124/129/201/202 rear bearing/hub puller - advice needed - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

skiier3_9 · #1 04-11-2007, 09:27 PM

I'm looking for advice of someone who has seen/used the special Mercedes tool (140 589 03 61 00) for pulling the rear bearings/hub on these cars.

These two tools claim to do the job - but there is obvious differences between them:

El Paso Tools (eBay)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120094948266&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us

zdmak.com
http://www.zdmak.com/wbstore/main.asp?action=PROD&PROD=B90-M&CTMP=1&LowCt=0

Which do you guys think would work better (or at all).

Thanks!

mbdoc · #2 04-12-2007, 07:58 AM

The 1 from El Paso tool will only pull the bearing..

The other tool appears to be able to pull both the HUB & the bearing..

Factory tools are closer to $1,000

skiier3_9 · #3 04-12-2007, 04:53 PM

So - are there any DIY options (without buying any special tools) to changing the rear wheel bearings on my 94 w124?

I was under the impression that I could take the hub off without any specialized tools (after removing all the suspension links) and then take the hub to a machine shop to press out/in the old/new bearing.

MB Doc - Will I be able to get the hub off the axle without that puller tool?

Thanks!

mbdoc · #4 04-12-2007, 05:27 PM

Removing the complete assembly & having the hub & bearing pressed is the only DIYer way w/o special tools.

dpetryk · #5 04-12-2007, 06:02 PM

I'm sure the pro's are laughing but here goes.

I have done 4 bearings on my 126's. Its not impossible but does take some resourcefulness. One does need a special wrench to remove the slotted nut. I looked at buying the tool you mention from ZDmac. But it was the weekend and I wanted to get it done. So I made my own special wrench for this slotted nut. I started with a 1 9/16" socket and did a little grinding to fit the nut. It took all of an hour using a small air driven abrasive cut-off wheel. I used the new nut from the bearing kit as a pattern while grinding to get a good fit.

The rest is simple and straight forward. If you have a well stocked tool box this task should not be too difficult for you. I have a lift so things were easy to get at. It does take some torque to tighten the nut and I used a long "torgue amplifier" if you know what I mean. I used a "air hammer" to remove and install the races. Easy. One can use a punch and a hammer and slowly walk the races into place being careful not to force anything. I bought a $40 slide hammer and hub puller from Autozone and used it to jerk out the hubs once the nut was off. The rest was textbook stuff. Getting the crush spacer properly set is a one way street. Too much torque and you start over with a new spacer. So go slowly when tightening the nut and check the clearance often. Its a task that is very DIY if you have some experience and the courage.

Its a whole lot quicker to do it on the car if you can.

Here is a photo of my special wrench. Total investment $8.50

http://www.davidpetryk.net/Mercedes/p2181168.jpg

http://www.davidpetryk.net/Mercedes/p2181169.jpg