PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

rjk · #19 02-27-2004, 08:01 PM

No, no part yet, if everything is going to plan (HAH!), it is in transit from Germany to the States. Should get here inside of a week, then it gets overnighted to me. Cost is around $178 I think. Apparently, the connection at the pump end is the sticking point as far as rebuilding it goes. The bracket and bends disallow use of the machine.
Anyway, I got disgusted over the weekend and looked closely at the old hose, the hose itself is a GATES hose which makes me think it was rebuilt at one time, unless the MB supplier over in Germany uses GATES hoses. The hose was bad only where it passed the exhaust manifold (cracked & bleeding due to the heat), so I had a brainstorm. Why not cut the bad off and run a brake line to replace the missing hose? Should work. So I did the deed and it didn't take too long to reattach the connector the the shortened hose (don't get me started on the inabilities of "machine shop experts" not knowing how to do something by hand if their power tools don't fit). I had the connector off, the hose cut to length, and the connector reattached within 30 minutes, not easy, but certainly doable.
Then it was off to PEP Boys and Advance Auto to look for a brake line. Couldn't find one that fit, I needed to match the fittings and they were 12mmX1.0 thread size. After scrounging around their back rooms, I found an adapter from male 12mm to fem 3/16". Now I could get a 3/16" brake line to hook up. Unfortunately, there was no combination of adapters I could cob up for the other end and I was stuck hard and fast. It was Sunday, so NAPA and the better parts stores were closed. I briefly toyed with the idea of cutting the hyd. line and replacing the male 12mm connector with a 3/16" or 1/4" conn. but thought better of it. I didn't want to do anything I might regret later. However, if the hose doesn't get here soon, I'll hunt down the gates hose and rebuild the %@$#%@#$ thing myself.

So much for teutonic efficiency!