I went through the process of replacing my drive axels in my 1982 300D turbo sedan last night. While doing this I also removed and replaced the seals with new. When I had the seals out i could easily see the axel bearings in the differential and noticed the mating surface for the axel had a center groove which looked like it was for lubricating the surface. I then stuck a finger inside to see how easily the roller bearing turned and it did not. I thought the inside surface of this was there fore a bearing surface. Now I'm chewing on this and I really think the bearing should have rolled easily. Note the old axel removed did not have galled bearing surfaces on it. Can some one tell me if these roller bearings are supposed to turn freely? If they are supposed to turn easily then I need to replace them. In that case can someone tell me if special tools are required and if they need to be machine pressed in? Eventually I hope to get the hang of these Mercedes. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Rick