240D Chassis woes

Now that I have my engine transplant complete, I guess the rest of the car is jealous and looking for attention.

I noticed two ball joint seals broken. All joints are still tight. Are these seals available and if so is it worth changing them, or should I replace the joints?

Also, I just got a few mysterious intermittent ringing thump noises, almost like a bass drum with a ringing or sustaining noise. At first I thought it came from the front, but now I think it is the rear. It seems like someone along time ago described this sound and associated it wit the CV Joints in the rear half shafts. It only happens occasionally, maybe in forty or fifty mile intervals. When it happens, it seems to happen several times leading up to the load bass drum and then goes for another fifty miles. I have a set of half shafts in my engine donor car, would it be worthwhile to put them in.?

Thanks in advance for the help and for listening to the "NOISE" explanation.



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Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 516K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Larry,
Since you would have to separate the ball joints from the spindles to replace the boots, it seems to me you might as well replace the joints while you have it apart, along with any other suspension items (tie rod ends, etc) that are loose or worn, especially given the mileage of this particular car. This way, you won't have to mess with the front end again for a long time. My $.02 worth.
Colin

CMCon98,

Thanks for the advice. Separating the joint from the control arm is relatively easy, pressing the joint from the spindle I don't have the equipment for.

Thanks,
Larry