration at 55mph... So I cruise a little faster where there is no vibration.

pawoSD · #12 07-14-2010, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjbrown

My center support assembly came with a bearing, was an aftermarket from URO. The bearing was so loose on the drive shaft I used the extra bearing I had ordered with it by mistake, was a better quality bearing. Everything fit fine then. Getting the drive shaft out is a bit of a pita. The flex disk bushings are a press fit when you bolt it up so it has to be pried apart once you get the bolts out. The nuts fit pretty close to the trans and diff, but a box end/open end wrench will fit in there. Also getting the bearing off the drive shaft is a press fit, I tapped it out by holding the support, tap with a ballpene on the splined end.
I'm not too impressed with that URO stuff, chinese junk. For some parts it seems that's all you can get, or what's readily available as aftermarket. Might be worth trying to get oem on this stuff.

There is no sense in using "Uro" parts unless you're interested in spontaneous failure or replacing the part again in a year.

URODan · #13 07-14-2010, 05:38 PM

My name is Daniel Seeman from URO Parts. I came across this post and was surprised to hear the negative comments, especially regarding our driveshaft supports. We use OE brand bearings (INA, SKF, NTN, NSK) whenever possible and that's probably happening in about 95% them.

Ashedd, do you have a part number or can you PM me your car info so I can check our inventory.

PawoSD, it sounds like you've had a bad experience with one of our products, but didn't give any specifics. It's difficult to fix any issues if we don't know what they are. Please let me know so we can get to the bottom of it.

The quality of our products is of utmost importance to our company and I urge anybody that has a problem to contact us directly. A lot of times we don't get any information from our dealers so it's important we hear from the people using our products. We're here to help and promise you that no other company will react to an issue with one of their products as quickly or decisively as we will.

Best regards,
Daniel Seeman

cjbrown · #14 07-14-2010, 06:10 PM

Well Dan, it's nice to see you here.

I'm not sure it's possible to get the same level of quality in manufacturing in China that we have experienced from Germany, post WWII.

While I'm sure you strive to provide replacement parts that will perform satisfactorily they are not the same as OEM, at least not for German cars, i.e., Mercedes Benz and BMW.

The owners forums for both brands have plenty of annecdotal experience with your brand of parts failing in a very short period of time, or that they just don't fit right at all.

I ordered a driveshaft support assembly from an online retailer, and a bearing, without realizing your support assembly came with a bearing. The slip fit on the bearing was so loose I couldn't imagined having used it on the car. And it wasn't just a little loose, it was WAY too loose, would have rattled around in there for sure. Or maybe it was just the wrong size bearing someone spec'd in there in the first place. But fortunately I did have the extra one, and it fit perfectly, and it was not a URO part. So I was able to complete the replacement with what I had on hand. I would have been sincerely unhappy had I had to wait for another delivery for a part that maybe did or maybe did not fit right again.

Many shade-tree mechanics, backyard mechanics, whatever you want to call us, the do-it-yourselfers, get sucked into buying these aftermarket parts, not just yours, because of the savings. And most of the time the car gets sold off or quits running from something else, so you never hear about it when there's a problem. But we have a hard enough time doing the work the first time around and loath for premature parts failure. So many have gotten to the point (myself included) that they will only use oem or oe supplier made parts.

We'll all probably get banned from this site for even mentioning this here since we're on a parts reseller's support forum and they don't sell your brand of part for said application. They even edit out names of competing product sources. Guess we'll see. In any case, from here on out I would buy my parts here first choice as opposed to taking chances with a chinese-made aftermarket part for my Mercedes Benz.

URODan · #15 07-14-2010, 07:49 PM

Hi Chris,

I appreciate your feedback and respect your opinion. I will not argue that there are higher quality products available if you’re willing to spend top dollar for a premium brand that’s actually made in Germany (not a part that says “Made in Germany”, but is actually made in China and boxed in Germany). However, as you may or may not know many companies that previously manufactured in Germany have transferred some or all of their manufacturing to China. In fact, I know firsthand from standing inside some of our factories that some of our products come from the same source as Febi, Meyle, Behr, and the like.

We are currently manufacturing products in about 10 different countries including Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, and China. Our company prides itself on offering you the best value for your money. Our products go through a multi-stage quality control process at our headquarters in the U.S. that ensures the three F’s (Fit, Form, and Function). That’s not to say we’re perfect, but I can tell you that we stand behind our products 100% and if you report an issue to us you’ll be hard-pressed to find a company that responds quicker.

In regards to the bearing issue you mentioned, I’d love to look into it further for you and report back our findings here. We sell many Mercedes driveshaft supports and haven’t heard of the issue or seen excessive warranties due to the bearing not fitting correctly, which makes it difficult to correct.

We know you have many choices for Mercedes parts and if you decide to go with a less expensive alternative I hope you can take comfort in the fact that we are a phone call away if you need us.