97 E420 - Mystery Hose? Help, please!
 

I had to pull the plastic cover off the top of the engine of my 1997 E420 today, and discovered what looks to be some sort of breather/crankcase ventilation hose had completely disintegrated. I've attached a photo; the hose comes from the bottom left of the photo (behind the back of the cylinder head on the passenger side of the car) and runs up to the center of the engine. From the remains I found, it looks like the hose should then drop down next to the air intake and connect to the intake manifold. Right now it simply ends just before the point where it looks like it should dive down to the intake manifold. The remaining portion of hose is badly cracked and deteriorated.

Can anyone tell me what this hose is called, as well as its purpose? Where does it connect at each end? Also, is this one of those "have to buy from the dealer" parts or can I find it online, and if so where should I look?

On a somewhat unrelated note, I was not at all happy to see how dirty the outside of the engine was once the plastic cover was removed. Any ideas how to do a good cleaning job? I tried using a pressure washer on some of the engine last summer, but ended up with water down some of the plug holes. If anyone has some suggestions of how to clean the engine without creating even more work, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks in advance for your help!

That is called a breather hose. It vents the crankcase vapors back into the intake. It connects to the rear of the throttle actuator which is directly beneath the air mass meter.

Thanks, that is good info. Any idea if that is a part that I can find somewhere other than the dealer? I looked on e-europarts.com and couldn't find anything that looked like it, but maybe you know of another source?

Have you tried clicking on the "Buy Parts" link at the top of this page? :)


I just remembered that I replaced that very same hose on my S420, which should have the same engine as your car. You most likely need this hose:

P/N A 119 090 19 82

Which I got for $42 at the dealer.

I posted a thread about it on benzworld if you're interested:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/1373430-check-hose.html

I think you may find that these hoses are not that bad priced at the dealer.
Have a look at this part drawing;
http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.asp?TP=1&F=210072%5F45P&M=119980&GA=722%2E625&VIN=%2A&CT=M&cat=518&SID=14&SGR=030&SGN=02

For instance, part 144, which should be the combined hose that you need,
should be around $40.

Or like here ~$27;
http://www.**********.com/Part-Number/Engine-Air-Hose-Valve-Cover-to-Intake-Manifold-__1190901982_ELA_673122FF.aspx

br,
syljua

It is amazing that once I know what the name of the part is, how much easier it is to locate a replacement ;) . I called the local dealer just to see how badly they'd overcharge; their price is $49, while online the typical price is ~$28. Even with shipping the price is considerably lower. And now I even have a link to another good parts site.

From reading the replies and following links, it looks like this hose tends to be a problem on this car. As I said in my first post, the hose on my car had mostly disintegrated. What would cause this, and is there any way to prevent it from happening again?

I really do appreciate all of your assistance. It is great to have a forum like this one where anyone can turn for help!:D