Replacing the intermediate support of the drive shaft (Mercedes-Benz E-Class W123)

1. Remove the cardan shaft.

2. Mark the relative positions of the front and rear propeller shafts.

3. Remove the front propeller shaft (the nut is already loosened).

4. Remove the rubber sleeve from the splines.

5. Remove the retaining ring, then remove the protective cover.

6. Press the rubber support together with the bearing from the universal joint fork. Remove the inner protective cap.

7. Supporting the rubber support by the inner hole, press out the bearing with a mandrel.

8. Clean the hole in the rubber support, place it on a wooden block and press the new bearing into it, using the mandrel only on its outer ring. Press gradually until it stops against the shoulder.

9. Replace the inner protective cap.

10. Clamp the universal joint in a vice with soft metal jaws and install the bearing with the rubber support on it so that the V-shaped edge of the support faces the joint. Using a mandrel, press the bearing completely onto the shaft.

11. Install the protective cap and secure it with the retaining ring, with the inner crown facing the cap.

12. Apply a small amount of grease to the splines and attach the front propeller shaft using the previously applied marks for relative positions.

13. Install the rubber coupling onto the splines.

14. Install the cardan shaft into place.