14mm HEX Driver? How to make? Rear Axle oil change?
 

1993 300E 3.2L
O.K. Here is a rear axle gear oil change question: How many guys have actually been able to locate a 14MM Hex Driver for the rear axle drain and fill plugs? Honestly I've looked all over and with no avail!! How can I improvise this tool? I was thinking of using a 14mm hex srew and cold welding a hex nut to be able to turn it...any suggestions? Thanks!

McMaster has it.
http://www.mcmaster.com/
Search for p/n 5571A71

I bought one from my MB dealer 20 years ago when I bought my first 190.

It's a combination wrench with short and long 14mm hexes at one end and a 17mm six sided box at the other.

The part number is 000 589 24 07 00

I don't remember the cost. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't outlandish as I recall. It allows me to remove the fill and drain plugs from both the diff and the five-speed manual transmission.

Duke

Go to the nuts-and-bolts section of Home Depot. You will find a selection of extra-long nuts (around 1 to 1.5" long). I tried to draw a picture of one so you know what I'm talking about...

They're all imperial sizes (nothing metric), so I bought one that was just slightly larger than what I needed for the rear axle drain plug. It was around 49 cents.

Use a grinder or a file and file down 3 of the 6 sides of one end of the nut, so that it will fit in the hole in the drain plug.

You can now insert this nut into the drain plug, and then turn the nut (and drain plug) with a wrench or with a standard imperial socket. :)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46689

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/SK-41414.html

Thank you all!! Great responses....cornblatt, What a great idea! I will try this!
I wonder where I could just find a metric size bolt as in your pic cornblatt?

where to find that bolt
 

I bet you could find a 14 mm bolt in any junkyard with European or Japanese cars. I am pretty certain of this. Just take your 14mm socket with you and good hunting among the Toyotas, Hondas, Diahatsus and possibly Volvos, Volkswagens and Yugos.

Believe it or not, I found my 14mm driver (and two others - don't remember the sizes) at the local Autozone... all three come in a pack that's pretty cheap.
My fill plug was very tight.... maybe 125 lb-ft or so... needed a long extension and a long breaker bar to get it loose...
At least in my case, a homemade tool wouldn't have cut it.
Good luck.

I have a 14mm allen socket I picked up from the Snap-on truck, a bit spendy at $19.00, but it works great on the 4.5 rear diff. It was too long to work within the confines of the leveling valve on the 560 though. I ended up getting the MB combo wrench, 14mm allen on one end and a 13mm box on the other. Even with that wrench it was a be-itch to get the plug out...very tight.

You could always try eBay:

Snap-on 14 mm socket

Shipping seems rather high though.

I found one at True Value Hardware when I did the rearend service on mine. I would be carefull if using just a bolt. Mine required some major torque to get it off. I'm not sure a bolt would have given me enough "bite" on the plug.

Jeff Pierce

Put teflon tape on the threads so it will come out easily the next time.

Oh, and always remove the fill plug first (just in case!)

Yeah!
 

Great ideas guys!!! Bingo..............my local AUTOZONE...HAD IT! I was so relieved to find it right there in front of me at the store...and I finished up my shopping spree with some quarts of Mobil 1 ATF Syn.
You guys were right...I wouldn't of been able to torque loose the drain or fill plugs without this hex drivere...Boy were they tight!!!
But job is done and all looks well! I assume I tightened them back up just as well, as I left no lip (flush) in regards to the crankcase.
Today: ATF Fluid and Filter change!!

I just done differential oil changed on my 87 MB 190E 2.3L 8V as well. Totally feel different on upshift or downshift.

Found one at a used tool store in Greenville N.C. called Re-Tool.
$5 :)

Before that, I was just going to buy a pack of larger sized allen wrenches in metric from sears or wherever, $20 or so.