New front bearing grease cap

[wwheeler]

I purchased a front wheel bearing kit (#107 330 00 51) for my '68 W111. I am assuming this is the same kit for a W113. My original cap is copper and has a riveted copper spring strap inside that contacts a copper rod insert in the spindle. I have read that it is a static noise reduction device. Again, I am assuming that the pagodas have this as well.

The new steel caps do not have the riveted strap. Instead, the kit includes a stamped copper piece that looks like it substsitues for the original riveted strap. But instead of being fastened to the cap, it looks like it needs to be installed in place of the copper pin in the spindle.

Has anyone ever done this job?

Thanks for the help,

Wallace

[wwheeler]

I am guessing that my description was not very good. 

So, I attached a picture of the new copper piece and the spindle with the copper stud. My guess is that the copper stamping presses in place of the copper stud is now in the spindle. The flat tang on the new copper stamping would then ride on the grease cap.

The original set up has a copper strap in the grease cap and it rides on the copper stud in the spindle. Does that help?

[Larry & Norma]

See Bob's reply

[280SE Guy]

Wallace,

On my '71 I have a steel grease cap and the copper (new part) you show in the picture. Yes, you should remove the copper stud in your axle and place the new grounding piece in its place. They must have updated the assembly for some reason from when your car was built until when mine was built.

Regards,

Bob

[wwheeler]

Thanks for the replies.

I attached a picture of the original cap installed w/ factory paint mark. I don't believe it is solid copper but rather plated. The rivet in the cap is offset and not in the middle. This is where the copper strap is attached to the cap. Then the strap in the cap contacts the copper stud in the king pin. I will get a picture of the cap tonight.

Do the older 113s have this style grease cap? 

Just like many other things during this time frame, the assembly was probably updated to reduce cost.

[114015]

Yes, you should remove the copper stud in your axle and place the new grounding piece in its place. They must have updated the assembly for some reason from when your car was built until when mine was built.

You Guys ...!
There is always something new to the community you guys find out about!
I did not know that. And yes, that's what the parts list of the 250/280 SL tells us (see attached)!
The old cap (copper?) 112 330 0057 was replaced by the new 108 334 0025 together with the (copper) contact spring 108 547 0085.

I don't know _when_ that was and since the parts list is dated Jan 1972 maybe the newer set 107 586 0033 is even different from the old repair set 111 586 0433 available back then. Very interesting.

Although I disassembled already three fintail front axles, none had these copper caps you described, Wallace. 

Personally, I do not see the need that you change these (!) old parts with the new setup. Why not keeping the old copper cap and copper stud - if these still work properly? To me your old cap on the cap looks like copper not zinc (cadmium) plated.

This is what I did when I wanted to replace the front bearing kits of my W114 15 years ago:
I found out that only one of the four bearings in total (2 left, 2 right) showed signs of wear. All the other three ones were fine! I got the same 107 kits that you described above. Now I did not want to replace "everything" since most of my old stuff (3 bearings, 2 caps, 2 copper contacts and the clamping nuts) was still fine. I just bought a new separate roller bearing for the worn one and (!!) the two seal rings and put those together with the remaining cleaned-up old parts. And the overhaul kits? I have just kept those for worse times to come in the future...

When I overhauled my 114's complete front axle components two years ago I found the four bearings (remember: 3 old ones from 1971, one new from 1996) still being in perfect shape!!

If I were you, I'll keep the old copper caps and contacts - just for our successors to be shown how it originally was in the "old days"...


Achim

("Anybody in the need of two NOS factory original wheel bearing kits? No, just kidding, I'll keep them for one of my 3 MBs...   )

[wwheeler]

Thanks for the info Achim. That is why I posted the pictures with the factory paint mark. Hard to believe unless you see a picture.

I have a parts book (not sure of the date) so I wll look that up. I think I will keep the original caps and copper stud as you suggest. One of the straps in the old copper cap has a hole in it where the copper stud contacts it. So it probably isn't doing much. But that's OK because my US car didn't come with a factory radio and I just replaced the dealer installed radio  for the more desirable radio delete plate. I never listened to the radio anyway.

The grease cap is plated but with copper. You see on the backside of the cup that it isn't solid. Sort of like the exhaust nuts being copper plated. So do Pagodas have the copper stud in the king pin thing?