Need help finding out size of, or id number of bearing in air pump
 

Hi
The bearing in my air pump has gone up in smoke. I can still drive but it needs changing very soon. The option of buing a new belt pully with bearing is out of the question due to the cost, ~570$ :eek:
The best option wold be to change the bearing alone, if I knew the size. Can anyone help?
The car is a E 280 from 94

Mercedes wont sell me a new bearing!
 

Hi
I managed to take out the AIR pump and remove the bearing. MB number is 001 981 4227, it is an INA bearing and I tried to get hold of it directly from INA and SKF but without any luck.
The bearing is protected by MB and no one seems to be allowed to sell it :mad:
Worst of all is that MB wont sell it to me either. I need to buy the whole pully/bearing assembly for the price of 570$, this is plain stupid!

The dimensions are L32\52 inner diameter\outer diameter in mm the height is 18mm.

Can any one help me finding a new bearing?

For now I removed the air pump and sealed the connection at the engine head. The belt was short enough the fit without the air pump and the car are now running smooth again.

The pulley bearing assembly
 

Picture of the unit MB wants to sell for 570$ :mad:

Update?
 

Hi,

Didn't know if there was an update on locating the bearing?

I am in the same predicament as you were, and hoping to learn from your experience. It apears that my pump is fine and all that is required is the bearing in the pulley.

Any input you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi
I didn’t find a solution to the bearing problem, in the end I just removed the pump all together and hoped it wouldn’t effect the emission tests. As a matter of fact I did the yearly emission test on Saturday and there were no problem. As you might know, the pump is only working the first 30s to a minute until the engine is warm.
I have put the pump on the shelf, just in case some one finds a bearing that fits. If you find one please tell the rest of us.

Thanks!

I'll keep you posted on the bearing if I find one, planning on removing it as well if I cant.

What did you do about your "check engine" light? Will it come on? Another post sugested puting a lamp on the wires that go to the pump to show a draw.

Curious on your thoughts. Thanks again for your input.

I did not understand if you were speaking of a diesel engine or a fuel car.
I have a 260E EURO (from 1988) does it have such an AIR PUMP ?

Update:

I went to a local bearing house and this is what we found out:

They said there is no other bearing made to that dimension, published anyhow.

According to INA, they hold the rights to the bearing. They have never sold one in the U.S., and the only customer is Mercedes. They have 7 of them, in stock, in Germany and are willing to ship them to the U.S.

Here's the catch... They want $198.78 for the bearing and $175 for shipping with a 10-14 day arrival time.

So, I put my pump on the shelf, and replaced the belt with a shorter one.

Thanks for all your help. If any one finds a solution, keep me updated.

I work for a bearing manufacturer. I asked the guys more familiar with what's available through our company and also found out that this bearing is an odd size and not available through our catalogs. We also suspect this is a double row ball bearing as opposed to a deep groove single row. I was told the best bet was to contact INA directly.

I'm not sure, but I get the feeling there's an unwritten rule about not butting into one's market in the form of exact dimensions when it comes to competition among the bearing manufacturers. They will compete fiercely when it comes to application.

Bearing #6808 has same OD 52mm as the one needed, but ID is 40mm. The width is 7mm. Two of them can be used on the machined bushing 32mm ID and 40mm OD with 4mm shoulder. I'm not sure how long these are going to last, but 6808 is available cheap and maybe worth a try.
http://nobtech-hosting.com/cgi-bin/secure_html/bearingsdirect/autocart.cgi?CAT=12

Air Pump Bearing
 

I bought one of the bearings 2 or 3 years ago and it is still working fine. I got the bearing from the same company Mr. Maybach mentioned. Other members from the Mercedes Club also get the bearings from The Expediter.
Good luck;
Mr. Clutch

as this whole process of bearing renewal seems to be a terrific hassle.why not practice a little preventative medicine.this unit looks like it could be very easily lubricated with some grease or oil thereby preventing failure.im also wondering if belt tension could be a factor in life expectancy of this and other bearings associated with the accessories drive.i have been using atf with a long neck oiler.so far no problem on my 300 te

I notice the bearing is sealed to exclude outside elements. Unless the seal is missing I doubt the lubricant you're applying is actually getting to the rollers.

The L32/52 bearing for the air pump is being produced outside of Germany. It is a 2 row with inside race 20mm tall and outside race 18mm. Just under $50 here in spokane.

I just ordered this bearing from bearingsdirect.com (I think?) and it should be arriving within the next few days. Cost me about $19 + shipping, just under 30 bucks.