floor vent vacuum pod
 

Sorting out the climate control (see sig), with a bit of patience, a changed dash and JamesDeans effort, I seem to have it...EXCEPT. The floor vent worked twice, and then quit. Vacuum leak.:mad:
I read the wikki on replacing it, but can't figure out how to disconnect the element's shaft from the bellcrank. A detailed description would be great, a picture of the set up (obviously, an assembly that is out of the car) would be really great.
I can't even see the setup on the parts car, and the dash and the console are out of it.
I can reach it, but the nerve damage in my hands prevents me from getting a good mental image from what I have my fingers on, and from what I can see, if I break the bellcrank by trying to bull it apart, I am up that well known creek without propulsion.
(Related, unimportant question, why is there a restrictor orifice on this vacuum element?)

I'm not sure how the W123 compares to the W126 of the same year. Example: the attachments to the flaps are very similar. With this in mind, can you see how any other flaps are attached to the pod arm? If so, it is likely to be the same attachment method. I ran across this with the center pod and was able to sort it out and devise a method to detach the arm.

Hopefully, someone with definite insight to the W123 will chime in soon.

From the limited amount I can feel, it doesn't seem to be the same as any of the others (example: the centre vent arm attaches with a plastic push pin), and I haven't had to change the other ones.