Door check strap and rubber conduit.

[WGB]

It was raining in Perth today so I got out of the gardening and mowing and sneaked off to the shed.

I had some bits that I had purchased for my 450SEL and was yet to use so I started on a few niggly problems on the 6.9 Driver's door.

1. Door handle was loose and rattling.
2. Lock and handle was stiff in action.
3. I wanted to get into the door and see if it had been fitted with side intrusion bars like my 450SEL is - (It doesn't).
4. I wanted to rust proof the door using de-odourized fish-oil from a low pressure spray (Part of a rolling program of rust proofing)
5. The check strapped checked the door but didn't hold it open.
6. Both front rubber conduits were rotten. (I only had one left so will have to purchase another two for the remaining doors in both cars)

So I pulled off the trim and replaced , rust proofed and lubricated.

Here is the rubber conduit on the left hand side in the usual native aged appearance which wil be replaced in the future.



On the driver's door it has to carry three vacuum lines and two wires for the electric window (In it's own protective plastic braided protective conduit) so it is a tight fit to get it all to come together in the limited space without taking the door off. The part no for the conduit for the front doors is 107 821 00 97 and for the rears it is 116 821 00 97. The rears look a lot easier as they are longer and easily accessible with the front door open and the rear shut.

Hints from my experience.
1) Use a proper rubber lubricant (I used PBR brake rubber lubricant) or detergent on the flange ends of the new tube.
2) Pull all lines out of the door (But leave them coming out of the door pillar)
3) Insert the rubber conduit into the door first.
4) Feed in electrical wires into the door through the conduit first and then the vacuum lines one by one.
5) If you pull the bundle of wires and Vacuum lines tight it will centre the conduit in the pillar and judicious use with a small flat bladed screwdriver will fit the other end of the flange - even though it is now stuffed with contents.

This looks a lot better



I also replaced the Driver's door check strap with a spare I had purchased for the other car after painting the visible part of the strap in the correct colour.

Here is what one should look like



And this is what happens when they first break up - the casting fractures at the point of greatest load.



Sorry about the information overload for something this trivial but the devil is in the detail and makes a car that little bit more special.

Bill

[OzBenzHead]

Bill: Contrary to your suggestion of information overload, this is exactly the kind of DYI information that makes this forum so valuable to me.

Keep it coming!   

[craigb]

Thanks Bill, I agree more of us should take some time to document any tricks we learn when doing a job. Being in Oz, where did you get your conduits from?

Craig

[WGB]

Thanks Bill, I agree more of us should take some time to document any tricks we learn when doing a job. Being in Oz, where did you get your conduits from?

Craig

Local agent - Diesel Motors.

I have ordered two more today.

The fronts cost $14.53 each and the rears $17.03 each two years ago - I will see what inflation has done when the two new ones turn up.

Bill

[oscar]

Good work WGB.

Have to admit I was a right fool early on with w116 ownership, parking my 350 nose down an incline at work and letting the drivers door get away from me a few times (many).  I thought the check strap saved the door from damage but it had been fractured years before I reckon just like yours.  The price I paid is a subtle, yet noticeable to me, vertical dent in the outer skin of the door.  Get the right photo of some ebay specials and you can really see the damage that can be done when this strap breaks.  If only they forged the part that fractures rather then cast it.

[John Hubertz]

If those things are like 107 check straps they are NIGHTMARES to install.

[WGB]

If those things are like 107 check straps they are NIGHTMARES to install.

The check straps are a piece of p**s to install and I think the rears are the same as the front so there are plenty of cheap spares around.

The rubber conduit is the difficult part.

Bill

[BAR]

All too eay to replace the strap itself - only held on with 4 screws!
Big job is getting all the door trim off so as to expose the strap in the first place.