Removal
Drain the oil from the rear axle.
Unscrew the brake caliper on the right side and hang it with a hook.
Remove the hex bolts securing the rear axle shaft to the axle shaft flange on both sides.
Remove the half shaft from the rear axle half shaft flange using tool 116 589 24 61 00.
Lower the diagonal lever to the reverse limiter.
Remove the exhaust system.
Loosen the driveshaft clamping nut and unscrew the driveshaft intermediate support from the bottom of the body.
Unscrew the propeller shaft from the rear axle and move it forward.
For vehicles with ABS, remove the speed sensor after unscrewing the Allen bolt.
Support the rear axle housing with a jack.
Unscrew the rear rubber support from the bottom of the body.
Unscrew the bolts securing the middle section of the rear axle to the rear axle bracket.
Lower the middle section of the rear axle and remove it together with the axle shafts. When transporting the middle section of the rear axle with the axle shafts, make sure that the axle shafts do not fall out, otherwise both inner constant velocity joints will be damaged and will be loose.
Installation
Strengthen the rubber support on the middle part of the rear axle.
Material borrowed from an online resource (MercedesMan.ru)
Place the middle section with the axle shafts on the jack and lift it into the installation position.
Install the center section of the rear axle onto the rear axle bracket.
Insert both rear axle half-shafts using the device into the half-shaft flanges and secure with hex bolts.
For vehicles with ABS, install a speed sensor.
Raise the middle part of the rear axle to the bottom of the body.
Strengthen the rubber support on the bottom of the body.
Attach the propeller shaft.
Lightly strengthen the intermediate support.
Install the brake caliper with the new protective cover and tighten it.
Fill the rear axle with oil up to the filler hole level.
Push the car back and forth several times while it is ready to move.
Tighten the clamping nut on the propeller shaft. a Tighten the bolts of the intermediate support of the propeller shaft.
Install the exhaust system.
Repair of the middle part of the rear axle
It is preferable to repair the differential in a workshop, since the prices of the necessary gauges and tools are quite high. In urgent repairs, used parts are installed, but in this case the service life of the car is reduced compared to when new parts are installed. For the above reason, repair work is not described here.