I left off my last post with a shopping list of parts I was going to replace – but this was starting to get quite expensive. Was there anyway I could reuse some of my hoses and save a good $300? This was the thought crossing my mind over the last week or so.
Seeing as I needed to make a trip to MB Classic Star for a replacement hard fuel line, I figured I’d also ask if he had the damaged rubber line – and as luck would have it, he had one on hand, that looked to be brand new! It was dated 2021, so even if it was used, it clearly wasn’t used for too long.
With these 2 parts on hand, I started looking into replacing the fuel strainer. Since the tank was drained, I really didn’t want to be doing this job again. But before ordering a new one, I really wanted to take the old one out and inspect it. Perhaps it was still useable?
To remove the fuel strainer, it requires removing the rubber hose that’s connected to the centre of the strainer, then using a 46mm socket, the strainer can be removed – in theory. I went to Bunnings and bought a 46mm socket. This socket of course used a 3/4″ drive, so I had to buy a 1/2-3/4″ adapter. Brought it home, hooked it up to my 1/2″ breaker bar and it should be a 10 minute job. Nope! The combination of 46mm socket, 1/2-3/4″ adapter and 1/2″ breaker bar comes out to over 100mm in height. There’s not clearance to fit it above the diff to undo the strainer. Crap! Not to be outwitted by 1970’s Mercedes-Benz engineering, I did and online search and found a low profile 1/2-3/4″ adapter. This should shave about 12mm from the total length and just fit. Unfortunately, I still couldn’t get it to fit properly.
Plan B or is that C now? – I went looking online for a tool that would fit and allow me to do the job. How hard could it be to find a 46mm socket with a 1/2″ or smaller drive? Turns out there were 3 options:
| Option | Image | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Koken Ducati Wheel Nut Socket 46mm. 3/8″ Drive |  | $119. 1-2 Weeks Delivery |
| VW 46mm Axel Socket |  | $20. 2-3 Weeks Delivery |
| Draper Tools Expert 46mm 3/8 Sq. Dr ADblue Filter Socket |  | $38. Pickup from shop. |
I didn’t particularly want to spend $120 on this tool and the thought of waiting 2-3 weeks wasn’t very appealing, so the ADblue socket was the logical choice for me. Although the company selling it is Sydney based, they are about 40-50 minutes away and since I didn’t have the time during my work day to go out there, I opted to have it delivered.
Well the tool was perfect. It’s the right size and low profile enough that I could fit my 1/2-3/8″ adapter to my breaker bar and still easily fit it in. So, 5-10 minutes and it should be out, right? Nope!
The strainer was screwed in tight. The real problem was that even with my breaker bar, I was fighting gravity so the socket would come loose from the strainer. It wasn’t coming off! The crown of the tool is a little rounded, and given the strainer only has about 5mm of nut to hold on to, I decided to grind the crown down flat see if that would give me enough bite to hold on to the strainer. Unfortunately, still no luck!
I had no choice now, but to remove the tank from the car. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but given that all of the hoses were out and the tank was drained, I went for it.
I removed the 7, 8mm bolts holding the boot partition in place and then the 4 13mm nuts holding the fuel tank in. I should be able to just yank it out, but something was holding it in. At this point, I thought it would be a good idea to disconnect the fuel sender – maybe that’s what’s holding it in? But how do I access the fuel sender?
I removed the back seats, There’s an insulation cover between the seat and the frame that covers all of the access points. But I did notice on the passenger side there was a small incision made near the top of the insulation. Someone has been here before! I had a look behind the incision and found the cover for the fuel sender access. Thank God for that! I was reading online that people were accessing it from under the first aid kit, and I really didn’t want to pull out parcel shelf.
I unhooked the sender and went back to the boot to remove the tank. It still wouldn’t budge, but it felt more like a friction issue than a hardware issue. I grabbed the edge of the tank from the passenger side and yanked it a little harder – it worked! I could hear the sound of some sort of adhesive or sealant coming loose. I kept the pressure up and the whole thing came out. In all, it only took about 10 minutes to pull the tank out with everything already disconnected. So it turned out to be easier than expected.
Now to remove the strainer. New 46mm socket, breaker bar and a fuel tank on the ground with uninhibited access – easy! I finally got the thing out!
The strainer really didn’t look too bad. I have a new one on order, that will be here in a week or so, but thought I’d have a go at cleaning this one anyway. I put it into the ultrasonic cleaner for 30 minutes and was quite pleased with the results
I think if I was in a pinch ,I could quite happily reuse this! If I have any issues with the new one that’s on order, I don’t think I would have any issues reusing it. In fact, I will keep this one on hand just in case I do need it in the future.
I also received my new fuel pump relay. I mentioned in my last post that I went with a Gebe fuel pump relay. It’s German made and seems to be good value for money. I couldn’t help myself and just had to pop it open to have a look at what’s going on inside. It seems a bit heavier than the 2 KAE units I have on hand.
The KAE relay is on the left and the new Gebe relay on the right. The first thing I noticed is that the Gebe relay has no microprocessor. It’s built in the same way the original would have been designed in 1983. It also seems to have 2 quite large relays on the board compared to the one in the KAE. I don’t understand electronics enough to understand what difference this has on longevity or function, but I do feel more comfortable in using a relay that is of the original design. The originals have been known to last 30+ years, and I’m confident this one will too.
I’m now waiting on my new fuel strainer and fuel lines to come from the US. I expect them here in the next few days and hopefully will be able to put it all back together and on the road again soon. Hopefully things will go more smoothly from here.
