drchpeteros

2009 E350 4matic wagon 135K miles

The outer CV boots are leaking, one torn, one leaking around the edge. The dealer found it and showed me when doing an inspection (it was in for a leaking fuel sender, on MB). They of course quoted me $3800 because they only replace the whole axle. I'm not doing that for sure. So, I Have done a little reading but found nothing was specific to my car.

QUESTION: Is this a DIY job for a moderately mechanically inclined individual? Lots of special tools or a lift necessary? Or should I just forget it and bring it to an indy? I'd love to tackle it, but I just don't want to spend hours researching it just to find out I can't do it with my skill and equipment.

My experience: I replaced my rear air springs, Rear brakes with rotors and parking brake, Oil separator / crankcase breather, serpentine belt tensioner/idler pulleys/belt, and basic maintenance like oil an air filter...

konigstiger

See attachments.

drchpeteros

Thanks, Konigstiger. Tremendous amount of information. I will review this and see if I feel competent.

cetialpha5

You could probably replace the axle yourself. I had an indy do it for me, pretty straight forward. You can get an MB boot kit to just replace the boot. Not sure if there's a joint kit for it in case the joint is bad. The problem with the aftermarket CV joints is that it might cause a vibration that you don't get with the OEM one. You could always remove the CV joint and just have an indy replace the boot for you. Only tricky part was getting the axle out, but there are old threads on here about using a 3 inch muffler clamp and using that on the axle as a point where you can tap it to get it out, otherwise there's no way to grab it to remove the inner joint. There's also some places online that will rebuild the cv joint for you if you send it to them.

F1Fan

If you've done those repairs, you can easily replace the boot. I say go for it. Remove the old torn boot, repack with fresh grease and install a new boot. Might even get away with using the same clamps if you are careful.

cetialpha5

I think the tricky part is getting the joint off and on so you can put on the new boot. Indy did a lot of banging with a hammer to get it on/off and I didn't trust myself to be able to hit it just right and to know whether it was really on or not. The center of the axle where the nut goes through is hollow though so you can just pack in additional grease that way once the boot is sealed. I would get the MB boot kit as some say that aftermarket boot kits don't use the same rubber and doesn't end up lasting as long.

dvenneman

I had a 2007 E350 4matic - this is a huge job. The OEM drive axles are machined at specs much closer than after-market axles and you cannot just change the CV boot. Based on what you describe as your experience, it is well beyond. And, more than likely you will need an axle puller and tools that a normal weekend mechanic doesn’t have.

this job also exposes the front differential and the fluid should be changed. An alignment is usually necessary afterward. It is also a good time to consider replacing engine mounts because they are ripened up.

if you have a lift, all the tools, help, oem replacement parts - and I mean Mercedes Benz where they order the parts using your VIN.

I would do front struts springs at the same time. It’s a BIG JOB

do it right the first time

drchpeteros

Wow! These represent 2 opposite ends of the spectrum, the first encouraging, the second frightening. I was just looking to replace the boots I didn't realize all the other stuff. Then again, I probably should have replaced the boots before they tore. I admit to being relatively inexperienced so I'm in no position to disagree with either post. Anyone out there agree or disagree with either post?

cetialpha5

You do need a few specialty tools such as the one to put the boot clamps on and you also need a big socket to remove the axle nut but those are straight forward. My mechanic also used a slide hammer instead of an axle puller to remove the inner part of the axle, it was rusted on pretty badly so didn't come out easily but putting the slide hammer on the muffler clamp got it out. You can pick up a cheap one on Amazon. Didn't change the differential fluid but I have changed it at other times. Didn't need an alignment afterwards although I do a 3 year Goodyear alignment warranty, they used to be $159-$179 but who knows what they go for now. The motor mounts also go but no need to do it now. The transmission mount is easy. I'd just get the mounts from FCPEuro for the lifetime warranty. Did mine twice. Second time even the bolt for the top motor mount was missing. While you do have half the struts out, depends how shot they are if they need replacing. There's a marking on the springs that tell you what type to get, usually some color code. I have done a bunch of other stuff to the front end, ball joints, tie rods, sway bar links, springs/struts, upper/lower control arms, etc. You can do all that separately but you do take half the front end apart to get at the axle so if you plan carefully you can do some of those things at the same time. At the time the boot went, I just did the boot, nothing else.

dvenneman

Got control arms once aftermarket and they were definitely supposed to fit by VIN and they did not.

I could not find a half-cv boot option that could be just added to the drive axle. If you can find one, then it is true that you don’t have to pull the full axle out. But that will leave you without an opportunity to change the front differential oil. When the front outer axle is free, doing the struts and springs is a great opportunity. But here again, I was not able to find (until recently on RockAuto) an aftermarket preassembled spring/strut unit. When I did them the first time I bought OEM parts from Mercedes but the springs are long and the spring compressor at my shop was not big enough (did not track long enough) to compress them and I had to bring it to Mercedes so they could assemble them.

that’s why I say at this mileage, you could spend 5k or 6k now and get this vehicle to 200,000 plus. You could hold off on control arms and ball joints and such probably and I would if you can. But that will be the next thing at 200k.

