1. Got the rearend whine that peaks at about 60 MPH and seems to go away after that.
2. growling in the rear wheel bearings-I think.

Anybody gotten into that part of the anatomy and are there any traps-tricks etc? I have a lifetime of backyard wrenching and the book so, i don't mind but I don't want to get to the point of no return and find I have made matters worse. I also have a parts car. The 300D parts seem the same. Is a swap appropriatevs. fix?

I have a couple of 300Ds and they have a lot more miles on them and no rearend probs. Why?

Thanks in advance for any advice from anyone who'se been there. Sreve

Hi there,
I have a '74 280C that has gear whine at around 60 mph also. Like yours, it disappears if you go faster than about 65. It's been whining since we got the car about 5 yrs ago, and hasn't changed at all. We have put several freeway trips on the car of over 500 miles each, and the whine stays the same. I suspect that the bearings are worn in the differential and could stand to be replaced, but I did purchase a spare differential from the local used parts emporium just in case - it only cost $35, and is a great worry easer. (It's still on the shelf in the shop...) One thing to note is that there are a lot of M-B differentials that all look pretty much the same but have radically different gear ratios, depending on the engine and car, so try to get one with the same ratio, so your speedometer and odometer will be accurate. The car is noisy at 60, but my wife drives it the most, and she rarely goes over 55, so we haven't had a problem! My '82 300TD with the 4.3L V6 installed goes at any speed from zero to well over the top peg on the speedo with no noise at all - the differential in it looks the same, but has many more miles on it. Possibly the turbo diesels are easier on the gears and bearings due to the lack of torque at low speeds, compared to the gas engines? It's an interesting question...

Richard Wooldridge
http://pages.prodigy.net/rwooldridge/mercedes.htm

gs sparhawk,

The diesel engined cars are not as tough on the rear ends because they don't make as much power as the same car with a gas engine. I have never had any rear end problems with any 123 diesel car that I can remember, and I've own/owned six of them.

Uh-oh, I didn't notice that this was a '75. I owned two of those, both gas, never any rear end problems with them either. I expect that the same theory applies, same rear end, but the diesel delivers less torque to the rear end.

Good luck,

Thanks for the comments, Richard and Larry. I guess it's an individual thing and will have to approach it with an open mind. Too many noises in the 280 and will have to do something soon since it's my regular driver and it is getting worse. Now if I can just get the garage cleaned out----- Steve