Hello, my 1987 190D 2.5 manual trans is - I believe - in need of a new or - somehow - repaired driveshaft.
I got an awful drive line sound.
All the usual suspects are serviced, checked and or replaced:
Rear diff oil, trans oil, motor mounts, center bearing, both flex discs.
What I really am concerned is the universal joint ( U -joint ) has an odd NOTCHY then loose feeling spot at the 12 to 6 and 3 to 9 o"clock positions.
Oddly is it does not have an obvious worn out play in the cross of the U-Joint like other domestic pick up trucks when they are shot.
I'm located in the northeast and I can't find any shops that want to work with the u-joint and or have the tools needed to adapt to a Mercedes-Benz drive shaft for balancing.
I've seen that video on youtube with a Sprinter for dremeling out the stakes and putting in a U-joint but I'm not sold on that at all - plus - the fool can't check that critical balance.
I would appreciate any help at all!

Any 190e rear driveshaft half which contains the U joint can be swapped in. Doesn't matter if it's manual or automatic, they are all the same with a 25mm spline. Only the front half of the driveshaft is specific to the manual. As long as the new rear DS half is not damaged, balance between the 2 different halves is a non issue.

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Wow great info!
So if I go that way one just needs to assemble the shafts with the alignment marks?

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Yes, that's what I did with mine. When I put a 5spd in my 300D, I used a 190e 5spd front driveshaft half and a 260e read DS half. The only tricky part was matching the 25mm spline in the middle. Some cars had a 35mm spline but I think all w201s have 25mm. Check to make sure.
On all w201s and w124s, the length of front DS half is determined by the transmission and the read DS half is determined by the wheel base. Some cars also use larger fkex disks but again that's 300D and e420s.

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What about wheel bearings?
Try rocking the car side to side while driving to shift the weight from left to right. If the sound increases and decreases then could be a bearing.

My one W124 has had a notchy U-joint for at least 15 years but it doesn't seem to cause any vibrations or noises.

I checked that one too but thank you. Another good point. I learned that one many years ago - just like you said - rock sway that car side to side and listen for a change in pitch / sound. Sometimes, when on a very safe road, I even have done this after I shift to neutral and switch off the engine to really listen carefully. Having a friend do this with you can help with one of you in the back seat for another opinion pinpointing the noise. I even went in the trunk for one test drive!

Can you be more specific with the "awful driveline noise"? Does it happen all the time and increase in amplitude/frequency as you speed up? Is it only when going forward under power and quit when coasting? Is it only in certain speed ranges?

Having gone through the notchy U-joint issue myself, it typically manifests itself in certain speed ranges. With the rear end in my car, it was worst from ~55-57mph and came on again around 70mph. It showed up as a vibration and a drone you could feel in your butt, but didn't really make anything else in the car vibrate. It was definitely a strong vibration too.

If the noise/vibration is constant, I'd be looking at the differential or the output shaft bearings on the transmission. Elaborating on what the noise is and when it happens may give clues on what you should be looking at, it may not be what you think it is!

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WELL..... IT'S NOT, LOL!
I was able to get my hand on a 1992 190E 2.3 auto trans. I removed the rear half of the driveshaft and ( drumroll ) its NOT the same length
Now what I did find that is the same as mine is it too has that very loose but not clicking spot at 12 to 6 and 3 to 9 o'clock position.
This 190E is not in driving condition so I can't compare if it has similar noise.
I checked with the Mercedes dealer, they called Germany and its discontinued.
I checked with the Driveline Service of Portland and they have " no records " of a 1987 190D 2.5 5 cylinder naturally aspirated manual trans ever in existence.
Not sure what to do now......

The noise is at lower rpm's. It's not a vibration. It is not dependent on what gear I'm in or road speed and its not a whining sound, like a bad ring gear would. More like a growling. Sort of like lugging the engine in the wrong gear. For instance I have had many manual transmission cars and when the road is nice and flat you can up shift to a higher gear for better fuel economy and less wear. With my this 190D it growls in general if your below 2200 rpms even on a flat or slight down hill. I'm not expecting the trans to have an issue due to seeing clean trans fluid- but I'm all ears. Suggestions?

That doesn't make sense but I believe you. From what I remember the spline was about 6" long so even if it's not exactly the same length it should still work. How big was the difference? What year was the 2.3? Maybe that one used a smaller diff.

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I recall it was over an inch, and just reinstalled it all the way it was. The 190E shaft has the exact same U-joint issue ( if it is an issue at all )

Bump........

I'm going to say the driveshaft is - as good as it gets- as I have tried another 190, granted a 190E and it too has a loose spot / very low friction spot in the U-joint ( not all worn out play )
My problem is elsewhere.

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87 300SDL
87 190D 2.5NA 5sp
90 300GD with 606 turbo!
08 GL320 CDI
12 ML350 Bluetec
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Past rides:
82 300SD - the one that started it all!
81 240D
87 300SDL - the first one.
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
99 E300 Turbodiesel
07 E320 Bluetec
12 S350 Bluetec

As a follow up on an older thread...I too have a drivetrain vibration in my 190D 2.5 Turbo. It had originally been an automatic transmission car and I did the 5 speed conversion about five years ago- it was a professional installation by a trusted shop. (All the parts for the conversion came from a single donor car- a 1992 190E 2.6 Sportline) I drove the donor car very briefly for a few miles before dismantling it but didn’t notice any particular vibration with the drivetrain in the donor car.

In my 190D 2.5 Turbo, there had been no vibration prior to the trans swap. After installing the donor 5 speed, drive shafts and 3.27 diff into my car, I started noticing a rotational vibration/“thumping” at speeds generally over 40 mph and continuing to over 90. I have tried different sets of factory wheels- 15 and 16”, and different sets of tires which have been rebalanced several times...it’s not the tires or wheels.

The vibration follows the drivetrain speed, not engine speed/rpm. If I’m traveling at any speed and push the clutch in and take it out of gear, the vibration continues at the same frequency regardless of engine rpm. The only other slightly strange noise I notice is if I’m backing down a sloped driveway, I get a funny “whrr, whrr, whrr, whrr” noise if the car is out of gear and I’m rolling down without engine power. If I use reverse gear under engine power to reverse, I don’t get the sound.

I’ve checked the driveshaft halves, and the alignment marks are properly aligned. I also have replaced both flex disks, center driveshaft support and bearing, front shaft vibration damper, clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, engine and transmission mounts, shifter bushings, etc.

From what I’ve read, about the only other things that are left that could be wrong are:
- Driveshaft itself is out of balance. I can’t imagine this is true as the factory weights are still attached and there is absolutely no visible damage.
- Driveshaft u-joint wear causing an imbalance- I have never experienced this before but I suppose it’s possible...my 190D and the donor 190E each had a little over 150k miles...
- Rear transmission bearing or a differential bearing- I have also never experienced problems with either of these before but they would seem to be possible...
As for all the above parts I have replaced, they were all factory Mercedes parts bought from the Mercedes Classic Center.

Any and all help would be appreciated. This vibration annoyance is the only thing that keeps this car from being an absolutely perfect driving experience!

J.G.

Oof, I scrapped one and sold one a year or two ago. They're out there, someplace.

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