Rear Wheel Noise... Parking Brake or Wheel Bearing?

[AFARR]

I have been slowly working on the 190d (1984), and have a rear wheel bearing in hand. However, when I removed the rear disc, the parking brake shoe fell apart, and a lot of rust was present on the metal inside.

When I bought the car, the seller told me his mechanic (Guy up the street mechanic, not an MB expert) told him it needed a bearing.

Now I am wondering what the signs/symptoms of the rear wheel bearing going bad are vs. the possible noise from the broken/crumbled parking brake shoe.

Obviously, I would prefer not to have to change a bearing if necessary--I intended to pull the whole rear hub off and take it to someone who is more knowledgeable and have them pull the old bearing and replace it with the new....

Any suggestions as to what to look for to tell if the rear bearing is bad?

Right now, the car is up on jack stands (and the driver's seat is out), so I cannot take it for a drive to listen. Just figured it would be easier for me to pull the hub off while it is up (if that is the general consensus), rather than put new parking brake parts on and go for a drive.

AFARR

[eze69]

hi afarr,i think that the noise was caused by your parking brake shoe ,according to your description ,why dont you try to put the disk and wheel without the shoes and turn it while you have it lifted ?if the ball bearing is damaged you ll hear the buzz!! good luck [8D]

[SRDiver]

what shape is the inner brake surface (brake drum), but since this really only the parking brake you really only have to get away with changing the shoes (do both sides). I would do both bearing only after inspecting them, but you should repack them (all four, never only do one). Depending on your weather - a lot of water tends to wash out the grease and judging on the condition of the parking brake, for peace of mind do all four.