rear differential leak?

[userzweig]

Hi,

I think I have a leak in my rear differential (1971 280sl, 150,000 mi), because there's an incredible amount of crud collected on the bottom of the unit, and there appears to be a piece of rubber sticking down from the middle of it.

Maybe it's just a clogged vent, as previous posts have noted.  However, I have the feeling that some sort of seal needs to be renewed.  Are some of them pretty much straightforward to replace, or is this a big operation?

Bruce

1971 Copper 280SL Automatic

[tuultyme]

The rubber boot may be leaking.  A slit boot may be installed if you do not want to remove the whole rear end.

Bruce; 268Blaugrun(green) 1970 280SL; IL

[Vince Canepa]

There are two grease fittings for the pivot under the differential.  They can accumulate a lot of crud over the years.  Clean the whole unit and then observe for leaks.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[rmmchl]

sounds like a bad pinion seal. very inexpensive but prone to leaking after about 5 years. they cost under 20.00, but need a special tool to put on. A mercedes mechanic can do this in about 30 minutes. Drive shaft comes off----then he replaces seals.