CV half axle assessment, boots, ambiguity
 

Thanks to Diesel 911, vstech, stretch there is a nice thread on this messy DIY aspect of older MB. I will study it before proceeding


The axles on my 300TD with odometer 375K were silent but became incredibly stiff. like the lube had hardened, the boots are near perfect, but that stiffness seems excessive. I replaced them with a series of trashy rebuilds, new ones, all of which failed, ejected the lube, or were (apparently) worn out right out of the box!

I'm considering re boot of the originals since they are known to hold up like crazy, it seems boots fail much more/sooner than steel parts, since commercial rebuild and new ones are poor quality at least in my experience.

Its getting old. Love my MB's but favor my newly aquired dodge 4X4 with cummins diesel engine. People say they get 25mpg. So ...... I just want to get this resolved.

CAn any of you seasoned helpers comment on this picture, odometer 375K, unknown prior replacement history, silent but incredible stffness where they should be quite free. Even new and fresh "rebuild" axles have been noisy, every time, in my experience.

Sounds like reboot is likely to be the best way to go.

Thanks in advance especially from you guys who are so well informed and such methodical observers and great writers...... its hugely helpful....

I'm very happy with the CVJs I just put on. Granted I've had very little time on them.

I probably won't even have the pleasure of driving on these much as I'm preparing to purge the garage of all things w123...

IN what way is that comment supposed to be helpful?

I'm giving an early assessment of CVJ axles. Take it or leave it.

CVJ is that a brand?

cvj seems to = constant velocity joint

folks doing reman are know to grind old joints esposing new unworn wear surface, , removing the hardened wear surfaces that give the longevity.

I have not heard of any remans or new ones that are as sturdy and the very pricey Mercedes ...

MB Dealers show no axles in stock in the US or Germany. I'm not sure where Pelican is sourcing the ones they show in the catalog from. But at $490/ea, I'm willing to settle for CVJ @ $350 for a pair.

that's a lot for rebuild unless they have some formula better than Cardone or the new Chinese made ones. That is what I have now, new EMPI, they are ejecting lube from a seam.

It seems to be a big dilemma. A moderator here vstech apparently does reboot and is having happy customers .... he is on the east coast I think .... I'm on the west coast.

I notice cvj does net spell out the reasons there product is superior. They say they "replace" but do not specify, I've gotten wary and ask replace what and with what? They say "repair" and I ask repair what and how? its a tough situation since mercedes apparently did use great and pricey parts and got longevity.

Thanks for the input.

I have a set from VSTech. His boots are awesome and he's a great guy. But all he does is clean an old set that were good at the time. The year I put on them wore them out.

His price can't be beat for axles with unknown lifespan. You're barely covering his costs for new boots and time to clean them up. YMMV.

If you are willing to do it Yourself don't see why the Original Axles cannot be re-booted. From your description they are not making Noise that would indicate they have wear or lack of lubrication issues.

the axles failed? did you install them left to right or left to left? which oil did you choose? grease or oil? you're the first customer of mine that's reported a failure... of course, no leaks or boot failures, still, I'd like more information on them.

I don't see any pictures... can you upload some? where are they stiff?

Not sure what you mean by the direction of installation John... I don't think they were marked when I got them. I just installed per forum writeup. Did you not get my email?

Anyhow, they started to make noise going into gear. Given the failure I had from the previous ones (I assume were original) on the highway in between San Antonio and Austin (last July, 110 degrees!) I did not want to wait for another grenade.

More than happy to send them back to you for review.