The mercedes manuals have a procedure for matching flywheels to prevent the unblance problem. Seems that static balance is almost always adequate, and the procedure is simple if you have an adaquate tool.

The flywheels are bolted together 180 degrees apart on the index marks (there is a hash mark on the flange of the crank and on the flywheel -- hard to see, it's just a line stamped in the inside edges). They ar then mounted together on a ball bearing shaft so they can spin freely, and the new one is drilled so that the pair will not return to the same point of rotation when gently rotated (that is, they have the same static balance).

Any good machine shop can do this, I'm sure, also any engine machine shop, but you MUST have the old flywheel! Doesn't matter if they are the same (manual vs auto tranny) so long as the replacement can be drilled to match the old one.

I don't konw what you do if the old one is busted, but I'm pretty certain this won't happen with a Benz flywheel!

Sometimes it doesn't matter and you can just slap any flywhel on at any position and the engine runs fine, sometimes the car will bounce three or four inches on the springs at idle!

One that that can be checked fairly easily is that the index marks are matched. I assume this was done, but R&R of the flywheel is easire than tearing down the engine!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!