As we know the MB uses vacuum for all sorts of purposes. Since many of these cars in this forum are 25+ years old repairing, maintaining and/or upgrading the vacuum lines and connectors is necessary. And having recently pulled the dash and replacing the "pods" I found well over a dozen rubber connectors that need replacing.

So in total I'm looking for well over 30 rubber couplings, elbows, "Y's" and "T's". The dealer charges much too much for these and every parts store I have visited sells individual components in a bubble pack for $3 a piece.

Can anyone direct me to a reliable and inexpensive source of vacuum couplings? Thanks.

Hello,

I'll bump this once and then I'll leave it alone.

I just pulled the dash and replaced the vac pods. To complete the job there are about 20 rubber connectors to replace. I'm doing the vac lines in the engine; that requires over a dozen rubber pieces. So far the locks seem OK but that's over a dozen pieces.

The industry has moved away from rubber couplings that go on the outside of the 1/8" vac line and has moved to hard plastic pieces with smaller ID that cause vacuum drops.

One of the large manufacturers of the older style rubber connectors is Dorman. I have found some sites that sell 10 identical connectors for $5 but they do not carry the pieces I need.

Every other source I can find sells the items, one-at-a-time, in bubble packs at prices from $3 to $7. Given that they buy wholesale at almost one tenth the cost I'm trying to avoid such an overcharge.

If anyone knows where to get "T's", "L's", & crosses in 1/8" ID rubber at a reasonable price please let me know. Thanks.

I've been looking for these too - but I've only found these types of threads compiled by whunter:-

Vacuum connector part numbers

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Yes, I've seen that & I like to support this site but buying one-at-a-time the cost will break $200 for what the wholesaler sells for $25.

I believe in profit but not that much.

I'll let you know if I find anything. Please do the same with me.

I have very successfully used fittings like the ones in the link for years in vacuum setups. Not all are equal with some having very thin walls.

I got a bunch of "aquarium" fittings from this seller and found them all to have a nice thick wall which equals great for our vacuum.

For under $15 bucks I got enough fittings to fix 2 or 3 cars.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Air-Valve-Connector-Air-Line-Tubing-Aquarium-Tank-/400083971625?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d26dcee29

__________________
1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Thanks Bob from TN. I had not thought of aquariums.

Just remember to make sure you get the thick walled ones. The seller listed carries thick walled. Mine are a 'sick' green but paint will change that.

__________________
1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Sick green was all the rage in the 1990s on Audis and Volkswagens...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

What material are those aquarium fittings made of? I would be concerned about longevity. While they may last a few years in an indoor environment, an automotive environment is much harsher. Do the 124 cars use different diameter vacuum hardlines than the 123? My 123 vac hardlines are definitely larger than 1/8 o.d. I doubt all your rubber T, Y's crosses are bad. I'd test them with a MightyVac and replace only the ones that are bad, with genuine Mercedes units and not Meyle crap, which I have found to be of dismal quality in their rubber and plastic products that I have bought. You don't want to have to pull your dash again to do the job over.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked