Vacuum connections of the Mercedes-Benz M110 fuel-injected engine

The Mercedes-Benz M110 engine is an inline six cylinder, dual overhead camshaft engine of 2.8
liters (171 cubic inches) displacement with an output ranging from 143 to 185 bhp DIN at 5800
rpm, with maximum rpm at 6500. It is found in all Mercedes Benz models with “280” in the
designation, from about 1972 to 1986, including the 280, 280E, 280C, 280CE, 280GE, 280S,
280SE, 280SEL, 280SL, 280SLC, 280T, and 280TE. There were 21 variants of the basic M110
engine, beginning with carburetted versions and ending with KE-Jetronic fuel injection. Some
variants were high-compression versions (for the time, anyway; 9:1 is not so high-comp in 2010),
while others were low-compression engines for compatibility with lower-octane fuels and longer
durability.

For the benefit of gearheads who may one day find this in a Google search, I am posting an
explanation of the vacuum connections for the M110, which has long been a source of darkest
mystery to many M110 DIY'ers. I will try to do this without a single diagram(!) The vacuum
connections have a critical relationship to the performance of the engine, particularly fuel
economy and driveability. A vacuum leak or incorrect connections causes rough idling,
stumbling, poor acceleration, and can make the engine run either too lean or too rich, which
leads to other problems.

Unfortunately, this post does not cover the carburettor engines, only the Jetronic injected
engines.

There are four vacuum sources, all small metal pipes, on the M110 Jetronic injected engines.
Let's call them 1 to 4. There is a fifth connection, 5, which is a vent.

1 and 2 are two pipes coming out of the throttle valve, at the front of the intake manifold,
directly behind the distributor, at the left side of the engine (from the driver’s seat). They are
hard to find without removing the air cleaner. One is on top of the other. The top pipe is 1, the
bottom pipe is 2.

1 goes to the distributor vacuum advance. Some cars have TWO vacuum connections to the
diaphragm on the distributor (one for advance, the other for retard) Generally, the connection
pipe for advance is on the "outside" of the diaphragm housing, further from the distributor, while
the connection for retard is on the "inside". Let me be the first to say that having a system where
you can mess up the connections so easily, IS retarded. The retard connection goes to 3c (see
below).

2 goes to the bronze valve that triggers the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. This valve
looks like a plug, has a 15mm hex head and screws into the top right edge of the head, alongside
a couple of similar valves. It has two vacuum pipes coming out of the top, one of which is
connected by a hose to the EGR valve on the top of the exhaust manifold. The EGR valve itself
looks like a flying saucer and has a steel pipe coming out of it that leads under the front of the
engine and up again into the intake manifold.

1 and 2 are very often switched because they seem identical, but apparently, they are not. I
believe they have different vacuum depending on throttle position, as one is slightly above the
throttle plate, and the other is slightly below. They both have low or no vacuum at idle and
vacuum increases with rpm. This advances the spark timing and opens the EGR (Exhaust Gas
Recirculation) valve more.

3 is a single small source pipe on the inlet manifold pointing away from the engine at the left
side, roughly under the middle runners. 3 should have a rubber hose connecting it to a short
length of plastic hose, which then plugs into a black rubber 4-way hose connector. You could
plug the 4-way straight into the source pipe, but I think the reasoning behind the extra
connection is to spare this connector from the heat of the engine, so it lasts longer. 3 has high
vacuum at idle, decreasing with rpm. It is connected to 3a, 3b, and 3c:

3a) goes to the top-pointing vacuum "input" of an electrical vacuum switch, which on the W126
is located on the front left fender directly behind the left headlamp. The switches can be alloy
and cylindrical (W116, W123) or look like a black plastic box relay. They all have an electrical
connection. The side "output" of switch 3a) leads to the vacuum input of the deceleration cut-off
air valve, a round black plastic object located under the air cleaner housing and outside the
middle of the intake manifold along the left of the engine. It should be visible even without
removing the air cleaner. The valve plugs into the bottom of the air cleaner and connects to a
rubber hose that leads into the lower intake manifold.

The principle of this system is that when you take your foot off the accelerator pedal at speeds
over 40 km/h, an electrical relay allows high vacuum in the lower intake manifold to open the air
valve, allowing air from the air cleaner directly into the lower intake manifold, bypassing the
upper intake manifold's fuel sensor plate and throttle. The resulting decrease of vacuum in the
intake manifold makes the fuel sensor plate return to its idle position, cutting off most of the
fuel. The unthrottled rush of air into the cylinders also decreases pumping losses. The electrical
switch is to ensure the valve only opens during deceleration/overrun, not at idle. If you connect
the air valve directly to high manifold vacuum at idle, the engine should stumble or die. If it
doesn't, the air valve may not be working or some adjustment may be off, or there may be a
vacuum leak. The engine will work without this system, but fuel consumption will be higher by
10% or more at highway speeds.

3b goes to the top input of another electrical vacuum switch, this one for the air conditioning
idle-up valve. This switch generally is identical to 3a, and in the W126 is installed alongside it,
but farther away from the left headlamp. The way to test if the switch is 3b and not 3a is simply
to turn on the airconditioning and unplug the side vacuum output. If the switch is 3b, there
should be vacuum at the side output during idle with aircon. If it is 3a, there will be no vacuum.
The side output of 3b leads to the airconditioning idle-up valve, a cylindrical black plastic object
connected to black rubber air hoses, located alongside the lower left of the engine block, under
the idle adjuster mechanism, beneath the distributor. It's almost impossible to see from above.

