Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-13-2013, 10:30 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
CV half axle assessment, boots, ambiguity

Thanks to Diesel 911, vstech, stretch there is a nice thread on this messy DIY aspect of older MB. I will study it before proceeding


The axles on my 300TD with odometer 375K were silent but became incredibly stiff. like the lube had hardened, the boots are near perfect, but that stiffness seems excessive. I replaced them with a series of trashy rebuilds, new ones, all of which failed, ejected the lube, or were (apparently) worn out right out of the box!

I'm considering re boot of the originals since they are known to hold up like crazy, it seems boots fail much more/sooner than steel parts, since commercial rebuild and new ones are poor quality at least in my experience.

Its getting old. Love my MB's but favor my newly aquired dodge 4X4 with cummins diesel engine. People say they get 25mpg. So ...... I just want to get this resolved.

CAn any of you seasoned helpers comment on this picture, odometer 375K, unknown prior replacement history, silent but incredible stffness where they should be quite free. Even new and fresh "rebuild" axles have been noisy, every time, in my experience.

Sounds like reboot is likely to be the best way to go.

Thanks in advance especially from you guys who are so well informed and such methodical observers and great writers...... its hugely helpful....


Last edited by Rocket99; 08-13-2013 at 12:20 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:11 AM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
I'm very happy with the CVJs I just put on. Granted I've had very little time on them.

I probably won't even have the pleasure of driving on these much as I'm preparing to purge the garage of all things w123...
__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:13 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewjtx View Post
I'm very happy with the CVJs I just put on. Granted I've had very little time on them.

I probably won't even have the pleasure of driving on these much as I'm preparing to purge the garage of all things w123...
IN what way is that comment supposed to be helpful?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:14 AM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
I'm giving an early assessment of CVJ axles. Take it or leave it.
__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:15 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
CVJ is that a brand?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:16 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
cvj seems to = constant velocity joint
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:20 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
folks doing reman are know to grind old joints esposing new unworn wear surface, , removing the hardened wear surfaces that give the longevity.

I have not heard of any remans or new ones that are as sturdy and the very pricey Mercedes ...
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:37 AM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
CVJ Axles - Remanufactured Axles & Power Racks
__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:41 AM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
MB Dealers show no axles in stock in the US or Germany. I'm not sure where Pelican is sourcing the ones they show in the catalog from. But at $490/ea, I'm willing to settle for CVJ @ $350 for a pair.
__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-13-2013, 11:57 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 167
that's a lot for rebuild unless they have some formula better than Cardone or the new Chinese made ones. That is what I have now, new EMPI, they are ejecting lube from a seam.

It seems to be a big dilemma. A moderator here vstech apparently does reboot and is having happy customers .... he is on the east coast I think .... I'm on the west coast.

I notice cvj does net spell out the reasons there product is superior. They say they "replace" but do not specify, I've gotten wary and ask replace what and with what? They say "repair" and I ask repair what and how? its a tough situation since mercedes apparently did use great and pricey parts and got longevity.

Thanks for the input.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 08-13-2013, 12:59 PM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
I have a set from VSTech. His boots are awesome and he's a great guy. But all he does is clean an old set that were good at the time. The year I put on them wore them out.

His price can't be beat for axles with unknown lifespan. You're barely covering his costs for new boots and time to clean them up. YMMV.
__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 08-13-2013, 02:22 PM
Diesel911's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Long Beach,CA
Posts: 51,038
If you are willing to do it Yourself don't see why the Original Axles cannot be re-booted. From your description they are not making Noise that would indicate they have wear or lack of lubrication issues.
__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 08-13-2013, 03:08 PM
vstech's Avatar
DD MOD, HVAC,MCP,Mac,GMAC
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,835
Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewjtx View Post
I have a set from VSTech. His boots are awesome and he's a great guy. But all he does is clean an old set that were good at the time. The year I put on them wore them out.

His price can't be beat for axles with unknown lifespan. You're barely covering his costs for new boots and time to clean them up. YMMV.
the axles failed? did you install them left to right or left to left? which oil did you choose? grease or oil? you're the first customer of mine that's reported a failure... of course, no leaks or boot failures, still, I'd like more information on them.
__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 08-13-2013, 03:09 PM
vstech's Avatar
DD MOD, HVAC,MCP,Mac,GMAC
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,835
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket99 View Post
Thanks to Diesel 911, vstech, stretch there is a nice thread on this messy DIY aspect of older MB. I will study it before proceeding


The axles on my 300TD with odometer 375K were silent but became incredibly stiff. like the lube had hardened, the boots are near perfect, but that stiffness seems excessive. I replaced them with a series of trashy rebuilds, new ones, all of which failed, ejected the lube, or were (apparently) worn out right out of the box!

I'm considering re boot of the originals since they are known to hold up like crazy, it seems boots fail much more/sooner than steel parts, since commercial rebuild and new ones are poor quality at least in my experience.

Its getting old. Love my MB's but favor my newly aquired dodge 4X4 with cummins diesel engine. People say they get 25mpg. So ...... I just want to get this resolved.

CAn any of you seasoned helpers comment on this picture, odometer 375K, unknown prior replacement history, silent but incredible stffness where they should be quite free. Even new and fresh "rebuild" axles have been noisy, every time, in my experience.

Sounds like reboot is likely to be the best way to go.

Thanks in advance especially from you guys who are so well informed and such methodical observers and great writers...... its hugely helpful....
I don't see any pictures... can you upload some? where are they stiff?
__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 08-13-2013, 03:36 PM
Vice President of Snark
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,230
Quote:
Originally Posted by vstech View Post
the axles failed? did you install them left to right or left to left? which oil did you choose? grease or oil? you're the first customer of mine that's reported a failure... of course, no leaks or boot failures, still, I'd like more information on them.
Not sure what you mean by the direction of installation John... I don't think they were marked when I got them. I just installed per forum writeup. Did you not get my email?

Anyhow, they started to make noise going into gear. Given the failure I had from the previous ones (I assume were original) on the highway in between San Antonio and Austin (last July, 110 degrees!) I did not want to wait for another grenade.

More than happy to send them back to you for review.

__________________
'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:13 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page