As long as you acknowledge that 2000 psi is a serious hazard and not to be tamed by tape or sealants, I think we have jointly accomplished an important task.
Thanks KB and GA for the valuable info.
I thought that the pressure was about 300 psi but now I see that
I left out a zero.
But even at 300 psi is strong to go through the skin, never mind an eye.
On my SEL the suspension is running at 3000 psi.
I never thought that the top hydraulics runs at the same psi.
Oh well live and learn I guess.
Appreciated thanks guys, good job.
Regards.
aam.
I find it hard to believe that just those clips hold back 200Bar
Usually a hydraulic connection would necessitate a threaded nut to bear on the flange to pull and hold the conical seal into place such as on brake lines.
I find it hard to believe that just those clips hold back 200Bar
Usually a hydraulic connection would necessitate a threaded nut to bear on the flange to pull and hold the conical seal into place such as on brake lines.
OK. I pulled out the whole distributor, cleaned it up, and got a good look at things. The lines fit into the case into what look like brass or bronze fittings. They do not look damaged. There are no seals in any of the 6 connections. You can look straight through the distributor from one end to the other. It does not look like these fittings can be easily removed or modified. I swapped the clips from one side to the other in case it was just a clip issue and after I reassembled things the same side had the tiniest of leaks. I activated the cylinders about four or five times and got maybe a drop of oil. So now it is either the lines ($) or the distributor ($$$) or a combination of both.
Jim
May be the line fitting is slightly out-of-round and not getting a good seat. Like I said before if the leak is just a drop or so and not seem to be under great pressure, before replacing the whole thing, put some glue on the outside to see if it stop it. Glue on the outside will not contaminate the system.
I know the hydraulic experts do not recommend using glue on high pressure system, but the clips are the ones dealing with the pressure here, the glue simply try to contain the drip from the outside. Of course it is like to fail too, but you have nothing to loose if you are going to replace the whole thing anyway.
I did speak with KBelov/Konstantin at the meet.
About this problem he said that there are no rings in there.
The pressure expends the tubing walls and that's how is sealed.
You can ask him for more detail info.
Or if he sees that, he may make a comment.
I think that is what I understood.
Regards.
aam.
I did speak with KBelov/Konstantin at the meet.
About this problem he said that there are no rings in there.
The pressure expends the tubing walls and that's how is sealed.
You can ask him for more detail info.
Or if he sees that, he may make a comment.
I think that is what I understood.
Regards.
aam.
Thanks aam. So perhaps starting off by just buying a couple of new lines may be the most cost effective way to tackling this pest. On the other hand getting the lines and a new distributor would put the issue to rest quicker.
Jim
One of the difficulties of all this free help is that some of it is very likely to be wrong or based on hearsay.
I think the cost of salvaged parts is so trivial that it would be wasteful time wise to continue any other fix.
At the risk of disrupting anyone's ego or being on the receiving end of some treatise on astronomy, I must again point out that there are indeed o rings inside the bore of the brass inserts that accept the steel tubing.
You must look INSIDE the bore and you will see the black o ring about halfway down the distance that the tubing fits into the brass. You can probably not do this with the part installed but you have obviously got the thing free to inspect closely.
Karas, take a look at your first pictures and you will see one of your tubes with a telltale black ring stain at mid-point in the end section indicating that an o ring was in position there long enough to leave some material.
I take the trouble to mention this just in case you find only a groove and the o ring actually missing in your part. In that case, all you need is the o ring.
Hope this helps. I could be mistaken too but only because aliens might have carefully inserted a part with o rings in it into my car.
Also, for future leaks elsewhere, be aware that all tubing connections throughout the system have the identical brass/o ring configuration.
I find it hard to believe that just those clips hold back 200Bar
Usually a hydraulic connection would necessitate a threaded nut to bear on the flange to pull and hold the conical seal into place such as on brake lines.
Redliner,
Are you suggesting that Mercedes is overstating the pressure in the system or are you beginning to share with us your appreciation of the genius of the Swiss company who designed ( and perhaps patented) this method of retention? Feel free to share if I missed another possibility.
Threaded connections are best for larger OD tubing for sure but other systems use swaging, bayonet quick disconnect and other schemes. The threaded approach is simply the cheapest and most standardized system and that is why it is and should be used on mass produced brake systems. We have in the 129 in effect a miniature aircraft hydraulic system that has a great many interesting special design features.
For instance, are you aware that full system pressure is ported to both sides of the lock actuators during unlocking? This works because the surface area of the rear face of the piston is less than the front by the cross section of the shaft. Just a little trivia to distract you from that texting driver on your right.
Now a question for you or anyone else brave enough to think about it. Why would they do that? Hint, it is just for the locks, the roof actuators have full pressure return on each stroke.
One of the difficulties of all this free help is that some of it is very likely to be wrong or based on hearsay.
I think the cost of salvaged parts is so trivial that it would be wasteful time wise to continue any other fix.
At the risk of disrupting anyone's ego or being on the receiving end of some treatise on astronomy, I must again point out that there are indeed o rings inside the bore of the brass inserts that accept the steel tubing.
You must look INSIDE the bore and you will see the black o ring about halfway down the distance that the tubing fits into the brass. You can probably not do this with the part installed but you have obviously got the thing free to inspect closely.
Karas, take a look at your first pictures and you will see one of your tubes with a telltale black ring stain at mid-point in the end section indicating that an o ring was in position there long enough to leave some material.
I take the trouble to mention this just in case you find only a groove and the o ring actually missing in your part. In that case, all you need is the o ring.
Hope this helps. I could be mistaken too but only because aliens might have carefully inserted a part with o rings in it into my car.
Also, for future leaks elsewhere, be aware that all tubing connections throughout the system have the identical brass/o ring configuration.
Thanks George. I looked at all 6 inputs in the distributor and saw no evidence of O rings, gaskets, etc. I agree that the dark ring suggests that there might be a seal of some sort inside the distributor but that would require removing the brass bushing to get to it and it looks like a pressed fitting. I have decided to put this whole thing to rest by taking up roncalllo's offer and bought the system from his 96 SL. Assuming this fixes the problem I'll probably take a more aggressive look at my old distributor and see if I can dismantle it looking for these mysterious seals. Also, remember my car is a 91 so perhaps yours is a design upgrade. I'm at somewhat of a disadvantage here in South Georgia in that I have the only 129 in town the other two having mysteriously disappeared recently. One of them was a colleague's wife's 1995 "baby" that was traded in for $4000 when he noticed the telltale leak of the overhead cylinders and was quoted $8000 to fix it. He made me promise not to tell her that I replaced all of mine rebuilt for $480. Heck, for $4000 I would have bought the car from him if I would have known that he was getting rid of it. There are NO salvage yards within 100 miles of here that have any 129's including all of Tallahassee, Fl to the south. Thanks again for your advice, concern, and experience. I'm opting for the fix rather than the duck tape (or Georgia Chrome as it is referred to by some down here) I too am not interested in bruising egos here. I want the job done right without it turning into a money pit.
Jim
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