The principle is that when you turn on the airconditioning, a switch feeds manifold vacuum to
open the aircon idle-up valve, allowing additional air into the intake manifold, which raises the
idle speed a couple hundred revs to compensate for the aircon load. You can live without this
system, but you will have to raise the base idle speed or the engine may die when you switch on
the air conditioning. Higher idling will increase fuel consumption.
3c goes to an additional air valve 2, a thick alloy disk located on the bottom left side of the
engine block underneath the distributor near the sump, and connected by black rubber hoses to a
similar network as the aircon idle-up valve described above and thence to the idle adjuster
mechanism. Mercedes calls this valve the "schubumluftventil", which Google Translate renders
as "thrust air valve". Do not confuse this valve with the nearby cold start air valve, which is also
alloy, but is more cylindrical, has no vacuum connection, and is bolted to the engine block. Air
valve 3c basically smooths out acceleration by modulating the vacuum in the lower intake
manifold. Without valve 3c, stepping hard on the accelerator pedal causes the vacuum to pull
down too suddenly on the fuel sensor plate and arm, causing jerky acceleration, which puts stress
on the crankshaft and bearings.

If the distributor has two vacuum connections, as described above, connect 3c to a Y-connector
and take one branch to the air valve and the other to the distributor vacuum retard.

4 is a pipe pointing upwards, on the top surface of the rearmost runner of the intake manifold,
closest to the firewall. This should have a short hose like the 4-way, then go into a 2-way or "Y"
connector. Let’s call the two branches 4a and 4b:

4a goes to the what Mercedes calls the “warm-up compensator”, an alloy box bolted onto the rear
left side of the engine block deep underneath the intake manifold near the firewall. The warm-
up compensator has two steel fuel lines and an electrical connection to it, and is visible below the
rear of the intake manifold.

The vacuum system on the warm-up compensator is for load enrichment. At idle, high vacuum
holds the load enrichment valve closed. When you floor the throttle, the vacuum to the warm-up
compensator dies out, opening the load enrichment valve, which delivers a surge of fuel to the
injectors. When this isn't working, you will get a rattling or "pinking" pre-ignition noise when
you floor the accelerator pedal, even if your ignition advance and mixture are set properly. In
essence, this system allows your engine to idle quite lean (compared to a carb) and thus improves
fuel economy. It also gives it more immediate throttle response.

The early warm-up compensators (W116, W123) have a single vacuum connector on the "front"
(the side opposite the engine block). Later ones have two connectors, one on the front and one
on the side. In the intermediate series (before Sept 81), the vacuum should be connected to the
front. The side pipe is a vent, and should be connected to a small nipple in the hose underneath
the idle air adjuster all the way at the front left of the engine, (so dirt won't get into it). In the
Sept 81 and later series, the connections are reversed: the side one is the vacuum, and the front
one is the vent. There is a way to test which is the right connection: Run the engine warm.
Disconnect the vacuum hose to the warm-up compensator, and the idle should go up slightly.

4b goes to the vacuum central locking and other stuff in the car body, including the air
conditioning and vacuum "economy" gauge. The connection comes out of the left side of the
firewall (alongside the relay and fuse box on the LHD W126), and generally has a cylindrical
check valve. In the W126, it also has Y connectors, for the locks and the vacuum gauge.

There is one final pipe, 5, which, strictly speaking, is not a vacuum connection; it's a vent. This is
at the rear of the fuel pressure damper, a small alloy cylinder a bit larger than a film canister that
is generally found bolted to the top inside part of the intake manifold (you generally have to
remove the air cleaner housing to find it) and has steel fuel lines coming out of one end. On the
end opposite the fuel lines is a small pipe that looks exactly like a vacuum connection, and uses
the same hoses. This is meant to be connected to slight vacuum at any of:

5a, the rubber vent hose connecting the camshaft cover to the top of the air cleaner (the hose
should have a nipple for this purpose);
5b, the air cleaner itself, which would have a connection, generally on the bottom;
5c, on the G-wagen and some others, to a nipple on the hose between the aircon idle-up air valve
and the idle speed adjuster-- the same one the warm-up compensator vent plugs into, so if this is
the only alternative, you will need a Y connector.

The only reason Mercedes put a hose on this thing is so fuel vapors won't vent to the hot air
around the engine and cause a fire. It doesn't affect engine performance, it’s just a safety issue,
and not even a grave one.

To summarize, here's the list:

1. From throttle top to distributor vacuum advance

2. From throttle bottom to EGR valve
3. From center of lower intake manifold to 4-way connector, to:
3a Deceleration/overrun air valve 1 via electrical vacuum switch
3b Air conditioning idle-up air valve via electrical vacuum switch
3c Acceleration air valve 2 (schubumluftventil)
3c2 (optional) Distributor vacuum retard
4. From rear top of intake manifold to:
4a Warm-up compensator
4b Vacuum central locking and other body mechanisms
5. Vent connection from fuel pressure damper

Good luck!