Anyone had experience replacing leaking vacuum door actuators on an '81 240D with those from a wrecked vehicle? Have a bad one and know these are not the "rebuildable" type. Have access to a salvage vehicle and wondering if it's worth the effort to replace with used rather than new. Cost difference is considerable when looking at the new item price of $30 to $48, plus shipping, of a new one. MB part number is 123 800 33 75.
BTDT...... not work the hassle of doing it twice right away. Unless the USED ones were put in very very recently, they are USED and probably 25+ years OLD! Buy NEW ones, save time and you save money. Unless you do not value your time.
Only takes 15-20 minutes to change a vacuum actuator and thought the difference between $5 for a used one and $32-$46 for a new one might get me by for a year or two. Just wondering if anyone had actually gone through this. I too can speculate about used vs new but wondered if anyone had actually installed a used one and what their experience was.
BTDT means Been There Done That.
Oooo...I though it meant "Buy The Darn Thing"! ;-)
But yes, there was some article a while back on repairing the units using condoms, but I can't remember where I saw that now.
Cheers, WS
I understand that but you didn't tell me what your experience was. Did the used replacements fail? How long did they last? Is there anything one can apply to the old stem seals to give them additional life? Silicone spray? etc,etc,etc.
Also, found a place to buy new ones for less than $25 each!
Where?
Larry In the back yard, under the oak.
What part of 'the hassle of doing it twice right away' don't you grasp???
Yeah, the USED ones FAILED right away.
Your car, your labor, your money, your choice.
Are you trolling for the answer you want to hear? You asked a question, I gave you an answer. If the only answer you want to read is 'sure use the $5 USED crap' then you should never have asked.
Place in San Diego, CA, called Inter Auto Parts. Just got four of them in today at a total of less than $100 delivered! They have twice a day delivery in north San Diego county. Let me know if you need some and I'll get them for you at a very small handling charge. Are you in CA? If not there is no sales tax and the Priority Mail delivery charge is only $3.85 for at least two of them.
Jeez Karl, relax! Didn't get any for a couple of months? Simple answers sometimes only work for simpletons. I dig a little deeper than most mechanics because I want to know W-H-Y. I have a habit of getting a lot more out of cars than most people having been a mechanic since the early 50s and taught the same for Armed Forces Institute of Technology. There is always a reason something fails in the automotive field. Sometimes the reason can be circumvented. Never pay for something if there is a more intelligent solution. I've found the reason most of these vacuum actuators fail is because of the stem seal. In a pinch this can be temporarily fixed with a very light application of true GE silicone seal. Ever repaired a cracked motorcycle crankcase on a desert run with JB Weld? Good luck at the Nuzzle Up Bar tonight. Remember, they all get better looking at closing time.
No, not the nipple. The diaphragms split and leak. They are just rubber....
The two I just replaced, one on my 240D and one on my wife's 300D both had small cracks in the shaft seal. Both diaphrams were good since the bottom chambers both held 25 inches of vacuum. Go figure. Thanks anyway.
Don't need them right now but thought if the company had a web site then it would be easy to bookmark. And because Murphy's Law Enforcement Gremlins are always watching, it is easy to foresee that at least one of mine will go out as soon as I loose track of this thread.
Larry In the back yard, expectantly under the oak.
A check of my last invoice shows no website. Sorry.
Came across your thread via Google. Addy for mentioned actuators is: Inter Auto Parts Warehouse (858) 279-9900
5060 Convoy St San Diego, CA 92111Aswithin Pleased owner (as of 14 Jan 05) of '82 300D w/143K ;)
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