W124 Gas Flap Locked

[geraniumtr]

Folks, problem is with my 94 E320. I rarely lock my car but we were out of town at a diner and my wife said “lock the car “. Doors unlocked normally and we went on our way.
This morning I stopped for gas and the flap was locked. I operated the locks a few times and although I heard the typical noise from the gas flap locking rod it apparently is not retracting completely. The last time I tried I heard what sounds like air escaping from the gas flap area.
Any advice appreciated.


Regards,

Peter

 

[gsxr]

This morning I stopped for gas and the flap was locked. I operated the locks a few times and although I heard the typical noise from the gas flap locking rod it apparently is not retracting completely. The last time I tried I heard what sounds like air escaping from the gas flap area.
Any advice appreciated.

Peter, it sounds like the vacuum element for the flap might have failed. You'll need to remove the tunk carpet on the passenger side and try to reach in there to fiddle with it. I can't recall what's involved with getting it unlocked. After getting the flap open, squirt a bit of lube (WD-40 or similar) on the locking pin and see if that makes any difference. Since you can hear air leaking, I have a feeling lube won't help.

Good news is, the actuator appears to be available new from the dealer, if needed (A1298002075)... but it ain't cheap at nearly $100 MSRP.

 

[r44raven]

If I recall correctly, when you've removed the trim from the.right side of the trunk, and accessed the area to the back of the gas flap, you should feel a plastic "pull" (either "T" shaped or an "O" ring) which you can pull to manually release the flap?

 

[geraniumtr]

r44raven, tks for the heads up. You are correct. I pulled the side trunk liner and took a look. There is a red O ring on the vacuum element which when pulled retracts the locking pin. Now I can gas up.
Dave, part no longer available from Mercedes. I bought a used one off eBay. There are some NOS on eBay but prices are pie in the sky.
Uncle Kent has a free video on replacement procedure so I should be OK.


Peter

 

[gsxr]

Peter, did you check worldwide inventory in Paragon? MBCC shows it as "Available"...

Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts Search.

Browse through the Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts Search to see the availability of parts, promotional and newly manufactured parts and order them online (only in Germany).

partssearch.mercedes-benz-classic.com

But yeah, I'm seeing $150-$200 on eBay which is a bad sign.

 

[geraniumtr]

Dave, I stopped by the Parts counter yesterday and they said no stock. I wonder if they only looked at US inventory. I'm working tomorrow so I'll swing by and have them check again.

Peter

 

[geraniumtr]

Dave, couple of things I learned today.
The MB Classic Parts Search website is often not accurate. It’s not tied to actual inventory stock here in the US.
US dealers at this time are not able to check inventory in Germany. Technical issues.

Regards,

Peter

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for the update, Peter! You are correct, the site has no connection nor visibility to USA inventory. It generally indicates the item is available in Germany and could be ordered into USA, if there is no inventory in USA.

You are definitely correct about the MBCC site not always being accurate. But, if a part has been NLA for any length of time, it usually will show NLA, not 'available'. There's a delay of several weeks, so if a part number had been low stock and inventory was depleted, it can take a little while to change from 'available' to 'NLA'.

In rare cases I've seen the reverse, where it shows NLA and a part is still available. This tends to be when low (single-digit) quantities may still exist in USA warehouses or dealers, but it's NLA in Germany at the master depots.

In either case, the ONLY accurate method is to see what Paragon shows for real-time inventory, worldwide. Strange there are technical issues right now preventing this!