A $4600 rebuilt rearend job?

Peter_C

New member
Fortunately Peter, you have the tools & expertise to rebuild your own, not many Sprinter owners can.
Steve
The point I was trying to make is the parts for rebuild are available, therefore most any auto/truck repair outfit should be able to rebearing the axle for a reasonable price. The key is to catch it before it becomes a major problem. Most of the time our vehicles give us a warning...sometimes only once. A noisy rear axle getting louder IS telling you something. For somewhere around $1,000-$1,200 or so it can most likely be repaired. I would venture to say a pro at rebuilding axles (One that does rear ends for a living) could rebuild it in under 3 hours.
 

micgyver

New member
I often turn off the traction control when driving in snow - its amazing how traction control can make a Sprinter fishtail all over the road (I discovered this feature while driving thru a late October blizzard in western Wyoming 2 years ago). To turn it off is a single switch on the console. Usually the feature is welcome and makes the Sprinter handle better, but not always (which is why Mercedes provides an easy way to disable it any time you want).

If I went with the Dana 60, I would continue to use the same wheels and as much hardware as possible (there is an amazing amount of aftermarket Dana 60 and Dana 70 stuff, but pretty much nothing for the Mercedes rear axle). Its locker use would be limited to situations where I need to have it with the traction control turned off (I do a lot of mild off-roading with my Sprinter in the summer; I would love to be able to do more). Lots of shops rebuild Dana axles - very few rebuild Mercedes axles.

My stock rear axle is fine for now.
I tried fish tailing my 2006, it would keep locking up thru the ABS and stop me from doing that. Also have you or any one done the Dana yet? I stated a thread to find out and I would like to do something to stop just one tire from spinning. Hopefully get both for better traction.
 

sarl_cagan

2006 118" SHC in Portland, OR
Resurrecting an old thread as I'm being presented with some similar numbers and wanted to share my experience with others and get some input too. Maybe I'm going about this incorrectly? Maybe what I'm doing is the right thing to do? This is all coming from a guy who never done this before, is moderately mechanically informed, but doesn't have the space or tools to do serious mechanical work himself. Maybe this will help inform a future forum go-er who finds themself in a similar position. Brace yourselves for a lot of words... if your Sprinter (or potential Sprinter) has a noisy rear end, you may end up seeing similar numbers yourself. Had I known most these numbers were going to be so high, I may have haggled a bit more with the seller. There are some excellent threads here for a DIY rebuild... but unfortunately that just isn't a card in my hand.

Back story: I purchased my van knowingly with a droning wah-wah noise (mostly upon acceleration.. but still some on coast) from the rear end. Not a super high pitched whine.. but a slightly grumbly sounds that increases pitch with speed. It wasn't super clear how loud it was at the time because the van had studded tires and *nothing* in it. It is unclear how long it had been like this... PO said they replaced the driveline and center bearing and that didn't solve the noise. After purchase, it was confirmed audibly by two shops who don't do rebuilds... then to learn more, the second shop drained the diff and we found lots of glitter but no big chunks. It was refilled with liqui-moly 85W-90 GL5. On the ground, my drive line has no perceivable play at all but I was told there was a bit of extra noticeable backlash when the van was on the lift.

So far, here are the options I've encountered:
Option 1 - New/Remanufactured axle:
1) shop 1:
I've had a brand new Daimler axle quoted in the rough $5k-$6k range. (I actually see this as a deal because the axle assemblies I see for sale are in the $8000 range.
2) shop 2: A reman Jasper axle, installed, would cost me ~$5500.
Comments: Yes, this IS the safest way to go. I do understand how a shop wouldn't want to go any other direction.

Option 2 - Rebuild the current axle:
1) shop 1: ~$1800 (off the cuff) for a rebuild at a local diff shop with rave reviews (due to the guy behind the counter's genuine friendliness and willing demeanor, this is actually my choice so far.. many shops don't offer this). Details are still TBD... and I'll learn more next week. Does this include R&P? Wheel bearings, etc? More to come. The shop has a long wait time... and I find this a good thing.
2) shop 2: ~$3950 at another shop for a full rebuild including R&P and wheel bearings.
3) shop 3: ~$2000. I don't believe this included a ring and pinion (I was told this is rarely needed) or wheel bearings but I can't quite remember.
Comments: Yes, I should take off the diff cover and inspect the gears myself. Maybe a ring and pinion aren't needed? It doesn't seem that difficult but the rest of the van (cleaning, rust treatment/mitigation, painting, locks, slider door, window, blower, etc) is keeping me busy as is. I think (but could be wrong) that the rebuild route seems like a pretty reliable option... i.e. minimal risk.

Option 3 - Swap with a used donor axle:
I've found these from ~$300 to $1950. Shipping has varied from $100 to $800 (Florida to Oregon). Warranty is commonly 30 days. Note: this is just the axle itself and does not include the shop's labor to install it. Axle condition obviously varies dramatically. Getting photos of the actual axle itself... is not trivial. I've called and asked. All agreed to send photos but only 2 of 6 pulled through. Lots of the listings show the van.. but not the axle. Lots have rust. Sometimes I'd judge the unseen axle by the visible rust on the van. Some axles have been smashed beneath a van in a mud pit for years. Is that bad? Depends how much/long? LKQ Heavy Truck in Tampa has had a really nice looking 2004 sitting there for 5 years (yes.. 5 years.. image says 2016)... and its still $1950. The Mercedes axles are more expensive than the Dodge axles. There are *lots* of axles out there. Many of the axles show "0" for mileage. Sometimes they do show a VIN though. Sometimes I've been able to plug the VIN into the free carfax alternatives and every once in a while it would uncover some mileage data. At least it would help you know if they are super high mile. Dakota Auto Parts (found here on this forum) has quite a few axles and Joe is really nice and helpful there.

There were three axles I would have pursued if I went this direction.
preferred donor axle 1: $750 and had about 180k miles on it. Shipping would have cost me $200-$300.
preferred donor axle 2: Local-ish (2 hour drive) looked to be in OK condition (backing plates bent but minimal rust). It had ~285k miles and was $650.
preferred donor axle 3: From a distinguished forum member, was going to be ~$500 and had ~140k miles and only a little rust. Shipping would be ~$200. Had timing worked out better, I would have likely gone this route. Who knows... maybe I still will if it's available later.

Shop 1: $800 labor + donor axle
Shop 2: $300-400 labor + donor axle
Shop 3: ~$1100 for a shop-sourced donor axle + labor
Comments: While this could be the most cost effective route, it also feels like a bit of a gamble to me. It was also not easy to find a shop to sign up for this. Most that did, were not "Sprinter shops".. and I'm not knowledgable enough to know if that makes a difference or not. I know there are some ABS components in there that may or may not be novel. It was also an added bit of effort to organize a delivery with the vendor and shop. Then... I may actually be stuck with an extra axle and it could sit in my front yard for a while and look beautiful. Or maybe the shop has a scrap guy who wants it? I didn't get that far.

Other notes I've had in the back of my head.
1) Rebuild kits: Timken rebuild kits aren't super easy to find these days (or maybe I'm looking in the wrong places). Rock Auto has been out forever. A few other online retailers say "not available". Ebay has some Timken master kits for $230-$300. Europarts has their kit in stock currently (may be Timken, or SKF, or Koyo).
2) Ring and Pinion: I've seen a set for ~$560 (USA Standard Gear) and another for ~$635 (Nitro Gear - 3.73)
3) Wheel bearings (europarts): ~$90 per rear wheel.

Question 1: How important (if at all) is it to do wheel bearings at the same time as a diff rebuild? I swear I read somewhere they share the same lubrication.. and thus may be compromised if the diff fluid is contaminated with glitter... but I was told by a shop they don't). The diff shop says "they don't do Sprinter axles... but they do do Sprinter diffs". I'll need to learn what this means in terms of wheel bearings.

Question 2: Any of you auto masterminds have additional thoughts on what should be considered here? To be frank, I've likely overthunk this whole thing. It has taken some time but has also been informative and I do feel like I've learned some things. Some might say "just pick a shop and go for it... just trust them and let them do their job." I've been burned once already (not axle related) so I do like to understand what options are available before pulling the trigger. I have some motorhead friends who say "just put in a used axle and it will likely be fine" and others who say "a rebuild is just not that difficult". I'm stuck here learning the nuances of both options.

Question 3: What would make a differential un-rebuildable?

Question 4: It's my understanding that if a new ring and pinion is required, there is a certain "break in" method that needs to be implemented. Any advice here?


Some photos... for the visual people:

21-0902_my_axle_diff_v1.png

21-0902_my_axle_leak_v1.png

Hey, not much rust!
21-0902_donor_axle_option_2_v1.png

21-0902_donor_axle_no_go_v1.png

21-0902_donor_axle_nice_v1.jpeg
 
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B

billintomahawk

Guest
If you go donor axle hope it has oil so you can drain it and assess the condition.

Not sure how you handle the U-joint.

bill in tomahawk
 

3Play

Well-known member
My Diff/trans guy charges about $500 plus parts for a rear end rebuild. The parts kit is around $350 ish from Timkin.
I would have already done this, but the wear pattern on the ring gear looks odd, so I am trying to find a less stressed axle assembly.
Thought about Dana 40 series. It would require tricking the tone rings, or making new ones as well as adapters for the wheels.
 

marklg

Well-known member
I had a rebuild from a good differential shop in Phoenix for $475 in labor plus another $400 for a differential rebuild kit, cover seal and magic Sprinter differential fluid from Europarts SD. The shop said the parts in the kit were good. That included all seals and bearings, not the wheel bearings which were OK and the ring and pinion were not changed. The shop would have gone and gotten a junkyard ring and pinion if they needed one. They would not reuse a junkyard dif as is, as the seals and bearings likely are worn, and they gave me a warranty. I got the Europarts kit as they did not have a quick source for the kit themselves. As I said, they were happy with the kit.

How about you have the shop plan to replace the bearings and seals and if they get in there and you need a ring and pinion, cross that bridge when you come to it?

An experienced diff guy can tell by ear in a 15 second drive what is likely wrong. They were absolutely right, bearings bad, gears OK.

Regards,

Mark
 

sarl_cagan

2006 118" SHC in Portland, OR
If you go donor axle hope it has oil so you can drain it and assess the condition.
Glad you brought this up Bill. I've been told by a few of the yards that they would have inspected the fluid (and gears) already to ensure nothing is bad. I don't know if that means they look at just a small bit of it and leave the rest in, or if they open it up, view it and put it all back in, or if they ship it empty.

@3Play, thanks very much for the reference point here. Good to know. If you figure out a solution for the alternative axle, post it!

@marklg, thanks for your input too. I suppose I'm hoping the shop can source a Timken kit, but if appropriate, I do plan to bring up the Europarts kit if they are open to it. Glad you mentioned the gear oil too. A reminder to ask what's going in it and/or suggest the Fuchs stuff.
How about you have the shop plan to replace the bearings and seals and if they get in there and you need a ring and pinion, cross that bridge when you come to it?
This is exactly the plan as of now. I'm waiting in line for my turn to get the van in the shop and learn more. *IF* a ring and pinion are needed, there was talk that a call to the Benz dealer could get a set.
 

marklg

Well-known member
Glad you brought this up Bill. I've been told by a few of the yards that they would have inspected the fluid (and gears) already to ensure nothing is bad. I don't know if that means they look at just a small bit of it and leave the rest in, or if they open it up, view it and put it all back in, or if they ship it empty.

@3Play, thanks very much for the reference point here. Good to know. If you figure out a solution for the alternative axle, post it!

@marklg, thanks for your input too. I suppose I'm hoping the shop can source a Timken kit, but if appropriate, I do plan to bring up the Europarts kit if they are open to it. Glad you mentioned the gear oil too. A reminder to ask what's going in it and/or suggest the Fuchs stuff.

This is exactly the plan as of now. I'm waiting in line for my turn to get the van in the shop and learn more. *IF* a ring and pinion are needed, there was talk that a call to the Benz dealer could get a set.
I wouldn't have felt bad about used gears if they inspect them. They know if they are usable or not. New parts like that from MB will cause you a lot of pain. I suppose there is the school of thought that if you are paying that much, and need new gears, might as well get good ones and be done with the problem.

Regards,

Mark
 

3Play

Well-known member
I wouldn't have felt bad about used gears if they inspect them. They know if they are usable or not. New parts like that from MB will cause you a lot of pain. I suppose there is the school of thought that if you are paying that much, and need new gears, might as well get good ones and be done with the problem."
I definitely would not buy the $550 aftermarket gears, I think I remember the MB set to be around $2500 just for the gears.
I bought an axle out of Indiana for $600 and $250 in freight. I had the guy inspect the gears and even sent a photo of what they should NOT look like.
(Mine have an odd wear pattern that has a small different wear patch at the start and finish of the contact area on the ring gear)
I also told him I did not want a rusted axle.
What showed up was rusted to the point of studs breaking off and the backing plates having holes in them.
It also had the same wear pattern as mine.
I am fairly sure the guy sent someone out to the yard to inspect and that person was clueless. I told them it was not acceptable,
and they had it shipped back and refunded me completely.
On another thread, Kansas City Sprinter said he had a good rear end and I replied twice, but no response...
I am having a hard time finding a good rear end...... (No pun intended)
 

