axle shaft question, trying to save $$$$
 

It's true, carquest does have 1/2 shafts for $65. The sad part is that they're only for the 123 and not for a 126. My 300SD has 202K miles on it. Inspection of the rear axles reveal that the rubber is very cracked. My fear is that contaminants may have already permeated the seal. What are the tell-tale signs of problems with the axles? Does anyone make split axle boots for mercedes (like the ones on the air cooled VWs)? It seems that replacing the one-piece boots sold on fast lane is far more work than replacing the axles themselves. Reconditioned axles are mucho bucks and new ones (if you can find them) cost almost as much as my car is worth! (LOL)

Thanks for the wisdom!

If the boot is cracked all the way through, then chances are the axle is toast. But these boots can look horrible for years and have all kinds of surface cracks, but still be sealed and function just fine. The ones on my 240D are original at 335,000 miles. They look bad but they are still sealing.

Here's an old message I saved about MB split boots:

Recently, I had to embark upon a search for an item which is NOT OEM, yet
of high quality and a real time saver. It is the "Qwik Boot", offered by
Cosmos International, in St Cloud, MN. I originally found them in Western
Auto, but the last time I needed one, they weren't listed any longer. I
called Cosmos in St. Cloud, yee-ha! They still stock them, only $19.85. I
bought 2, and I told the rep I might have a few more orders for him. This
is a bonded, 2-piece item, I used one on my W114 axle, it outlasted the
axle! Their # is 1-800-221-2668. The part # for the boot that fits all my
M-B s (W123/W114) is CQB-951. They even include an adequate quantity of
black moly grease with the package.

Len

Thanks for the tip
 

I just went uderneath the car and yes the boots are severly worn, however, they haven't ripped open. Do you think that it's safe to presume that the internals are alright? Would there be a telltale noise or feeling from bad joints?

You would be able to see an oily sheen on the frame/structure of the car in the vicinity of the boot if it were leaking. They will make noise when they are totally worn out. I would run it until it started making noise if you want to try to save $.

I brought this issue up awhile ago. Here's what all I got in response:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/57046-cv-joint-boot-question.html
I've basically decided to just keep running them until they let go for now. I am planning on replacing the seals on my diff soon as they are starting to seep a bit more than I'm comfortable with. When I do that I'll give the boots a real good look-over and decide if I want to replace them.

I've somehow managed to master (or close to :)) the process of changing these boots, both my W123s needed them done. So I figured why not give it a try, the boots are available on fast lane, most come with the grease. Also on both cars I rebuilt them after discovering I was driving it for a short while after the boot torn. I suspect that the boots tore on the 84 on its way back from NC. Anyway, when tearing them apart I found the side that never lost it's seal (normally outer boots seem to last longer) actually had more wear on the spyder. It wasn't anything that bad, but I could easily feel it with my finger.

I started a VFAQ for it but never finished or added the pictures I took it can be found here:
http://pages.prodigy.net/boostnbenz/DIY/CVboots

For sure, in both cases you are sort of swapping them, but in the case of putting new boots on you have to tear one side all down to the shaft and put it back together.

FWIW, my car split a boot at some point, either before I bought it or somewhere between Dallas and San Antonio, TX...I found this out on a lonely stretch of the 10 freeway west of San Antonio after I heard a weird thumping. That axleshaft got me home to California and I got 10K miles out of it (needing to periodically hop under the car and push the axleshaft towards the wheel to re-position the CV joint so everything was meshing properly) and only replaced it when I did 'cause I was hearinga noise that turned out to be the front wheel bearings.

I'm not saying that an axleshaft wiht a split boot should be run for a prolonged time, just that, if it's absolutely necessary, it could be done for a little while. I probably got lucky. :)

Just my $.02...good luck! I would wait until it actually splits, and plan to do it ASAP after that.

Warden, that is a great price for all the parts. I am curious about
the axelshaft source. It was great to read about worn boots,
I am not as worried now even though mine look like they
can be peeled off easier than the skin of a ripe orange.
www.adsit.co has rebuilt shafts for the 300sd for $295+$100
core charge. I am 99% sure they can be found cheaper than
that since every part I've needed in the past has been cheaper
elsewhere.

just for comparison's sake, potomac german has used axle shafts for say an '85 SD for $135.19 plus shipping. they seem to have
a decent reputation. don't know what year your car is, but it
might be worth a look: http://pgauto.com/

I've heard stories about asid....

Have you asked Fastlane, performace products, benzbin?? Used might be a better option for a W126 than a W123. I bet the number of good W123 axles is slim.

Heck, I got a new W123 axle for $273, but it has been 1.5 years now. If I was going by a supplier and really digging for quality- stay with a Lobro/GKN rebuilt axle.

Split boots I have always viewed as a stop-gap measure. Sucess is highly variable.


Michael

The trick with a split boot is keeping it 100% clean when you glue it together. If you have any grease at all in the joint it will fail. This is harder than it sounds since the prior split boot likely threw grease all over. Another trick I learned is when you glue the boot put a couple of wraps of thin wire around the boot crevices to hold it tightly together until it dries. I've had great luck with them but you really have to watch keping those seams clean.

What sound does the the axle shaft make when it's on it's way out?

My car started making a horrid noise with every revolution of the wheels, or driveshaft, I dunno, trying to track it down.

you can really hear it at 40-50kmph. The boots on the axle shafts still look fine, I didn't see any cracks in them, but I will check again just to be sure.


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