breather hose

the breather hose leading from my cam shaft cover to the air filter on my 300D is cracked and leaking the oily gas all over my engine. the darn thing is made of plastic and i was wondering if i could put a piece of metal pipe in its place. it is only a foot long. besides why use plactic in such a high heat environment.

[engatwork]

I went with OEM part numbers when I replaced this stuff on my 300D but I do not see any reason why, if you have the means, you could not make up some fittings/clamps and make something up yourself.

thanks jim
the reason i ask the question is because i have some what of what i feel is an unusual setup of my air filter and breather hose. my air filter is unlike on i have see any where else it is a large cylindrical object 10-11 in in diameter and 12-14 in high. i also have a fitting that diverts my breather hose into a fork. one part going directly to the turbo and the other to the air filter. this part has been kind of hard to come by as there is absolutly no part number on the breather hose.
thanks again

[engatwork]

I have even considered using 3/8" stainless steel instrument tubing, tubing benders and Swedgelock fittings to come up with something better than original. You will need to figure out how to make the fittings work at the locations where they are supposed to be connected though. It is doable and for me I could get the fittings/tubing cheap.

[Palangi]

Sounds like the air cleaner on a California model is different than a 49 states version. I had to temporarily fabricate a breather hose when mine broke on a weekend. I made it work, but it wasn't easy due to hood clearance. I would think you would probably want to repair with the correct parts. Surely a good MB parts man can come up with the part numbers you need.

i will try to post a pic of my engine. you may have to click on the link. the long pipe diagonal to the picture is the hose in question

i will try to post a pic of my engine. you may have to click on the link. the long pipe diagonal to the picture is the hose in question.

sorry but i am still trying to get the picture