[pjfoltz]

Well, with premium about $3.15 here in Richmond, I am going to swap out the 3.27 differential on my 1989 300TE for the 3.07 I picked up on eBay last year (mine was noisy on the acceleration side anyway....but I love the git up and go!) With a tune up and new (Mustang O2 sensor-$36) I have picked up the mileage into the 20 mpg range, from about 15 mpg before, now that I am over the "damn this car is fast" stage; and I'm looking for a few more mpgs, a few less revs on the highway, and a little bit more of the quiet ride.

Are there any big surprises I should know about? It looks fairly straight forward, but it never hurts to ask the collective wisdom.............well?

 

[augapfel]

I had to replace the carrier rear mounts (2) on my 260 when I installed the 3.07 gears. Both of them were shot.

http://bos-engel.com/benz/p6220016.jpg

I also replaced both side seals. Oh, and I'd buy an ABS speed sensor o-ring in advance since both the one on my 260 and the one on my 300 donor car broke when I pulled out the sensors.

The only other thing I can think of is that there are shims placed at the carrier front mount and they determine pinion angle.

http://bos-engel.com/benz/p6230021.jpg

You want to look at markings on the carrier at the front mount boss. IIRC there are some marking there and they indicate the shim thickness. I was lucky in that I could swap the shims from my donor 300E. Did you get the shims with your ebay purchase?

 

[pjfoltz]

Thanks! No to the shims, I'll do some measuring and get as close as possible. What ratio did you have before and what kind of rpm drop did you get?

I almost had my wife pmail you a few weeks ago when I lost my alternator bearing one Sunday morning at about exit 5 on the Jersey turnpike...I remembered your locale from your posts and I was getting desperate (with my 5 and 2 year olds in the back seat)! I ended up picking up a battery from advance and loosening the belt as much as I dared with a two month old head gasket job and limped it to the Rutgers area!

Thanks, Patrick