Basic information (Mercedes-Benz C-Class W201)

The cardan transmission transmits torque from the gearbox to the rear axle. The two-piece cardan transmission is connected at the front to the central bearing by a sliding fork. The sliding fork allows slight movement of the cardan transmission in the longitudinal direction. The cardan transmission is attached to the flanges of the gearbox and the main gear by means of elastic rubber couplings. A vibration damper is installed between the shaft and the front coupling. The middle section of the cardan shaft pipe is held by the central bearing, which is bolted to the bottom of the car. The cardan joint is located behind the middle bearing to compensate for the movement of the gearbox and differential in their supports and the bending of the chassis.

The final drive includes the pinion gear, the pinion gear, the differential gear, and the output flanges. The pinion gear, which drives the pinion gear, is also known as the differential input shaft and is connected to the driveline by an input flange. The differential is bolted to the pinion gear and transmits power to the rear wheels by a pair of flanges attached to the axle shafts on each side by constant velocity joints (CV joints). The differential allows the wheels to rotate at different speeds when cornering.

The half-shafts transmit torque from the main gear to the rear wheels. The half-shafts are equipped with constant velocity joints on each side. The inner CV joints are bolted to the differential flanges, and the outer joints fit into the splines of the wheel hubs and are secured with large nuts.

Basic differential repair work (pinion, gear and differential) requires a lot of specialized tools and a lot of experience. Therefore, repair work should be carried out at service stations.