skedaddle

Does anyone know how to free the half shaft from the differential?

I need the half shaft out from between the lower shock support arms so I can drop the spring/shock. I have everything else apart, ball joint, tie rod, sway bar. As well as the boot removed where it covers the differential opening. The shaft will slide out but then hits a ?ring? at the face of the differential.

Thanks

Michael

skedaddle

All right the half shaft is out as well as the spring. The shaft came out including the cylinder that goes onto the axle housing. So now the question is when it goes back together is there anything that I need to pay special attention to other than the fact that everything stays clean?

kajtek1

Did you take some pictures?
I am not sure you had to remove shaft for dropping the spring. At least I don't see it on this picture.
Now you pulled the boot. That would call for new boot and grease replacement.

skedaddle

No pictures. Several instructions said remove the half shaft, some videos showed it being removed, by being pulled out of the sleeve exposing the roller bearings and pulled thru the shock fork, however this was definitely not the way, in my opinion, to do this. So for anyone that comes after me... yes I think that you could leave the shaft in place and squeeze it between the lower control arm and the shock fork to get it out of the way, if it has enough movement to go that far down. I am not convinced this is the case. I will try it going back in and see what happens.

And although I removed the boot I did not loose any grease. Once I saw that this seemed to be a bad idea, I immediately reattached the boot with a new clamp. I did however feel like, with my lack of experience that getting the shaft out of the way completely was the way to go. I removed it at the differential joint, it is press fit with a band clip so it just pulls out. I was careful I think not to damage the seal. I then squeezed it between the fork and LCA. So, we will see how wrong I was upon reassembly.

kajtek1

What you open is inner CV joint. It is different design than outer joint.
When loosing some grease from the joint might not be a big deal, a single grain of sand that could get there will bait you few miles down the road. You be the judge.
Than the boots usually start failing at 10 years or 150k miles, so calculate how much you have left.
Autohousaz was selling German made boots for $46 per axle and you are 75% into the boot replacement job already.
Here you have pictorial for boot replacement. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...pictorial.html

skedaddle

If I clean the grease out of the the inner CV joint and repack it just to insure not a grain of dirt got in, what type of grease is it? I want to make sure I repack with something compatible.

skedaddle

Anyone searching for a good explanation of this process here is an additional link to add to the knowledge base. https://www.fcpeuro.com/blog/posts/w...eplacement-diy

kajtek1

CV joints have special grease. Check local suppliers if you can buy it alone, but I still think spending $40 for new boots now will save you repeating whole job in a year.

skedaddle

First let me thank you for your input Kajtek1. You are obviously one of the people on this forum that is willing to share your expertise. I really appreciate it.

Here were my thoughts, I have not driven this car yet other than in the parking lot and on a side street at the dealership. Because the spring was broken and the sharp end was hanging down below the lower spring seat and resting against the lower control arm, I was concerned about causing further damage. And just to get to pavement at my house there I trailered the car to, requires going down my 1.2 mile, not necessarily smooth gravel drive way. So as to the CV boot(s), I have carefully inspected them using a magnifying glass and there are no pin holes or cracks that I can find, in fact they are in remarkably good shape, they are soft and supple. I feel that there are other things that may need attention once I put a few miles on it and this round of repairs was just to get it on the road and pass state inspection. For example I am sure that if everything else checks out and I have not made a mistake buying this car than I will want new front shocks within the next 20,000 miles doing things like this is enjoyable for me and since I am retired time to do it is not really an issue. Now that I have done it once the next time will be cake.

Michael

kajtek1

Got your point.
I am in similar shoes with recently bought SL500.
Bought car for $1300 because transmission was in limp and engine misfire.
So I got car running after spending $50 on parts, but than I went to Junk yard and pulled leather from different car, washed the carpets, bought headlight because old one had a pinhole from rock, already have replacement blinker in the mail, only because one on the car has edge broken.
Meaning the initial cost to fix went from necessary $50 to $500 very fast and don't have the car register yet.
So maybe your boots have been replaced not that far ago, but IMHO any well excused prevention on MB that cost less than $100 is not worth 2nd tough.
Than maybe 100 bucks for you is having higher value than for me, so YMMV
Hope you will get the car on the road soon.