I pulled my rear axles tonight. Total time was about 2 hours. Pretty straight forward. You really have to bang the crap out of them to get them to compress.

My car actually had two different axles! One side had the sealed can axle while the other side had the allen head bolt axle.

For those contemplating this job, I recommend getting the Haynes manual. Its pretty straight forward. Remove the differential cover - support the differential with a jack beforehand. Remove the 13mm bolt holding your rotor on. I used a metal horseshoe stake to bang the heck out of the axle to compress it. Compress it to the point you can detach it from the hub. Locate the retaining ring in the differential and remove it. Slide out the axle. You'll have to lower the differential when banging on the axles and raise it when its time to slide it out of the hub. I also removed my calipers to make it easier to slide it out but you might not have to.

Time to take them to a mechanic and get them rebooted.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

Thats strange. I have had the axles out twice and I was able to simply compress them, jack up on the differential while allowing the trailing arms to lower and they eased out just barely. I had to disconnect the swaybar ends to get them to clear so they could be removed. Never had to beat on them. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

One of mine had a little rust on the splines "welding" it into place. I remember a friend of mine had an old Porsche 914 and the axles wouldn't budge no matter what. He used PB Blaster, a torch, and a sledge hammer - nothing budged. He let the car sit overnight and they came out the next day with no problem. I think its just luck of the draw on how tight they're in there.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

Always remember to raise the dffiy and subframe back into position before attempting to remove (or install) the axles. Putting the the differential and subframe back into its normal position provides you with the extra room between differential and the wheel hub that's needed to get the axles out without having to compress them too much.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I agree with Scott98. I've done this job several times now; some just pop out, others wont budge until you've beaten them repeatedly till your hands bleed with whatever handy heavy objects you can find. I think of it as a lucky dip...
Giles

Did one of mine this weekend and posted a HELP ME! when it wouldn't pop out. I beat on it through the center of the hub for 2 hours or so. Eventually I took a socket extension over the hub angled against the cuff and wailed on it - it came out pretty easily (maybe 30-min) from that angle. Mine war rusted to the splines as previously mentioned. I hit it with PB blaster which may have helped after it sat (with me beating on it) for a few hours.

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I took my old axles to get them rebooted today. The mechanic could only reboot the one with the allen heads - not the sealed can axle. The mechanics that could rebuild both wanted $800 and $500, respectively. I ended up buying brand new aftermarket axles for $300. I figured I couldn't go wrong at that price. They went in without a problem.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

Yesssss

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1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
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1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD