I just ordered new oil cooler lines for my wife's 84 300SD from peachparts. Her car has about 235k or so iirc at the moment. It looks like a pretty simple job. Any "gotcha's" I need to know about? She's out of town for a week, but I'll be doing this and a tranny fluid and filter when she gets back. Is every two years OK for the tranny fluid? She was previously going 5 years or so. I intend to do my TD every 2 years. Is that overkill?

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85 300TD FED-Daily
84 300SD-Wife's
86 XJS-Sunday
66 GMC-Work- Given to my stepson
83 BMW Airhead- Given to my stepson

Until you try to get your Crescent wrench on the lower oil filter housing fitting. Or strip the threads off the oil cooler nipples.

I would read some of the writeups on the job and also how to repair the stripped Oil Cooler Nipple/s if it does happen; also how to prevent that.

I stripped 3 of the threads off of my Nipple while removing the Oil Cooler Hose and did not feel it due to the leverage of the long wrench I was using.
The Factory Authorized repair requires sawing, drilling, and tapping new threads for some replacement fittings.

DIY Repair Links
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diy-links-parts-category/

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/DoItYourSelf

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Everything on these cars looks easy

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

It is not a simple job.

You are strongly encouraged to make a little effort and do some sleuthing in the archives to find the best techniques for this task. It's been well documented many times.

If you choose to avoid this step, your outcome is not likely to be a good one.

I R&Red the lines on my '83 300SD in my garage, without instruction, service manual, and long before any "Internet MB forum" existed.

I bought my lines from the MB dealer, and was loaned the extra-wide mouth, short-handled special hand wrenches by the MB dealer's shop foreman.

Working alone in my garage with four rudimentary jack stands, and a hydraulic floor hand jack - it took me several hours, but I got them done perfectly.

It really just takes patience, finesse, coupled with a lot of trial and error getting the dual hard rubber and bronzed metal lines to fit - especially when you are working on your car that close to the floor. I will say this, it is potentially dangerous doing it as I did it with wood blocks and entry-level floor jack stands - but it is possible.

Be sure to have the two special sized wrenches before starting the job. If you are willing to do it as an OTJT project, you'll probably be successful. Let us know how it goes, and if you need any help along the way.


On R&Ring tranny fluid? My preference is to change it every 50K miles, along with draining the torque converter. At least that's what I do.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Use a 7/8 open end on the oilcooler, and a 1 1/16 on the oil line nut. the 7/8 is used as a back up to take the stress off the oil cooler nut, which is acually part of the cooler.

make a flair nut wrench out of a old 1 1/16" box wrench. cut the handle some where in the middle to shorten it so you will have room to maneuver it in the oil filter end. probably have to file the sides some to fit in next to the IP.

I used a pair of loppers to cut the hose, and then lifted out the cooler to work on it. better put a pan under the cooler to catch the oil.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I replaced both motor mounts on my car as well as the rear tranny mount at the same time as I did the oil cooler lines. I had the car elevated and jacked up the motor. It was still a royal pain with the motor jacked up.

NOT A FUN JOB!

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

I think it says something about supporting the motor and replacing the engine mounts at the same time in the manual. Why do they change the mounts at the same time? Do you need to support the motor while changing them out?

Besides damaging the nuts on the oil cooler I don't see any reason why it should be hard but interested on hearing more from personal experience. It seems like a lot of things on here people exaggerate how hard/long the job will take like R&R the starter. Mine are oil lines are currently sweating so plan on doing it on the next oil change.

I like charmalu's advice about cutting the hoses and pulling the cooler out to remove the nuts. I plan to hit my oil cooler nuts good with some PB blaster every week for a couple of weeks before I do the job.

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85 300D Turbo

To raise the motor making it easier to change the oil cooler lines, you have to unbolt the motor mounts, engine shock (if any) and tranny mount anyway. So, its a case of "since you are there change them."

Most raise the engine a few inches via a block of wood and a floor jack.

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too many w123's
84 280 SL 5 speed

It is hard to judge what might turn into a hard job for someone else as people have different levels of skill and experience as well as equipment.

The next issue is simply one of situation. The Oil Cooler Line Nuts on some Oil Coolers are going to be Corroded on and with the excepiton of cutting th Nuts off as one member suggested are going to damage the Aluminum Nipples on the Oil Cooler when the Nuts are turned.

So it is better to warn someone that this can happen so that they can plan for the worst. Meaning if it is your only transportation it gives you a chance to plan to have a ride to work or school and so on.

One of the issues concerning the Motor Mount on the Oil Cooler Line side is that if it collaspes enough in some cases the Power Steering Belt cuts through the Oil Cooler Hose.
It is sort of a situation where an expensive New Hose verses the cost of a $20 something Motor Mount and the fact that in changing Oil Cooler Hoses you have already done part of the work you would have had to do to change the Motor Mount.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You also, apparently, can't see any reason to support the engine when replacing the engine mounts!!!

Hint: the engine is not going to lift itself.

That might preferred to people who haven't done a job talking about how easy the job is.

I personally don't find the oil cooler line replacement job to be very difficult. But maybe that's because I did my homework before the first attempt, which included fabricating a wrench for the line nuts and preparing the cooler fittings (with penetrating oil) in advance.

You are right about it being hard to judge. It is good to hear the worse case scenarios before doing a job.

The motor mount issue makes sense now. I had not heard it explained that way about the belt getting close to the hose.

Would a propane torch help in heating up the nuts a little before turning them?

I will check my motor mounts but think they are still changed.

If you don't change the motor mounts, is there any reason to to loosen the mounts or support the engine?

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85 300D Turbo

I don't understand why you would support the engine or loosen the mounts if you aren't replacing them when changing the oil cooler hoses.

"I think it says something about supporting the motor and replacing the engine mounts at the same time in the manual. Why do they change the mounts at the same time? Do you need to support the motor while changing them out?"

I meant when you change out the oil cooler lines not the engine mounts. I should of made it more clear when I said it above. I know you need to lift the engine to change the mounts.

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85 300D Turbo

Disconnecting the mounts (especially the left one) and raising the engine makes it much easier to route the new oil cooler lines.