No that I have been without mine for 6 months over the choice not to replace the engine, if you look at your entry cost for a new or low mileage wagon, spending 4K - 6k now for another 70k miles of amazing ride comfort is money well spent. To me anyway. It’s just that …

“Mercedes, rides like a dream and spends like a nightmare”. It’s a premium car and it costs money to that it doesn’t ride like a hoooptie.

cetialpha5

Funny, I did get upper/lower control arms from Rockauto and they fit fine. I used EPC to find the right part number and the parts I ordered also cross referenced to the OEM part. You can get a knock off copy of EPC on eBay, used to be in the $10-$20 range. The half boot CV joint options are considered a joke and to be avoided, what happens later is that they end up ripping where you glue them together. MB sells a boot kit for this car and it comes with the axle nut and grease. It's supposed to be a one time use only bolt which is why it comes with a new bolt but reusing it the old one when doing other things still works. There are different springs depending on whether you have the sport or luxury suspension so I wouldn't do a one size fits all quick strut. I went OEM on the springs but got B4 Bilstein struts which have a lifetime warranty anyway. The spring is pretty hard to compress with regular spring compressors and can be dangerous if your spring compressor lets go so that can easily be farmed out to a shop that has a really good spring compressor, the types that are mounted on the wall can cost over a thousand. The ball joint isn't that hard on a 4matic and mine were worn out when I replaced them, must be in the 100k range. I did mine several years ago but at this stage, I'm wondering if you can find the CV axle at a junkyard. Maybe easier than putting a boot kit on, I think I paid around $40 for mine but that was a while ago.

drchpeteros

"Man's got to know his limitations" - Dirty Harry

Maybe I'm in over my head. I would definitely not touch Springs as I have no way of compressing them, etc. Plus, I can't seem to find a really good video walking me through the process of removing the axle. Lots of videos replacing the boot once the axle is out but getting the axle sounds like the hard part.
Is there no way to replace the boot without removing the entire axle?
Does the axle have to be out to change differential fluid? Doesn't sound right.

cetialpha5

You need to bang the joint off and back on so the axle needs to be out in order to do that otherwise you won't be able to get a good angle on it. I think putting the joint back on involves hammering on it from the other end of the axle. Hard to do that if the axle is still in the car. You don't have to remove the axle to change the differential fluid, it's just easier to refill if the axle is out. You'd have to buy a spring compressor but my mechanic mentioned it's one of the hardest springs to compress as it's got so many turns so you can't use a cheap one otherwise you risk it blowing out and causing seriously bodily injury. As I mentioned before read the old threads, the key is the 3" muffler clamp and the slide hammer, I believe my mechanic used a 5 pound hammer but maybe the 4 pound one I mentioned earlier will also work. Otherwise there's no way to grab the axle to pull it out of the differential. Especially if it's never been removed and it's rusted on. I've had the axles out a couple times. First time I used an aftermarket axle from rockauto and that caused the vibration. I had kept the old axle so bought the MB boot kit and had to take the new axle out and replace it with the MB part once my mechanic put the new boot on. He's a one man shop so I watch/help once in a while. The second time was a lot faster because the new axle wasn't rusted on like the first one. Took a while to free it up the first time as it wouldn't budge for a long while.

dvenneman

I’ve tried and my mechanic has tried - the differential fluid drain plug is inaccessible with the right axle in. As far as CV boots, if the guy above is correct and I see no reason to suggest otherwise, try it out. He’s right, ball joints aren’t that tough to separate and not expensive to replace (I have a pair of them for sale right here on MB world marketplace btw but I digress)

And it appears that someone agrees about the strut spring issue. Your wagon probably has air shocks in the back. Mercedes will get it right the first time - which is a painful and expensive lesson I learned. There were just some projects that I felt totally justified paying an expert.

love the Dirty Harry quote. It will save you time and frustration. They are expensive cars but they are worth it. New or old.

drchpeteros

In the unlikely event I become delusional and attempt this job, which type of muffler clamp are you guys referring to. I've attached 2 photos of 3" muffler clamps and I'm not sure which type to get. I guess the worst that can happen is I get things apart and can't get the axle out and I can just put it back together and bring it to an indy, which I will probably do anyway if I can get myself to make a decision. Which reminds me of a saying:

"The roads of the world are littered with squirrels that couldn't make a decision"

cetialpha5

It's the first picture. It's basically a U with a bracket around it. That's so you could put the slide hammer hook on any part of it. The other one I'm not even sure you could get it around the axle. Otherwise without the clamp, it's a smooth joint so there's no way to hammer at it to get the inner part of the axle out of the differential.

