I have a 1981 240D, manual trans. The engine bay looks like this. No throttle linkage over the top of the valve cover. Have only seen two other 240Ds with similar set-ups. One in Arizona and one in Croatia. I have two cable attachments to the one valve cover mount. One is the dash idle adj. cable. The second one goes to a black round-ish can on the fender that looks to be part of the vacuum system. What is this?

Cruise control.

Thanks. I thought the cable was sending a message to the black can but now I can understand the black can is talking to the throttle linkage.

Looks just like the 1980 manual transmission 240 D I used to have. Only seen 4 or 5 240D in person, including a 1982 parts car I had for a while. They all looked like this with throttle linkage alongside the engine, hanging off that arm. Any one ever seen a different setup on 4 cyl engine?

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John 5:25

I thought it was just an after market setup for 240d manual transmission cars. Perhaps applied by dealers when the cars were new. I never really gave it much thought . If it uses European electrical and electronics. I figure they would all be dead long ago.

That box is fairly substantial in size so it could have a fair size motor inside. There would also have to be quite a gear reduction setup I suspect as well. It is in my 79 model but not the 83 I believe. Depending where the speed sensor for it is and where it is might answer some questions.

The cruise control motor is vacuum operated.

I have one of these in my 240D, and as said above, it's vacuum controlled.
The first step in restoring your cruise control is testing this thing with a mitty vac.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Far too many wires coming off mine. I did not but could have missed a vacuum line. Rectangular in shape.


I paid it only a curious look and thought aftermarket but perhaps dealer installed. I will post more details in the next few days. Or sooner when I take a closer look.

Later cars (1983?) use a servo-controlled cruise control setup as opposed to the vacuum canister of the earlier cars. The servo-controlled units are all electronic and have a square/rectangular silver box with something like a 10 pin plug coming out compared to the bullet-shaped vacuum canister.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Wasn't there a Mercedes service bulletin about disconnecting the vacuum style cruise control due to some major design flaw? or maybe I'm confusing it with something else...

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2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

The 1982 > use the box typ actuator, look for the recent thread about a nice fellow here who rebuilds them, do the amplifier under the dash too, you'll love it when done .

A simple DIY job to R & R .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better