Rear Flex Disk R/R 107 1988 560SL
 

Can anyone who has done the replacement of the rear flex disk on a R107 (mine is a 1988 560SL) give me some tips. I removed the bolts from the old one but was unable to budge the driveshaft so I am assuming there is more to it than this. Does the entire driveshaft have to come out? Does the exhaust system also have to be removed?

I was hoping you could just pry the driveshaft forward enough to drop the old one out and put the new one in, but apparently there is more to it than that...any help is appreciated.

Use an 8mm universal 1/4 in. socket and remove the three bolts holing the heat plate onb, and loosent the 13mm bolts holing the center support, and the 46mm lock nut on driveshaft. Use a pry-bar and it will loosen and come ahead enoough to get it out. You may need to pound out the centering dowells for the nuts. The heat shield may have the bigger on on it that uses 13mm nuts, and there is about 8 I think. Size is refering to size tool you will need. The big 46mm nut on the drive shaft, quick tip: let the wrench rest agains the car and hold both rear tires in direction of a forward gear to loosten, reverse to tighten

Thanks...what about the exhuast system, do I need to remove it or can I work around it?

I am posting an update in case anyone is looking to do this job in the future as I just completed it.

I landed up having to only remove the heat shield and the two center-support bolts in order to slide the shaft forward enough to slip the joint out. It required "lowering" the exhaust by removing the rubber mounts and letting it hang about 4-5" at the back (while supporting it) which gave enough room to get in between the catalytic converter and the center support to get to the bolts. I didn't have to touch the 46mm nut on the drive shaft as there was enough end movement to get the old flex disc out and the new one in without touching it. If I had to get a wrench on that nut I would have had to remove the exhaust completely as it does a good job of blocking access to it when it is installed.

Hopefully you installed the washers so they were against the rubber of the flex disc. It's important. The way it worksout, the washers are at the head of the bolt on three bolts and next to the nut on three bolts.

Yes, thanks for the concern...it's exactly how the old one was installed and that's how I did this one too...I also noted that the lettering on the old one faced back toward the rear of the car, but everything I read says the lettering is supposed to face the center joint (the front flex joint's lettering faces back and the rear one faces forward). Although I don't think it matters, I installed the new one with the lettering facing forward, toward the center joint.

IIRC it doesn't matter unless you have a 3 piece driveshaft. In that case there is a word in German( can't remember the word) on the disc that has to go in a certain direction.