Heguli

One could also use the old hub bolt, and weld a big washer or two to the bolt hex, and that can be used as a anchor point for the slide hammer.

cetialpha5

I don't think that's as effective as using the muffler clamp on the inner part of the joint. Then you're trying to use the slide hammer on the outer part of the joint. The muffler clamp is under $3 from rockauto and around $5 from local auto parts stores/amazon. You could even just use a screwdriver and a hammer on the muffler clamp if you don't have the slide hammer.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...05&jsn=3&jsn=3

dvenneman

Another great quote - ok champ! Make us proud and try! Nothing wrong with trying - size matters here. I think the shaft is about 1” in diameter but perhaps one of our super techs with access to specifications can let you know. Size matters because as you tighten down a c-clamp it will oval out UNLESS you get the exact diameter correctly and if you don’t, you’ll crimp two sides and leave a gap everywhere else and you won’t seal it. Remember, that shaft is turning and if there is a gap, you’ll shoot all the grease vis a vis centrifugal force out on the test drive! Otherwise, the axle boot is not under pressure and accordingly:

I think you are better of with a hose clamp (like the ones that screw tight in a gear-like draw) not a muffler clamp.

cetialpha5

I don't think you understand what the muffler clamp is for. That's so you can clamp on the axle and tap on it so that you can get it out of the differential. Otherwise there's no way to grab it to slide it out. You take the clamp off afterwards and you have a 3 in muffler clamp as a spare part in your toolbox for the next time you need to remove the axle. The only problem with those worm drive clamps is that you need to disconnect it after the boot is already on. There's a reason they sell special tools and special CV joint clamp. The extra weight of the screw at the clamp might throw things off. The band isn't really top heavy on one side. The MB joint kit comes with the clamps you need so you don't even need to buy them. My thoughts is that the OP could probably get the axle out himself, but if he doesn't know how to remove the joint or put on the boot and use those CV joint boot pliers, he's better off just taking the axle and boot kit to a mechanic and just having him slap the kit on.


https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...des-2203300185

https://parts.mercedesbenzofwappinge...fts-and-joints

drchpeteros

Perfect. The Boot kit is already in my cart at FCP along with the crimping tool which I confirmed with FCP to be the correct tool for this clamp, adn a ball jointn separating tool. If I don't use it and wisely heed the above advice and take the axle to a shop, I can always return it unused. In the MB diagram I just confused myself. Will I be separating between 4 and 5 or 7 and 8?
Another probably stupid question: I see these axles for sale brand new at rock auto, parts geek, etc for under $100. Sooooo tempting, but please tell me it would be a mistake to use one. How can they be a fraction of the MB cost which is approximately $375 and $950 for the 2 axle assemblies. For <$200 total who in their right mind would mess around with boots, etc. Anyone use these with success?

Re: a stupid question... here's another quote from a professor I had, many years ago that stuck with,me.

"Remember class, there are no stupid questions, only stupid students."

-Adolph Galinski ~1988

dvenneman

OHHH OK!

cetialpha5

You can try those axles but lots of posts here from people who got them and immediately got a vibration from the axle afterwards. I think there was some company that made those axles and even those had a vibration. I think someone said they got one from Autozone that was a reman once and that was fine, but it was always out of stock. That's why I also mentioned getting one from a junkyard, as long as the boots are intact they should be fine. As I mentioned before, I had the $100 axle from rockauto and as soon as it went it, it had a vibration. Kept the old one and had a mechanic throw in the boot kit. He was also doing it with things like a brass hammer and using wooden blocks so you don't end up denting it if you use a metal hammer. Not sure if that's really needed but I've had the old axle back in the car for a few years and it's been fine. As for the diagram, I don't think that's completely accurate, you're just separating the joint which is covered by the boot. Pretty self explanatory once you have the axle removed. Or just take it to a mechanic.

drchpeteros

I won't use the cheap ones. I'll try to get it out and see from there.

drchpeteros

So I finally got around to pulling the axle out of the driver's side on my '09 e350 4matic wagon thanks in great part to the help and advice I received from you guys. The ball joints were tough but the popped and the axle I got out using an axle puller with slide hammer I bought for ~$40. BUT... I didn't expect it to look like this. I thought both ends would be male but to my surprise the inner end came out leaving the male splined part still in the diff. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be on my car? there is a circlip retaining ring still on the outer end of the male piece sticking out of the diff and a groove inside the female end that came out so apparently, they are made to come apart? Is this OK or do I have serious issues? It appears I can just slide the thing back "on" rather than "in" once I replace the boot. Pics are attached. The red arrow is where I expected a male splined end to be, and you can see the male end still in the diff.