Rebuilding 124 Vacuum Elements
 

I have tried to research weather or not I can rebuild the Vacuum pods on my 1987 300. At this point I am even more confused. One of the suppliers states his should work, some posts say you can others say you can't. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this job, can they be rebuilt? I don't mind trying but I don't want to wast my time if they can't. Thanks

Well, technically they can be "rebuilt" by either using a good used bellows, or rubber cement or silicone on the bladder rip, or new bellows rubber if you have a source, but why rebuild when replacements aren't that expensive? Unless you just like tinkering and taking stuff back apart, just replace it and be done with it (if I had a good cheap source for vacuum bellow rubbers, I might change my mind; yes, they can be fixed, but it is very temporary...).

pod poppers
 

hi i just did 4 on my 126. and yes you can it is fairly easy. getting to them may be a bit of a hassel. but the job doing it is straight forward. the diaphragms cost 5 $ each. the pod popper tool is 12 $ anyway cheap compared to the cost of the actuators from mercedes benz.

do a web search on pod poppers and you'll find the guy. he'll also send directions in the package. it really is easy. just make sure you mark how the actuator pod comes apart. the indexing is very important when you go to re install them.

Thanks, Craig; I'm not opposed to saving my customers a little dough if there is an appropriate method to do so

The rebuilt pods to not have as much range of motion as new ones - the flaps will not shut all the way.

actuator pods
 

the ones i did could be completely collasped. i'm not saying you did anything wrong but i would double check that the diaphragm sealed the pod. it is possible to close the pod without getting it to seal all the way around. also i'd check to make sure the inner spring isn't caught sideways. and 1 last thing is to check that the diaphragm if it had the center hole that it was pulled down completely to seal the plastic piece. the solid diaphragm the one you had to cut away the old diaphragm did you get all the material out and the new pc seated just right. did you have a vacuum gun to test it before you installed them. you got to check to be sure they can hold vacuum.

another thing is the vac system itself. did you check all the fittings involved for your climate control.

and prior to installing all the junk you removed did you test the acc unit.

i think the diaphragm repair is ok. on the double units you got to be careful to keep both sides in place. and i am only asking are you sure you didn't damage the plastic pod itself. the pod popper tool is hard to get enough compression so i modified mine by attaching the wire to a pair of pliers.

Are the pods on a 124 the same as a 126? That is what has confused me. Some of the posts that I found seemed to imply that 124 pods are different and can't be rebuilt.

i found this one on fastlane O4010-58052 it was call a flap something. this is the same kind that is on my 126. this is rebuildable. you have many other types that probably can't be rebuilt. but it looks like your acc unit pods are the same as my 126. go to fast lane and do your search on your model number. i think you'll find you can rebuild some.

To me it's a matter of accessibility. In a 126, a few panels come off to expose the acutators for service. I believe in a 124 the dash has to come off to get to some of the actuators. Whichever require dash removal are probably worth new replacement.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

sixto has an excellent point. for 40 bucks why not be sure it will work. although i would still test it before you cover it back up.

when i left friday nite i put the system under -5 psi vac. i just took a picture of the gauge on my mity vac and it looks to still have a pound or 2. so that is almost 3 days with a vacuum. i'm satisfied. i'll post them in a few minutes.

good luck
craig

This could be a choice http://www.autoluxmbz.com/

yes autolux is the place for the diaphragms.

i want to make one word of caution. after fixing the pods i found i was only getting a couple of inches of vacuum. so i started looking and found my rubber tee that is in the engine compartment was bad. i made up a new assembly and i had the vacuum i needed to operate all the pods easily.

the one on top of the brake booster?

George Murphy, tech advisor to the US MB Club, sells the diaphrams and will tell you how to fix it. $5 is less than $80. Also you really want to bbe sure it works before putting everythinng back together

lizem100

how can Mr. Murphy be contacted?