Today I had the glove box out checking to see if the recirculate air flap was closing on a w126. Under the right side of the GB I noticed a small fan motor blowing into a 1/2" 90degree rubber hose which ran up into the dash behind the right dash vent.

What the heck is this?
I should have posted a pic for the 'mystery part of the day'.

BTW, is the recirculate flap suppose to close all the way? Mine stays open letting alittle outside air in.

Dan (still looking for a 300TD,SD)

Sounds like the temperature sensor for the automatic climate control. But since you didn't post a year, and model everyone will just have to guess.

MS Fowler is correct on both points . . . it is the sampler motor/fan which should clip in slightly below the right vent and we don't know exactly which (126) car you are referencing. If you add it as part of your signature you'll catch some of us sleeping and making this statement and you will be able to point us in the direction of what we missed . . .

Back to your question . . . do a search and you'll find how to perform the tissue test (big assumption on my part that your vehicle was designed similar to my '87 below). I have pulled the motor/fan out a couple times just to play with it (clean/lube). Even got the tissue to hang pretty good on the "sniffer" near the roof switch.
Steve

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Steve
'87 300TD - 132K - Soon 4-Sale
'84 300D Turbo - 122K - Driving
'77 VW Type II - 77K - Restored
'08 250EX Ninja
English Bulldog (Brier) - My best friend. Passed away 12/02/04 while in my arms.

I suspected the diesel group would give more results. The car in question is an '85 380SE gasser so, I left it off the sig line taking advantange of the intellegent oil burners here.

So I take it this small fan pulls the ambient air thru the CC temp sensor? Now that I think about what I was looking at it was pulling from the hose not blowing based on the way the hose attached.

I did oil the main blower motor while I was there. As well as weave my hand in the vent to clean the evaporator. Vacuumed, sprayed some 'resolve', then took a hose with hot water to it.
Not a drop on the carpet!

Thanks.

Dan

'85 380SE Euro (for sale)current driver
'85 380SE parts car (got t-boned for sale cheap)
'82 300SD rough, on hold looking for something better. TD?
'80 300D sitting. should be driving it as I have more wvo than I need
'72 280SE 300HP sbc/700r4 I didn't do it. For sale cheap.
'77 911SC project. for sale
'92 1 ton cummins running wvo 24mpg
(2) MF tractors 135 gas, 203 diesel (same perkins '152' block)
'66 chev c60 flatbed

Oh yea. Does the recirculate flap let alittle outside air in always?
I could push on the two vacuum module levers and get it to close off completely. But, they seem to be holding vacuum ok so, I figured they were OK.

Doohhhhh,
Wish I would have thought of that last weekend when I had my dash out.

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Had plans on pulling the evaporator.
Chickened out. Did OK with the hose though.

Here is your mystery part.... 000 830 19 08

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Over 21 years I owned several:
w108
w110
w111
w115
w116
w123
w124
w126
w212