Originally Posted by paulem

Well . . . I finally got around to switching out the seized engine in my 300D. There was a very large A/C line going across the front top of the engine that prohibited the engine from coming out. I tried everything I could think of . . . liquid wrench, heat, heat then cold, hammer . . . nothing would make the large nut holding the rubber tube to the metal tube free! So, out of desparation I cut through it with a hacksaw and figured I'll repair it next summer when I need the A/C. What have I done? Will this be a terribly expensive or time consuming replacement? The nut is quite large (like inch and a quarter, inch and a half) and sized so that it doesn't slip over the flanged end of the hose. The hose itself is also fairly large diameter and disappears into the firewall to the other side in the cabin.

The car is an '81 300D. I'm concerned that I will have to dive deep into the A/C system on the inside of the car . . . which I've heard is a nightmare. Anybody know? Anybody have any idea how I'm going to be able to loosen that nut on the donor engine?

Thanks,
Eric

'71 220D 135,000 miles
'81 300D In Progress