2009 E350 4matic wagon, 154K mi

When I have the car jacked up, I can turn the front wheels with the car in N. BUT, when I jacked up one of the rear corners to adjust the P-brake, I can't spin the wheel to do so. I had the car in N and the P-brake off. What am I doing wrong? Do both rear wheels have to be off the ground? Makes no sense.

 

Jack up both sides (but don’t get under car if you lift at center from differential). If both rear wheels now rotate but in the same direction, you have a limited slip differential and that would be normal. Don’t know if this was common on S211 wagon.

 

I had similar in my old C240. If I had set the E/Parking brake before I get the car on jack stands, PITA to turn the rear wheels in the air. If I drove the car a bit, did NOT set the E/Parking brake and lifted the car - one spins one way, the other the other way. The car (for me) was a 4Matic. I have not tested the same thing on my E63, E350 or C300 (all 4 Matic)

 

I'll try both. There's go to be a way, otherwise how could the P-brake be adjusted.