1972 280 SEL Rear Wheel Bearings - PM/Replacement?

[znuh]

Good afternoon Pelican Parts members,

I've just 'resurrected' a 1972 280 SEL 4.5 and gotten her back to running condition. The car has been in storage for over 16 years.

Everything seems to be running correctly. I'm getting a very faint bearing noise from somewhere, my question is: What should I be doing for Preventative Maintenance / looking out for with the Rear Axle and Bearings?

I can see that one side must be lubricated by the oil in the differential. The other side (unless the axle is hollow), I assume is just packed with grease? Is there anyone who can verify this?

Lastly, should I need to source and replace bearings, I ran into a discussion where there was contention between using roller bearings vs needle - I understand in the earlier cars the inner side was needle, whereas the outer was roller.

Phew. In a nutshell, I just want to enjoy driving the car and don't want to run the risk of seizing / grenading a rear wheel bearing - any help would be greatly appreciated!

Best,

-James

[optimusprime]

James i envy you . After all that time your going to resurect this very nice mercedes .And yes you need to make sure all is well before you put the car on the highway .I would start with the easy thing first and pull the drums and discs off to repack them with grease ,not to much , or it will contaminate the shoes and pads over time . You will find help from other members that have the same car as you .The job you talk about is a comon maintenance task Good luck .

[znuh]

Originally Posted by optimusprime

James i envy you . After all that time your going to resurect this very nice mercedes

Thank you so much! Again, the task is to bring this lovely lady back to full functionality, without inadvertently causing harm.

[Sugar Bear]

Referring to the rear bearings only, yes, the inner carrier bearing is in the differential housing in an oil bath system. Outer axle is packed in grease. The outer has a seal or possibly two I don't recall precisely, they are not overly difficult to change but are pressed onto the axle so they would need to be pressed on and off. With a car of that age consider tracking down the parts well in advance of the doing the job so it is not tied up too long.

As far as maintenance, change the oil in the differential for the inner side carrier and pinion bearings. As for cleaning and packing the outer it is usually never done until the bearing needs replacement.

As to whether or not it is a bearing noise, it should change with drifting the car from left to right gently. Bearing noise is hard to differentiate from a bad tire.

And...they are beautiful cars! Best of luck!!!

[znuh]

Sugar Bear - thank you for your help!

[Sugar Bear]

You are welcome! If new rear outer bearings and seals are available I would grab them if you can. If they are not available then consider cleaning and packing them to prevent failure of a bearing that is difficult to find before driving the car much.