Fuel Line Spacer Bracket Thingie
 

How important are the brittle white plastic little seperator clamp things on the metal fuel lines (603) that seem to keep three or so of the metal fuel lines seperated from one another? Just a little plastic spacer thing that has a place for a few of the lines to click into...

They are nice and brittle after 21 years and we broke one of them (lines are undamaged but the little bracket thing is gone) during the course of an ALDA removal. (My fuel lines go right over the top of the ALDA... )

Anyway, it runs fine... and the lines don't seem to vibrate any more than they did. Just wondered how vital a part we snapped.

I would make sure they are reinstalled, the MB engineers didn't put them there for looks.

Replace the vibration clamps
 

These clamps are to reduce the vibration and chafing in the lines. They can be replaced by a rubber or plastic electrical cable clamp "P-Clamp" or Adel Clamp like is used ot hold wiring in an airplane. Two clamps can be held together with a 5mm nut and bolt. Spacing and diameter if critical, so measure the dia. of the line and distance between the lines and match them as close as possible. You can do three lines by doing them in pairs close together. Any hardware or home depot will have a box of 50 clamps for about $5.00. much better than a leak some day.

Here is what you could do.
 

The white plastic clips are for routing of the vacuum lines. They do make the set up look for nice and neat. But there are many ways to secure vacuum lines and keeping things orderly like the nylon tie strips. I think they do the job just as well and just snip them when you need to remove them.

It's a royal PITA to fit new clips and clamps but as mentioned MB engineers thought it worth the trouble. Even with new clamps I noticed some lines were really close together so I slit some rubber vacuum hose and shrouded the lines where there were most likely to touch.

Sixto
87 300D

as Sixto suggested slip rubber hose over the lines then use wire ties to hold the lines together that should prevent the vibration and or chafing much easier than getting and installing the plastic OEM ones. My $.02 Don

Reinstall the clips.
They minimize the line vibration/flex, and help prevent fatigue cracks in the lines.

there a couple of dollars t the dealership.