Check engine light & broken axel
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 4,999
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From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
I think its due to corrosion/wear of needle bearings in the spider ("u-joint")... which is not serviceable, either to re-grease or easily replace (staked in, not circlips). The joint develops wear, beats the yoke and eventually is goes. It also doesn't help the flange yoke on the diff side has pretty small ears. Seems the failure is always on the flange yoke ears and not the shaft yoke (whose ears are much beefier).
Edit: Thinking about this a little more I am wondering if the reason that this joint is prone to failure is being in the proximity of the cats and soakback after shutdown is degrading the lubricant and thermal cycling the yokes.
It does seem to suggest that you would want to periodically inspect the joint. How hard would it be to see it and / or disconnect it?
Last edited by MBNUT1; Apr 10, 2021 at 12:55 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,363
Likes: 1,012
'11 E350, '11 E550, '98 M3, '95 E320
Another one: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post8313072
In his case, heard "noises" for 3 months before failure...
In his case, heard "noises" for 3 months before failure...