marklg

Well-known member
I definitely would not buy the $550 aftermarket gears, I think I remember the MB set to be around $2500 just for the gears.
I bought an axle out of Indiana for $600 and $250 in freight. I had the guy inspect the gears and even sent a photo of what they should NOT look like.
(Mine have an odd wear pattern that has a small different wear patch at the start and finish of the contact area on the ring gear)
I also told him I did not want a rusted axle.
What showed up was rusted to the point of studs breaking off and the backing plates having holes in them.
It also had the same wear pattern as mine.
I am fairly sure the guy sent someone out to the yard to inspect and that person was clueless. I told them it was not acceptable,
and they had it shipped back and refunded me completely.
On another thread, Kansas City Sprinter said he had a good rear end and I replied twice, but no response...
I am having a hard time finding a good rear end...... (No pun intended)
A real differential shop should have the connections to find good gears. My shop had pictures of Candy Apple Red hotrods and lifted trucks they worked on. No Espresso or Croissants.

Regards,

Mark
 

sarl_cagan

2006 118" SHC in Portland, OR
I think I remember the MB set to be around $2500 just for the gears.
That's crazy... was it the last one on this planet? @3Play, there are surely used ones out there. Check Dakota Auto Parts too.

In the 2006 parts manual, the best I could dig up were the following:

3.73
05136773AA (pinion)
05136774AA (ring)

4.10
05136156AA (set)

Screen Shot 2021-09-03 at 8.49.36 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-09-03 at 8.46.03 AM.png

(edit: I spoke with the Freightliner dealer and provided my VIN. The ring and pinion seem to be totally unavailable at this time. I asked for the part number and he said that was greyed out too. Nothin.)

@marklg, I did see a lowered Chevy pickup with a Nitro gears sticker in the parking lot. There are opinions galore of Nitro gears in the Jeep/Tacoma/big truck/etc forums but couldn't find a single mention here. HERE is the 3.73 Sprinter set. Who knows...
 
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sikwan

06 Tin Can
Question 1: How important (if at all) is it to do wheel bearings at the same time as a diff rebuild? I swear I read somewhere they share the same lubrication.. and thus may be compromised if the diff fluid is contaminated with glitter... but I was told by a shop they don't). The diff shop says "they don't do Sprinter axles... but they do do Sprinter diffs". I'll need to learn what this means in terms of wheel bearings.
This will depend on what kind of abuse the wheel bearings have gone through. You don't have to do it at the same time, but the axles have to be removed before any work can be done on the diff, so you might as well inspect them / replace the bearings if needed.

Question 2: Any of you auto masterminds have additional thoughts on what should be considered here? To be frank, I've likely overthunk this whole thing. It has taken some time but has also been informative and I do feel like I've learned some things. Some might say "just pick a shop and go for it... just trust them and let them do their job." I've been burned once already (not axle related) so I do like to understand what options are available before pulling the trigger. I have some motorhead friends who say "just put in a used axle and it will likely be fine" and others who say "a rebuild is just not that difficult". I'm stuck here learning the nuances of both options.
How about getting a used axle, inspect it, and put in the best parts from two axles and/or put in new parts?

To me, it's a risk (50/50) to take my van to some unknown place to have it on a lift with the axles pulled and maybe waiting for parts. Probably why a lot of shops don't want to take on work that will take up bay space.

Question 3: What would make a differential un-rebuildable?
Excessive wear due to lack of lubrication.

Question 4: It's my understanding that if a new ring and pinion is required, there is a certain "break in" method that needs to be implemented. Any advice here?
Just drive it normally. ~50 miles should be good. Maybe even less.

On the offset sway bar, it's to give access to the fill hole.
 
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3Play

Well-known member
A real differential shop should have the connections to find good gears. My shop had pictures of Candy Apple Red hotrods and lifted trucks they worked on. No Espresso or Croissants.

Regards,

Mark
It is my understanding that there are no good aftermarket gear sets for sprinters, not enough market for high perf.
My diff guy does most of his work on extreme off road stuff, Jeep Rubicons with $100k rebuilds, 900+HP 4WD monster diesel trucks etc.
Every time I go in there he shows me a massive rear end, or tranny that looks like a bomb went of inside...
He is generally booked 2 to 3 weeks out with custom off road jobs and routinely just cuts off major stock suspension parts and changes the geometry with high
end aftermarket equipment. Our T1Ns will never support that kind of market, so you are stuck with Used gears, MB original, or chinese crap.
I would rather pay the $2k+ for good parts, instead of crap, but I am hoping to find a used, under 150K miles rear end that was from a passenger, or a catering vehicle.
Not a mason's, carpet layer, granite countertop, or full time delivery van...
 

PhilipE

Active member
Aftermarket gears and install kits are out there.

Yukon Ring & Pinion Gear Set for 2003-2006 Sprinter Van, 3.73 ratio | YG SPRINTER-373 | RANDYS Worldwide

This is a Yukon kit. I have used a few Yukon kits in Dana axles. No problems with the gears or the Yukon pinion install kits.

I had my 2500 axle re-bearinged in 2019. They used a Yukon pinion install kit. No issue with it. I have about 20K miles on it now. You biggest issue is finding a shop willing to do a axle rebuild. Many do not. I checked around local. All said no. My dealer wanted to send it to "Jasper" for a rebuild. I don't deal with anything Jasper. The shop I settled on was a local I had forgotten about. Its been open for around 30 years. The owner has been a drag racer longer than that. Most shops when you mention Sprinter, its deer in the headlights look. When I talked to him. Axle rebuild? When do you want to drop it off?

New bearings for the center section. New axle bearings. Two new ABS sensors. $1200 out the door.

In case your wondering why I didn't do the re-bearing. Me and a creeper don't play well together anymore. Damn old age.


BTW frozen U-joints took out the front pinion bearing.
 

jackbombay

2003 158" shc
Hope I never have to deal with this, I change my diff fluid around every hundred thousand miles, hopefully that is enough to prevent replacement...
 

3Play

Well-known member
So yukon is made in China and my diff guy says he won't use them.
I can put more than 30K on a vehicle in a year, so I'm not going to waste the time and effort of an axle rebuild on cheap parts.
The off road guys don't put a lot of miles on, so the gears may last many years for recreational drivers. They break a lot of equipment and experiment a lot, so there are more aftermarket options. Sprinters don't go through a lot of gear sets and MB gears tend to last, so not much aftermarket for us. Supposedly the "Motive Gear" sets made in Italy are better quality.(none for us) I still think we are limited to new MB, or used MB if we want a good product...
When you start putting more than 30k a year on a vehicle, you realize everything needs to be on a schedule and try to replace before it breaks.
 

sarl_cagan

2006 118" SHC in Portland, OR
Hope I never have to deal with this
I, too, hope you never have to deal with this. I am quite ready to move on. :LOL: Alas, the saga continues.

A real differential shop should have the connections to find good gears. My shop had pictures of Candy Apple Red hotrods and lifted trucks they worked on.
As of the time of this writing, I feel lucky to say, I too, have found a real differential shop. There are decades of gears hung on the walls. All signs point to the real deal and the owner is a *stand up kind of guy*. Covered in grease and old school in the best way possible.

I wanted to add an update of the progress here (it's not over yet).
- I have ~90 carefully-driven miles on the new set of gears.

21-1101_Sprinter_2006_pinion_wear_v1.png

The diff shop reported back the following.
- It looked like someone had been in there before (surprise!... thanks PO) and there may have been a shim or two missing (eh?).
- Chips on the tip of the pinion (above).
- new MB ring and pinion from the local dealer (I didn't know this was possible so I'm very impressed he found these)
- new Timken carrier and pinion bearings and new pinion seal
- wheel bearings look very, very good. (phew!)
--- mesh pattern is great but there is still a lower pitched whine on deceleration and a higher pitched whine (almost a whistle) on acceleration AND deceleration that is strictly speed related. Neither sound was detectable on the lift. Only heard during road tests. Putting the transmission to neutral does not change anything. You can momentarily silence the high pitched sound by playing with the throttle to live right in between acceleration and deceleration. The faster you go (or coast/decel) the louder the noises and higher the pitch)

So, unlikely, but the shop said maybe this set of gears was not quite right. Without the blink of an eye, the shop ordered and reinstalled a SECOND set of new MB gears and had it ready just days later. I was impressed. Needless to say, the sounds persist. Nuts.

