I just re-booted the axles on my 300SD this past Friday, it went pretty smoothly. I even took some pictures.

Pledge is important, and key to being able to slip the boots over the cone/can.

I installed a new differential mount, and new brackets in the floor where the mount bolts into, the old ones were completely broken apart and rusted away.

Since the process has been outlined before in other threads, I'll just slap on my pictures. Feel free to ask any questions about how this process works...I'm glad to answer them.









My straight pipe:




New Diff Mount:


Suspended Calipers:


The astoria cone and the crimp tool:


The scene:

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

You are getting to be quite the pro.
Couldn't you get the axles out without taking the calipers off ?

---------------------
1984 MB 300SD Turbo

How long did it take?

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

Nope, it is impossible. You might be able to if you undid the brake lines from the calipers, but that would be an even bigger pain. There's juuuust barely enough room to angle the axles out with the differential raised way up and the suspension all the way down. In the FSM it says to take off the calipers too. At first I tried without removing them, but couldn't do it.

It is possible if you are taking the diff and axles out as an assembly and putting it all back in that way too, because you can put the diff on a jack, raise it a bit, get the axles into the wheel hubs, then lift it up into place, and everything lines up.

Thanks for the complement. There's not a lot I haven't done at this point. (not sure if that is a good or bad thing. )

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I put the car up on stands around 11am.....broke a ratchet when trying to get the diff mount (22mm) bolts out around 12:15.....then had to go to sears for the tool exchange and then to autozone for some supplies....back at it by 1:00.....Had dinner around 5:30-6....and finished/drove away around 8:00. So probably around 6.5-7 hours of actually working on it.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Wood ramps?

Yes...for when we drive up on them. My dad built them 20 years ago from 2x10's....they're massively solid and nice....each one weighs about 65lbs.

I wasn't really using them in that project, I just had them sitting under the sides in case a jack stand disappeared or something. (extreme paranoia)

I doubt I'll ever have an issue with my 6 ton stands....but better safe than sorry!

At the front of the car is stacked wood ramps....also made of 2x10's.....its just pieces of it stacked and screwed together, with each piece shorter than the next. Super strong.

Oh, and the little wimpy floor jack I am using to hold up the diff in those pics is not what I use to lift the car.....I have a 3 ton Craftsman for that.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Great job and pictures. Yes, you can`t be too careful when the car is up on stands and the wheels off.

We haven`t had any real shakers in quite a while, but earth quakes and the car elevated always keeps me thinking of the what if....

I always (try to) have a back up.

I have the trailing arm bushings and sub frame mounts job coming up this summer,
been thinking about how to support things.
If it falls on me, at least my body will soften the damage to the car .

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Yikes....if I lived where there were earthquakes I'd be SUPER paranoid.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I have been living in S Calif. since I was 3. During that time only the what we call the Northridge Quake around 10 years a go and in I believe it was the early 60s where a Quake caused the Baldwin Park Dam to fail was there any large loss of life.

The yearly total of traffic accidents or 1 Airliner Crash far exceeds the total loss of life in 20 years of Eartquakes out here.

Of course they keep saying we are way overdue for the "Big One".

I am glade I do not live in an area were they have Tornados or sesonal flooding as both seem to do way more regular Damage than Earthquakes.

Out here if you live in cartain areas it is Fires that are the problem.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

We don't really get any tornadoes or flooding here.....minor flooding right by the river....but that only affects those that choose to live there.

As for tornadoes.....can barely even remember the last time the siren sounded to prepare for one....I was probably.....7 years old maybe.....so like 17 years ago. (I feel old now).....I've never heard it since.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

When we had the quake in 89, that was a doozee. It knocked the elevated freeway down and the span on the S.F. Bay bridge did a lot of damage to the marina district in S.F. which is the crap from the 1906 quack they pushed into the bay and then built on top of it. very unstable ground.

the epicenter was at Loma prieta way south of there less than a mile from our house. I was in my pick up waiting for some cross traffic, This VW in front of me was bouncing up and down and back and forth. Iam thinking, what are these people doing? and then all of a suden it felt like someone rear ended me, but no one was there. I hear this crash, and all the plate glass windows fall out of this old Kennys shoe store and the Dennys windows were flexing in and out but didn`t break. to my right was a 2 story motel that was twisting back and forth, and this 3ft wall of water flings out of the pool and gushes down the street. then it was over.
It lasted 15 seconds.

OK Iam getting long winded here.
I think of that everytime Iam under the car. usually it is a little tremer, no big deal, but that 89 thing was, WHAM.

with a quake, your junk is still there. with a tornado your junk is in the next county .

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works