at the risk of sounding like an idiot (how else am i going to learn?), i would like to ask you guys about tracking down vacuum leaks in the w123. the issue is that i need to really understand the very basics of what exactly it is you do with the tools and the car. i've read the basics from the diesel giant page, i've done searching here and over at benzworld, and it seems that every discussion assumes that the reader already knows a bit about "how to" when it comes to vacuum systems/leaks. trouble is, i don't.

i have a mighty vac, i have a w123 with door lock leaks. the symptoms are: the doors do not lock or unlock when the car is shut off. not even a little movement. when the car has idled for about a full minute and the drivers door is locked or unlocked, the other doors sometimes lock and unlock with it and they all move at a different pace than the others. the back drivers side door will lock very slowly, the rear passenger side will lock and unlock quickly, the passenger side will not respond without a delay, etc. and they all seem to do different things each time.

i have replaced the drivers side master switch as well as the yellow check valve in front of the firewall. no changes.

so, where do i begin? do i need to buy a vacuum gauge as well? what does it mean when you "isolate" a section of the vacuum system, what do you do? how do you use the mighty vac to test a section? do you do the testing with the car running or not? what does a good working check valve look like when you hook a mighty vac up to it?

i feel sorta stupid but i'm a visual learner and i'm doing this on my own here. it's hard to read a description that may leave common sense holes in the story that i'm having trouble filling.

thanks for the help and the education!

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1985 300D - 1984 Euro 280E AMG Clone (SOLD) - 1978 280CE (SOLD) - 1983 300D (SOLD) - 1981 300D (SOLD)