Our 190e started making a clunking sound from the rear while in reverse and at low speeds, especially when making a right hand turn. I suspect a CV Joint. Interestingly none of my usual on-line parts sources carry CV Joints for my car. What's up with that? Do they never go? Should I be looking at other components?

Of course the car is with my son 300 miles away...so I'm trying to be ready to fix it when he either gets it home...or worse I gat the fateful late night phone call!

Any help would be appreciated!

Steve

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'93 190e 2.3
'08 C300 4matic
'04 BMW X3 2.5

Sounds like you may be on the right track, see if your son can look underneath there and tell you if one of the axles looks wet or moist as if one of the seals has been compromised.
I had an axle go bad once in a Mercedes and it only manifested itself at high speed when the driveline got hot. Then it was a hard rythmic banging noise. I could stop and cool the car down and the noise would go away until the driveline got hot again. Axles can fail differently though. I would personally recommend new Mercedes axles first. Second best would be CVJ rebuilt axles, which is what I used because new Mercedes axles are really expensive. So far they have been great.
Another thing you could look at are rear sway bar links? Those are cheap. Easy to see if they are shot. Those cars have a multilink rear suspension so look at all those links and determine if there is something amiss. Rear wheel bearings? Last thing would be differential but not likely.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Thanks I'll give CVJ a yell for a quote for an axle. Weird how no on -line parts vendors carry the CV joints for the 2.3...and a few have only the inners for the 2.6. Are they interchangeable?

-Steve

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'93 190e 2.3
'08 C300 4matic
'04 BMW X3 2.5

Clunking- could that be a broken swaybar end link?

The CV joints tend not to have as much problems as FWD cars. Most vendors can get you a OE axle or just the inner joint. If the boot isn't split open with grease everywhere- your problem is something else. I would buy only a remanufactured or new Lobro/GKN axle. Used are sometimes a good option too.

How about a failed flex disc? Diff stop? Bad diff bushing?

...and no issues with the boots, but there's an oil leak coming from one side of the differential. What sort of repair am I looking at? Considering the noise and the leak I'm guessing it's more than an oil seal.

Steve

__________________
'93 190e 2.3
'08 C300 4matic
'04 BMW X3 2.5

I've started to look for a used differential and the research I've done shows a rather wide set of compatible differentials:

• 190 87; diesel, w/turbo
• 190 91-93; 2.3L, AT
• 190 92-93; 2.6L
• 300D 85; (300D, CD & TD)
• 300D 85; (300SD)
• 300D 86; (300D)
• 300D 86-87; (300SDL)
• 300D 87; (300D & TD)
• 300D 90-93; (300D), non-locking
• 300E 86-87, Rear Axle; (300E)
• 300E 88-89, Rear Axle; (300E, CE & TE)
• 300E 90-92, Rear Axle; 300E and 300TE, w/o 4Matic; 3.0
• 94-97; C280
• 95; E300D, non-locking
• 96-97; E300D

This seems to give me a pretty wide net for my search...are there any gotchas to fitting any of these to the 190???

Again, it's a 93 190e 2.3 automatic...

Cheers,

Steve

__________________
'93 190e 2.3
'08 C300 4matic
'04 BMW X3 2.5