Mystery Bracket Puzzles Mercedes E350 Owner During Engine Reassembly

A 2014 Mercedes E350 owner, mid-reassembly of the M276.952 3.5L engine, found an unidentifiable stamped-steel bracket. The part, stamped A 276 140 08 40, is a small piece with a two-hole mounting flange and a round dished collar that crimps around a tube.

The EPC lists it as a holder for the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) pipe, but the owner says there is no external EGR pipe on the engine. Their understanding is that the M276 handles EGR internally via cam phasing. A seller parting out an EGR tube from a Japanese-market car says the bracket attaches to that tube, raising the question of whether US-market cars have external EGR at all.

The owner is asking where the pipe routes and where the bracket bolts, hoping someone with WIS access can clarify.