Actually, the clear thingy in the vacuum line above the pump is a little filter. I wouldn't remove it, if it's plugged or broken, just replace it. Cost is about $1 or so. This is on OM60x engines, I'm not sure it applies to OM617's... the 5-cyl's only have one main vac line off the pump to the brake booster. These models feed trans and ancilliaries (sp?) from one or two different tees (with built-in restrictions) off that main black line. I don't think they have any filters from the factory, but I've read that it's a good idea to install them.
Either way I recommend replacing ALL the Tecalan (plastic) vacuum tubing, and rubber vacuum hoses, in the engine compartment. I did this when replacing my cylinder head. Cost about $25 for ALL new stuff, and boy did it need it... most lines were so brittle they snapped like balsa wood twigs when I tried to remove them. At 15+ years they're probably due. Part numbers are here:
http://www.mbz.org/info/articles/engine/vacuum/
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And pull the vac supply line off the vac pump up at the front of the engine -- there is a restriction in it that can get plugged, very likely if you have leaks, and you won't get enough vacuum to run the tranny correctly. Clean it out and replace it, and if that doesn't work, try removing it.
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