I've recently purchased a MityVac and I've been having a lot of fun sucking fluids out of reservoirs and chasing vacuum leaks on my 1982 240d. One of the leaks I've discovered is under a black plastic box on top of my valve cover. Inside is a little white valve with three vacuum lines attached. The lines leak and the valve itself also leaks vacuum. I've discovered the valve part number is 002-997-53-36, and my local dealer says it costs $75 for a new one and oh, they don't make them anymore. In searching I've found some evidence that these can be removed and the vacuum system thus simplified.

I found this thread by Brian Carlton, but it was focused on a 300SD with a 617 engine and automatic transmission. I'm guessing I have an even easier job with the 616 and manual transmission combination my car has, but when I chase the lines down I get confused and since my valve doesn't work properly, I'm having a hard time understanding which lines to plug. I"m guessing that in my car, the only thing this operates is the EGR system, but I have a line from it that looks like it does something with the crankcase ventilation and that oil separator thing that's supposed to separate oil from the crankcase gases and feed it back to the oil sump before sending the remaining gases back into the intake but in reality just leaks oil all over the damn place. Any help?

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Own:
1970 Mercedes 250c, 1976 International Scout II, 1982 Mercedes 240d, 1997 Honda Accord Wagon, 1998 Acura Integra Type-R, 2009 Mazda5.
Owned:
1974 International 100 pickup, 1975 International Scout II, 1981 Mercedes 240d, 1985 Mercedes 300SD, 1988 Honda Accord, 1988 Ford Thunderbird, 1991 Honda Accord, 1996 Geo Metro, 1996 Ford F150, 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan, 1997 Honda Accord, 2003 Acura TL-S, 2003 Yamaha V-star.