Question on Intermediate Shaft Bearing
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2026
Posts: 4
Likes: 2
2013 GLK250, 2014 Q7 TDI PRestige
Question on Intermediate Shaft Bearing
Hey all,
My wife hit a moon crater and gave the driver side intermediate shaft bearing some extra room to dance. I'm sizing up doing the job. It seems straight forward: remove the retaining ring, remove the axle, remove the bearing, reinstall in reverse order. Aside from pulling the bearing, do you all know if putting the new bearing back on is just a matter of sliding it back into place or does it require extra force? Because the bearing is on the axle, a normal bearing placement tool doesn't seem appropriate.
Thank you all for helping us keep these babies on the road.
My wife hit a moon crater and gave the driver side intermediate shaft bearing some extra room to dance. I'm sizing up doing the job. It seems straight forward: remove the retaining ring, remove the axle, remove the bearing, reinstall in reverse order. Aside from pulling the bearing, do you all know if putting the new bearing back on is just a matter of sliding it back into place or does it require extra force? Because the bearing is on the axle, a normal bearing placement tool doesn't seem appropriate.
Thank you all for helping us keep these babies on the road.
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2026
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Ontario Canada
2015 GLK350, '96 Defender, 1986 XJ12, '68 420G, '66 E-type FHC
I experienced the same problem from a pot hole. I would like to ask how your intermediate shaft was removed. My bearing is sloppy but it dosnt slide out. How much force did you use to get it out/
Thanks
Thanks
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2026
Posts: 4
Likes: 2
2013 GLK250, 2014 Q7 TDI PRestige
Hey all,
My wife hit a moon crater and gave the driver side intermediate shaft bearing some extra room to dance. I'm sizing up doing the job. It seems straight forward: remove the retaining ring, remove the axle, remove the bearing, reinstall in reverse order. Aside from pulling the bearing, do you all know if putting the new bearing back on is just a matter of sliding it back into place or does it require extra force? Because the bearing is on the axle, a normal bearing placement tool doesn't seem appropriate.
Thank you all for helping us keep these babies on the road.
My wife hit a moon crater and gave the driver side intermediate shaft bearing some extra room to dance. I'm sizing up doing the job. It seems straight forward: remove the retaining ring, remove the axle, remove the bearing, reinstall in reverse order. Aside from pulling the bearing, do you all know if putting the new bearing back on is just a matter of sliding it back into place or does it require extra force? Because the bearing is on the axle, a normal bearing placement tool doesn't seem appropriate.
Thank you all for helping us keep these babies on the road.
To get the intermediate shaft out, there is a a retaining ring on the oil pan where the shaft goes in hugging the axle. Using angled retaining ring pliers and a small screwdriver, I pinched the ring and tried it out. After that, axle will slide out. To see and setup the retaining ring, get under the oil pan with a light. You can rotate the ring until you see the two pin holes you can squeeze with the pliers. The retaining ring is essentially retaining the bearing from coming out towards the wheels. Squeezing it gives it enough clearance to come out of the oil pan
Also, the bearing must be set into the intermediate axle. I opted to just buy the axle with the bearing installed as it was cheaper than buying new tools. Best of luck
