My son has a 1984 300D. A sound rom the rear passenger wheel sounded like a roulette wheel or playing card in bike spokes (for you old enough to remember doing that).

The sound only occurs after car is driven a bit. The rubbers boots on the rear axle are not split or cracked. Brake pads were a bit worn -so we replaced both brake, sets as well as sway bar links. Parking brake drum pads show no odd wear. Rotors appear good.

With 300D jacked up on stands, rear passenger wheel rotating by hand cannot duplicate problem or sound.

ONLY thing I found was one lug position allows wheel bolt to be tighten so far onto shaft (with wheel and rotor off) that the bolt can make contact with underside parking brake gear.

Any thoughts...or does it sound like bearing in axle CV need to be replaced?

Thanks!

That sounds like the noise made by a center driveshaft carrier bearing going bad.

For the lug bolts, there are three or four sizes (length) of bolt, depending on the wheel being used. Steel wheels take the shortest bolts, the Bundt alloy wheels take slightly longer. Usually you can get away with the Bundt bolts on steel wheels, but the bolts for the steel wheels are too short for any other wheel.

If any of the bolts can be tightened to the correct torque, to the point where they have interference, you need to get some shorter ones to replace them.

Unless your son is wailing on them with an air gun with the pressure turned way up, in which case you may not really have an issue. Just sayin .

Sorry I don't know the actual lengths off by heart. Someone else may.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Zacharais-thanks for your input. would center driveshaft carrier bearing going bad only have sound from rear passenger wheel?

When you have the car on jackstands, is the rear suspension dropped (fully extended)?

If so, this would change the angle of the CV joints possibly eliminating the noise.....

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles