Air Filter Mount

[gjlockyer]

Air Filter Mount.JPG

First Official Day of Retirement. Wife away. Nothing better to do than catch up a few small issues on the 300E 2.6. One job was to replace the rock-hard original small hose from the Valve Cover to the Inlet Manifold with a nice new soft one. I could see I had one of the two Air Cleaner mounts missing, so I raided my 190E spare parts department to see if it would fit. One problem; there is an empty bracket on the Air Cleaner and a corresponding flat, raised bit of metal on the Inlet manifold, but there is no threaded hole in the latter to take the small rubber mount! Am I missing something? Is there a totally different type of mount for this or is there not meant to be a mount there at all?
I know its not the world's (or even my) biggest problem, but I'm not gunna sleep too well until the mystery is solved. Anyone care to check their M103 6 cyl engine to let me know what you've got? See the photo for the position of the "no hole mounting spot" (and notice my nice new hose to the left. Retirement had better get more interesting!)
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[John Green]

Sleep easy, we have them in stock.

[Ivanerrol]

You will probably find that the rubber broke off and that's the remnant of the old mount.
You maybe able to unscrew it.
It's just a flat piece of metal now - with a screw thread underneath.
Just grab ahold of it and unscrew.

[gjlockyer]

That's what I assumed when I first saw it, Ivanerrol, but the alloy area is totally flat and unmarked - it doesn't look like a plate from the bottom of the old mount, but I will pull the air cleaner off and check again.

[gjlockyer]

Holidays over. Back from 2 weeks in the caravan at Cowes, Philip Island. Now that I have thawed out, I checked the mount area again. Ivanerrol, you were spot on; that was the base of the old mount. An almost perfect fit over the raised section of the manifold under it - perfect camouflage, probably helped along by my less than 20/20 vision. Screwed out easily. Simply fixed.

[gjlockyer]

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Look what happens when previous owner / corner mechanic super tightens the nut holding the air cleaner onto its rubber mount. When I tried to undo the nut with what I thought was a steady medium pressure, I suddenly end up with the mount twisted off its base and the bracket of the plastic air cleaner body twisted off (probably a little brittle with age) and still bolted to the mount. Had to set the broken mount/bracket in a bench vice with the jaws clamped around its top metal section ... and then with an almighty heave, the nut came loose. You'd swear that a tyre fitter had got to it with his air tools!
This happened on my just purchased 1991 300E, getting the air cleaner off to replace the oil filter. The original problem that started this post was on my 1990 300E - now my parts car after being rear-ended by a P Plater while stopped at traffic lights just 2 months back. 2nd time I've been rear ended in 3 years and 2nd time I've ended up with the bottom half of this mount left in the inlet manifold! At least my parts car had a new mount and another air cleaner. I also glued the bracket back on its air cleaner body with a 2 part epoxy glue; seems to have worked - if needed I still have a backup!
Moral of the story - do not over tighten nuts / bolts , particularly where any plastic part is involved. Into their 3rd decade all the plastic on these cars are more brittle and all the more so when heated as the air cleaner is.

[Astro-Benz777]

File_000.jpeg
Look what happens when previous owner / corner mechanic super tightens the nut holding the air cleaner onto its rubber mount. When I tried to undo the nut with what I thought was a steady medium pressure, I suddenly end up with the mount twisted off its base and the bracket of the plastic air cleaner body twisted off (probably a little brittle with age) and still bolted to the mount. Had to set the broken mount/bracket in a bench vice with the jaws clamped around its top metal section ... and then with an almighty heave, the nut came loose. You'd swear that a tyre fitter had got to it with his air tools!
This happened on my just purchased 1991 300E, getting the air cleaner off to replace the oil filter. The original problem that started this post was on my 1990 300E - now my parts car after being rear-ended by a P Plater while stopped at traffic lights just 2 months back. 2nd time I've been rear ended in 3 years and 2nd time I've ended up with the bottom half of this mount left in the inlet manifold! At least my parts car had a new mount and another air cleaner. I also glued the bracket back on its air cleaner body with a 2 part epoxy glue; seems to have worked - if needed I still have a backup!
Moral of the story - do not over tighten nuts / bolts , particularly where any plastic part is involved. Into their 3rd decade all the plastic on these cars are more brittle and all the more so when heated as the air cleaner is.

I second this experience