w124 suspension pipe

[SilverSaloon]

hi

i've been replacing the spheres on my w124 estate.

i've had to cut the smaller pipe from the drivers side sphere to get it off, so need a replacement.

its the smaller 'exit' length of pipe that comes off the side of the sphere to the box unit closeby.

epc shows A1243204853 as maybe the side i need but can anyone confirm, i dont want to order the wrong side by mistake.


65 here-

but the image in in reverse.... it shows a lhd car but mine is rhd - the pipe looks correct from the image going from where it connects to the box but its detailed as 'left' which i assume is the passnger side - maybe left is the drivers to mb epc
thanks

derek

 

[Dieselman]

Mercedes use Left or Right to avoid any confusion.

If it says Left, then it's Left.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Mercedes use Left or Right to avoid any confusion.

If it says Left, then it's Left.

I've ordered A1243204953 which is quite a bit cheaper than the other side, so i'm assuming because its shorter its cheaper. The EPC I have (MB club one) is a bit unclear and shows a LHD layout. The dealer said his diagram was RHD layout and said A1243204953 is the UK drivers side pipe.

Fingers crossed as my W124 is up on the ramps awaiting the new part and in the meantime I'm using the gas guzzling Rover V8.

i'm having some fun though

 

[jaymanek]

Have fun changing that.. usually pain in the backside as the MB pipes arent very flexible.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Have fun changing that.. usually pain in the backside as the MB pipes arent very flexible.

yep i know this already, hence requiring a new pipe!

i got the old one off but ended up almost stripping the thread on the new sphere trying to screw it in.... stripped 1st couple of threads, thinking it was going in, and then it fell out again. then once that had happened i couldnt get good enough purchase on it to get it to thread back in correctly.

i ended up cutting it off and then sorting the 1st couple of threads out "on the bench", but now need the new pipe.

going from aligning up the 2 new sphere feeds and the other smaller pipe on the other side, best approach is to have the sphere loose in its mount so it can move aswell as the pipe you are connecting it to.

Happily all other pipes are now connected, just waiting on the last little pipe. I'll connect the sphere end 1st and the other end 2nd as there is more access to the control box.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Getting no response from MB technical support, as they the part has been superseded by A1234205428 which is a brake line, roughly the same size as the original suspension pipe. But without the restrictor in the middle, which is a metal rod inside the pipe. My dealer has lodged a question via email to MB support asking what to do, whether its the right part now and/or is safe to fit. Developer also was supplied with a brake pipe going from his restoration thread.... at the moment the new spheres are fitted but the car is up on my ramps with no fluid in waiting on the new pipe.... and we are down to the 1 estate car and i'm using the SD1. We really need the two estates as I need to haul stuff

I read (maybe on here or elsewhere) that the restrictor is there to soften the flow back when you go over hard bumps. So, basically the pipe is the same but i think it does still need the restrictor in there.... it was there for a reason when the car was new, i see no reason not to keep it.

It appears that the pipe will fit (once bent to shape) but it doesnt have the restrictor in it. going from the old part, this is just a rod of metal running through the centre of the pipe.

i have a wire coathanger which is identical to the restrictor in thickness - could i fit this in the brake pipe and then bend to shape to effectively have the same thing?

i need the car back on the road.

 

[SilverSaloon]

OK, answer from MB technical.

The pipe has been replaced with that 123 brake line for past 2 years, and it is acceptable to fit without the restrictor, apparently.

I guess this is the start of reducing the number of specific W124 parts with "any generic part that fits". Odd that they felt the need for a restrictor back in 1984 to 1996 when W124s were built, but for the sake of making a specific bit of pipe they now feel its acceptable to bodge the system with a bit that just happens to be around the same size!!! The bean counters at it again!

i think i'll use it but install the wire coathanger rod inside to mimic the missing restrictor.

Will report back on the result!

 

[SilverSaloon]

pipe fitted with coat hanger inside!

all working!

 

[millo777]

Apologies for dreding up an old thread.

I need to replace the spheres on mine and was wondering if the pipes come pre-formed from the dealer, or whether I'll be needing a brake pipe bending tool of some description.

I'd also be interested to hear whether the coat hanger hack is is causing any problems. What length of coat hanger did you use?

 

[SilverSaloon]

Apologies for dreding up an old thread.

I need to replace the spheres on mine and was wondering if the pipes come pre-formed from the dealer, or whether I'll be needing a brake pipe bending tool of some description.

I'd also be interested to hear whether the coat hanger hack is is causing any problems. What length of coat hanger did you use?

Hi

the pipes no longer come pre-formed as far as i know. i only bought 1 new pipe and that was now supplied a W123 brake pipe, hence no restrictor, and the need for the coat hanger hack.

the coat hanger trick appears to be working fine. I'm glad i installed it rather than not bothering as per MB advice.

I bought a cheap pipe bender tool from machine mart that did the job just fine. Note that the W123 brake pipe they now supply is twice as long as the original pipe so some clever bending to make it loop round into the correct area is needed. Those damn bean counters again! I made the coat hanger just short of the pipe (maybe half an inch on either end that didnt have the restrictor). Blow through the pipe with you mouth once you have bent it before fitting to ensure there is plenty of flow through it!! If you cut the old pipe in half to remove the old restrictor you can match the thickness of the metal with your coat hanger of choice. Just ensure you use one that doesnt have any foil coating on it! ie use a "pure metal one"

My other estate now also needs the spheres done, so i will be doing this job again, hopefully the bouncyness will remain "not too bad" until warmer weather next year though!. this time i plan to drop the whole rear subframe and deal with the surface rust and replace many mounts etc at the same time. I therefore will most probably replace the other self levelling pipes here.

when doing this job, the most important part is not to cross threads! keep everything slack (including sphere mounts) until you have purchase on all joints.

 

[mejermy]

When I had to replace a length from the level control to a foot or two in front of the rear axle I used copper pipe and created my own flare for the level and used the MB compression joint for the forward end. If MB are penny pinching and not selling you the correct bit, which, to make matters worse, you then have to bend anyway, you might as well go this route. Kunifer would have been a better bet, but much harder to work on in situ, and a less vital component than the brakes, where I would use only Kunifer.

 

[SilverSaloon]

When I had to replace a length from the level control to a foot or two in front of the rear axle I used copper pipe and created my own flare for the level and used the MB compression joint for the forward end. If MB are penny pinching and not selling you the correct bit, which, to make matters worse, you then have to bend anyway, you might as well go this route. Kunifer would have been a better bet, but much harder to work on in situ, and a less vital component than the brakes, where I would use only Kunifer.

^^^ agreed. its worth checking with MB though as i only ordered 1 pipe which had been changed to the 123 brake pipe. the others still used the same part numbers so may come shaped, although i am sure i read on here that they no longer did.

that missing restrictor is important though, as it stops the flow moving quickly and aids the damping i believe. If it was needed in 1984 when they made the 124, why do they see fit to advise "not bother with it".... its a discrace. I'm all for sharing parts between models, but they do need to function the same!

 

[Dieselman]

Why not just get a brake pipe made up by a local garage?

 

[219]

^^^ agreed. its worth checking with MB though as i only ordered 1 pipe which had been changed to the 123 brake pipe. the others still used the same part numbers so may come shaped, although i am sure i read on here that they no longer did.

that missing restrictor is important though, as it stops the flow moving quickly and aids the damping i believe. If it was needed in 1984 when they made the 124, why do they see fit to advise "not bother with it".... its a discrace. I'm all for sharing parts between models, but they do need to function the same!

When I bought the long pipes ( the ones that run from the front of the car to the level control valve ) for one of my previous 124 estates , they just came as straight lengths of pipe and I had to bend them myself - I bought a pipe bender which has turned out to be a very handy tool .

 

[BlackC55]

Why not just get a brake pipe made up by a local garage?

Or use a hydraulic pipe fabricator. Quite a few are mobile and do a great job

 

[millo777]

Thanks for the replies, and to SilverSaloon for the info in the original thread.

I'm just gathering parts for the envitable at the moment as the fluid in the resovoir is black and nasty and if I have all the parts at hand, I may just get a decent day when I can get the job done.

The proper a124 part numbers still come up with prices o.k on the inchcape site, so maybe they still have some old stock? Normally when a part is superceded and nla the inchcape site doesn't recognise the old part number. I'll call them to see.

Either way, I think I'd rather use cupro nickel anyway as all the other pipes on the car have now been replaced with it. All done by an indie I might add, so I have no expereince at all which should make for a fun job.

Does anybody know the sizes for the pipe and fittings? I suspect 3/16 pipe and m10 fittings as the flare nuts are usually an 11m head, or least they are on the brakes.

I did come across this listing on ebay which might be interesting if anybody happens to know the length of the pipes in question?

Brake lines for any car 3/16 Copper or Kunifer pipes Made to measure from £3.00 | eBay

 

[littlefish]

Pipe sizes

Thanks for the replies, and to SilverSaloon for the info in the original thread.

I'm just gathering parts for the envitable at the moment as the fluid in the resovoir is black and nasty and if I have all the parts at hand, I may just get a decent day when I can get the job done.

The proper a124 part numbers still come up with prices o.k on the inchcape site, so maybe they still have some old stock? Normally when a part is superceded and nla the inchcape site doesn't recognise the old part number. I'll call them to see.

Either way, I think I'd rather use cupro nickel anyway as all the other pipes on the car have now been replaced with it. All done by an indie I might add, so I have no expereince at all which should make for a fun job.

Does anybody know the sizes for the pipe and fittings? I suspect 3/16 pipe and m10 fittings as the flare nuts are usually an 11m head, or least they are on the brakes.

I did come across this listing on ebay which might be interesting if anybody happens to know the length of the pipes in question?

Brake lines for any car 3/16 Copper or Kunifer pipes Made to measure from £3.00 | eBay

This is my first ever posting so hopefully doing it right. Have just replaced my spheres on my 1990 w124 estate. The cost of the pipe fittings from mercedes were a bit daft for a tight g-t like me so had the ones from the self levelling box to the spheres made by the ebay man above in 3/16 pipe with m10 male fittings. I went for one at 130mm (drivers side) and the other at 150mm, both were a tad long but allowed for decent wiggling room so with a slight bit of hand bending they went in fine. Also replaced the larger lines from the spheres to the rams. The joins from the existing metal pipes to the flexible pipe which connects to the rams were seized completely so easier to do away with them completely and just have one continuous hose. Had these made by hyphose and again giving my self lots of wiggling and bending room and options had these made at 1200mm each (3/8 R7 ferrule to 16mm banjo according to their paperwork). Cost £13 for the two small pipes inc p&p and £72 for the two larger pipes (made while you wait took them 10mins) The whole thing works absolutely wonderfully.

Also somewhere on the site someone's treasure burst a rear hydraulic pipe and asked for advise on driving it home. Ours went in a supermarket car park in France at the beginning of our holiday. Massive pool of fluid greeted us when returning avec croissants et baguettes. pipe work was too rusty for any of the 4 garages I tried to even do a bodge apparently and they seem not to have heard of hyphose, so no choice but to we drove her on springs only for the rest of the hol and the long journey home. The result is absolutely no damage at all to anything, not even the pump which I assume would have been running dry.

 

[Terry_]

We make and fit the pipes ourselves. For smaller pipe repairs pirtek can make up high pressure flexible hoses