Rear Hub Holder — Removal and Installation (Mercedes-Benz C-Class W201)

Note: Installation will require a new hub nut, tie rod nuts, and lower arm to ball joint bolt.

Removal

1. Remove the wheel trim or hub cap, then use a hammer and punch to carefully chip the hub nut (if required). With the vehicle standing on its wheels, loosen the hub nut. Loosen the wheel bolts as well.

2. Place chocks under the front wheels, then jack up the rear of the vehicle and support it securely on stands (see "Lifting the car with a jack and placing it on supports").

3. Remove the corresponding rear wheel.

4. In accordance with the description in Chapter 9, follow these steps:

a) Remove the caliper.
b) Remove the brake disc.
c) Disconnect the appropriate parking brake cable from the adjuster rod.

5. Remove the mounting screws and the protective cover from the base of the lower control arm. Place a jack and a block of wood under the arm and raise the jack to support the weight of the arm.

6. Loosen and remove the axle nut and bolt securing the arm to the hub holder.

7. Support the hub carrier, then loosen and remove the axle nuts and bolts securing the upper and lower rods to the hub carrier (see paragraph 13).

Note: To maintain rear wheel alignment, mark the position of the eccentric screw and cam before removing the upper and lower links.

8. Completely unscrew the hub nut and remove the hub from the axle shaft. If necessary, knock the axle shaft out of the hub using a wooden hammer. If this method does not allow you to remove the hub, use a puller that is bolted to the hub and press it out.

9. Remove the hub assembly and support the axle shaft by hanging it from the undercarriage with a rope or wire.

Note: Do not allow the axle shaft to hang under its own weight, as this may damage the CV joints.

Installation

10. Install the hub in place and connect it to the axle shaft.

11. Align the hub with the rods and (where provided) insert the axle bolts. Install new nuts on each of the bolts and the ball joint, tightening them by hand at this stage.

12. Insert the lower arm axle bolt and install a new nut, tightening it by hand.

Note: To maintain the rear wheel alignment angles, align the eccentric screw and cam position marks made before removal. If no marks were made before removal, position the screw in the center of the adjustment area.

13. Lubricate the threads of the new hub nut with clean engine oil and screw the nut onto the axle shaft, tighten it to the required torque and calk it into the groove on the axle shaft. If necessary, tighten the nut slightly and then tighten and calk the nut with the car standing on its wheels on the ground.

14. Install the brake disc as described in Chapter 9.

15. Install the wheel, then lower the vehicle to the ground and tighten the wheel bolts to the required torque.

16. When the car is on the ground, rock it to set the hub holder in the required position, then tighten the rod nuts and the outer bolt of the lower arm ball joint to the required force. Install the protective cover on the lower arm and tighten the screws of its fastening.