Don't recognize this power steer filter set up.
 

Hey everyone, I took the PS pump apart to drain it as part of removing the engine and found this old ball filter arrangement inside rather than the cartridge I'm familiar with. Can I just use the cartridge filter and replace the ring, and ring holder and disc with the holes on top?

I had the same setup on my euro, I ordered the cartridge filter instead of the the one pictured....I put the cartridge one in and never had a problem....

This is from cars older than the W123, mostly in taxi livery too.

what is the ring made of? is is a porus metal filter or just a cast iron spacer?

It's like a porous cork or paper product. Here's a link to one for sale on ebay. New Mann Filter Power Steering Filter Mercedes VW 6 Series 5 250 280 2800 BMW E9 | eBay it's held in the bottom of the pump with a ring with three prongs on it, and then the metal disc with all the holes in it goes on top, followed by the spring holder.

It's in my 1983 US spec 300TD, I've found some of the strangest things in this car!

It only fitments I can find for this thing in M-B is 1975 and older, and only in gas engine cars.

looks like the filters on the end of oil furnace nozzles. likely superior to the paper filter... I'd just rinse it backwards with some wd-40 and or diesel, and re use it.

That's what mine had. I just replaced it with the cartridge filter. Fits perfectly like it was designed to go in the same place (oh yeah, it was).

I suspect the porous ring was probably original from the factory. Mine felt like wood to me, but I didn't really look too closely at the oily thing.

My '83 SD had the exact same type of filter. I serviced the PS and went with the cartridge paper filter. Thankfully I didn't throw the old filter away.

EDIT: Now that's 3 '83s that had this type of PS filter. I wonder if that's a changeover or a one year use.