It is unclear if these sounds are new or old. Theoretically they could have been there since the beginning but possibly drowned out by the droning "whah-whah" of the pinion. The van was also completely empty and all the panels buzzing was VERY loud. I could live with the decel noises but the high pitched one is most perplexing and annoying to me. A local Sprinter shop told me that it could be the center support bearing. Before replacing that too, I thought it would be good to dive in deeper if possible. To quiet up the rest of the Sprinter symphony, I added sound deadener to all the big panels in the cargo area and the wheel wells. To learn more I mounted a GoPro near the center support bearing and took it for a drive.

21-1101_center_support_bearing_v1.png

HERE is a YOUTUBE link. Lot of engine noise... and the sounds aren't as apparent as I'd have liked BUT anyways:
- At time stamp ~7s you can get a split second taste of the high pitched noise
- At time stamp ~10s you can briefly hear the lower pitched decel noise
- Again, at time stamp ~43s you can hear the higher pitched noise again.
(original recording was longer... there may be some better examples in there)

Next bridge to cross: leaky seals. THIS post summarizes things. Upon receipt of the van from the diff shop, I noticed there was fluid seeping out from behind the backing plates. I suspected it was just residual stuff from installation. The local Sprinter shop caught this as well and suspected the seals may not be right. I have since wiped up what was there and noticed more has come out.

I rang the diff shop and they have new seals on order and I'm bringing it back in for inspection tomorrow.

Questions for you wonderful people:
1) Any thoughts on the noises? (I know they might not be super obvious to unfocused ear)
2) Qty: 2 seals per side (qty: 4 total), correct? (one classic "shaft seal" and one rectangular "gasket"?)


-------

Additional info... just in case it helps anyone in the future. From the parts *removed* from my 3.73 geared 2006 118" cargo Sprinter, I pulled the following MB part numbers:
Pinion: 9033530610 (quick internet search found it HERE - $80.85 - wow very inexpensive)
Ring: 9033530612 (found it HERE - $816.20 - wow very expensive)
3) Bonus Question: typically, I thought these were sold in pairs. (and maybe my set was?) Is there any way my whine is coming from a non-lapped-together individually purchased gear set?

21-1101_Sprinter_2006_pinion_PN_v1.png
21-1101_Sprinter_2006_ring_PN_v1.png

Cheers.
 
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wanderingkiwi

2006 118” SHC
Interestingly I also have a 118" 2006 Sprinter SHC with 103K miles on the clock and the same whine on deceleration. I have no whine under load or acceleration.

I really want to thank you for this super detailed post as it's been very, very helpful.

I just had a good 4WD shop open up the diff to eyeball the insides.

They observed "a couple of shards and a bit of glitter in the oil. The contact pattern on the ring gear is not quite right. The pattern moves towards the flank instead of the middle as it should on the coasting side. Setup looks a bit tight, most likely from worn out bearings. There are also grooves on he ring gear"

The odd thing about my 118" sprinter is that it spent an unknown number of miles being towed behind an RV (it has a driveshaft disconnect mechanism and RV tow dolly mounts installed) so I'm not surprised it's exhibiting a bit of wear on the coasting gears.

The whine on my van is not super loud but it is there. It's probably not as pronounced as yours but I do have KO2 tyres on which don't help with the diagnosis. Nevertheless the van is telling me something so I'm very conscious of taking care of these things before they become a massive issue.

Like you I've also done some research into the options and am only interested in a MB parts solution. If I'm going to spend $1000 labour + $300 on new bearing and seals It would be foolish to not replace the ring and pinion gear with a quality OEM set as well.

So I just rang my local MB dealer with the part numbers you very kindly supplied (9033530610 + 9033530612) and they said they are no longer available.

However they did say these part numbers have been superseded by a new part number 9033500739 which corresponds to a matching pinion/ring set and is priced at $1060. They have to ship from Germany and could be here in a week. It looks like this gear set is manufactured by the CEI Spa, Italy and are now MB's official replacement for the now discontinued MB stamped part you pulled from your sprinter.

So my dilemma now is should I go ahead and drop $2000 getting the diff rebuilt or head off on my trip which will be 8-9K miles in length and get it done when I get back.

I would be very interested in @lindenengineering thoughts/comments on this.
 
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