Hmm... noted.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

When I had my indie VW shop we'd have these come loose too, it turned out the 8MM bolts are hardened and supposed to be torqued to 32 foot pounds ~ Once I learned that I used a *much* longer ratchet as most 8MM bolts are torqued to 18 foot pounds ~ no wonder they'd come loose in a few months .

Check what Mercedes says to torque the bolts too and of course, ALWAYS clean the bolt's socket heads *before* attempting to loosen or tighten them ! .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Apparently torque value is 70nm. Knock on wood, that and blue loctite and I should be in business.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

For avid readers and archives, the axle is solid.
Had my indie install this one. He's put quite a few of the annular variety on w123s and this DSS axle in particular with no issues as yet.
+1 vote for annular (though time will tell)

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

? This one ? : https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperCat/3280/MBZ_3280_SUSAXL_pg1.htm#item1

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

That’s the one. Wish I’d have known what I know now when I changed the other side a few years ago... one of the first repairs that had to be made. Bought a rebuilt homokinetic unit from Oreilly which looks a bit stupid now to be honest. That said, I’ve no real qualms regarding its durability.

Obsessive forum poring and the availability heuristic (worth a read) can make any part feel like a gamble.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Don't beat yourself up here Sherm ;

I didn't know about the annular axles when first I bought my W123's so most all of them have rebuilt axles from years back, now all those independent axle rebuilders are long gone and I no longer find endless W123's everywhere....

When I find them I buy original M-B factory boots and take the annular joints apart and clean them Hospital Clean before pakcing with the correct short fiber grease and the super heavy duty M-B boots .

There are different part #'s for the inner and outer boots.kits but putting them side by side I cannot tell any difference.... .

I see a lot of Chinese annular drive axles for under $70 and wonder.....

Rich says he can re boot my old homeokenetic axles, maybe after he fixes my TD's air conditioning I'll give that a go .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Does CVJ Axles in Denver still rebuild these halfshafts?

I bought a good pair of rebuilds from them, but they were mighty expensive back in 2009.

Egad, that was 10 years ago.

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

For what they charged one might as well buy new ones from M-B and forget them as they'll outlast you .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I purchased remanufactured axle shafts from CVJ Axles. I paid $189 each plus $75 core charge each plus $34 shipping to Arizona for my 1980 W116 300SD. They come derusted, straightened, packed with moly grease, balanced, painted, new ball bearings, and new boots, cans, and sealing surface spacer rings. They do not grind off any of the hardened bearing surface.

New axle shafts from Mercedes would have been about $450 each plus shipping and if annular ones were provided, then I'd need to purchase stubs for about $300 each if I couldn't find used ones.

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Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

That sounds about right for what I paid a few years ago for the half shaft rebuilds on my 240D. I highly recommend them even if they are a bit pricy.