Ive done a search and found several discussions about replacing oil cooler lines, but one thing is not clear. Can these be replaced (on an 85 300td) without disconnecting the engine shock and motor mount?? I.E. can they simply be snaked through?? doesnt look possible without disconnecting motor mount.

Has anyone done this?

Im in the process of replacing the head...head is off, and Im in the process of replacing gaskets on the fuel pump, oil filter housing, and replacing oil cooler lines. This seems more difficult (or a greater pain in the ___) than pulling the head!!!

Stripped threads on lower connecter to oil cooler, so I need a replacement....new about $300!!! I have used one available locally for $150.

Any tips on replacing oil cooler lines would be helpfull.

Thanks,

Mark

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)

FWIW, I replaced the oil cooler lines on my car with the engine mount and shock still in place. I had no choice because the head of the bolt going through the mount was rounded out. Its difficult, but doable with a second set of hands. Also, I did the job while the oil filter housing was off so that I could replace that particular gasket. Good luck.

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2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel - 4x4, auto, 3.54 gears, long bed
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'92 300D 2.5 Turbodiesel - sold
'83 300D Turbodiesel - 4 speed manual/2.88 diff - sold
'87 300D Turbodiesel - sold
'82 300D Turbodiesel - sold

Whoa .... for that kind of money ... it will be worth your time to take a picture of your current situation.... and post it.... There are many ways to fix things like that,,, which do not show up in the repair manuals.... or the dealers do not want you to know.... Trust me.... get us some more information... There is a 96% chance I can show you how to fix it without removing the lines and at very little cost.... Get great pics and determine if both parts are stripped... many times one will be of stronger material..(on purpose) so that the easier to replace one is the one that strips..... Greg

Yes, it's do-able. If you can get the car up on a lift, it's a hell of a lot easier!

I snaked them through on a 240D. It took about twenty tries. The first one was a bit easier. The second one looked impossible and I almost gave up several times. With patience and lots of different efforts it worked. Just keep trying different angles, it should work.

Darryn

Did it on my 83 300d and the old hoses came out very easy. Practiced my german curse words all afternoon getting the new hoses in. They go one way, and one way ONLY. However they will "almost" fit lots of different ways. It can be done, and with practice I'm sure done with almost no problem at all, but the first time is a royal PIA.

Last autumn I had to replace the oil cooler on my car. I had that stripped threads problem : a close examination showed that the aluminum threads on the oil cooler were corrosion welded into the iron threads of the hose. With a sharp pointed hook knife and a lot of patience, I was able to remove the aluminum that was stucked in the hose's threads : they were only present in the first 2 or 3 treads. Never had any problem afterward.

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DR
1992 300D 2.5T 351 000 km

I'm trying to replace the lower oil cooler hose.

Wouldn't it be easier to remove the engine mount instead trying to snake the hose around? How would you remove the engine mount?

Just yesterday, I replaced both oil cooler lines and the gasket on the oil filter housing. I think this project ranks way up there on the "Pain in the A" scale....messy, difficult access, shop-made tool needed (shortened allen wrench), difficult part removal, difficult re-assembly, etc.

MercedesMan, regarding the lower cooler hose...to replace just that hose, I dont think you would need to remove the engine mount. However, you may find real difficulty removing and installing it with the upper hose attached to the filter housing...with the upper hose solidly in place, space for snaking in the lower hose is very restricted. But, if you loosen or detatch the upper hose at the filter housing (dont try to remove it, just loosen or detach so you can shift it around), I think you could snake the lower hose into place.

Before you take anything out, draw a diagram of how hoses are installed....particularly the orientation of each hose at both brackets...the one beneath the power steering pump and the one beneath the injectionn pump.

I found that it was almost impossible to access the lower hose connection at the filter housing without removing the upper one...due to very limited access, limitation on swing radius of the wrench, and length of wrench (hitting the upper hose). Because I removed the oil filter housing, I was able to easily access the lower hose connection when the filter housing was detached. If you are going to remove just the lower hose without detaching the filter housing, I think you need to make a tool as indicated in a previous post....shorten the proper size open end wrench by grinding off the closed end.

To remove the hoses, you bend back the rubber hose section toward the injection pump, lift the rubber hose end up toward, under, and past the power steering pump, while pulling through the maze of vacuum hoses and wire harnesses in a way that will prevent you from getting hung up. While doing this, the filter end of the hose is pushed forward under the engine mount. The hose is then removed in vertical position up past the injection pump. Installation is exactly the reverse.


Just a final note.....I removed my hoses after filter housing was removed...this provided a lot of room in the filter housing area to snake the hoses in without hitting the filter housing on the way through. I think it would be much more difficult to install hoses with filter housing in place, but based on previous posts, doable.

As a previous post said, be prepared to use every curse word in the book!

Good luck

Mark

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)

Mark,

I've done this on my 1985 300 TD, although some time ago. I applied a really simple principle when I did the job.....Pay close attention to how you get the old hoses out and then just put the new ones in the same way in reverse. Resist the temptation to just cut and yank the old ones out. If you can get the old ones out whole obviously you can get the new ones in. My recollection is that at least one of the lines goes in from below. One other suggestion is to seal the ends with Saran Wrap or tape to prevent any dirt getting into the lines as you try to stuff them in. Just don't forget to remove it when you attach the ends! It is a pain but not as hard as it seems. Good luck.

Randy

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

Did anybody have to bend the oil cooler line slightly to get it out?

I didn't. It was tight but I could wiggle it in.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

I've done dozens of these, and I always just get the mount and shock out of there, but then again I've always done them on a lift. You don't need to bag the ends of the new hoses as someone suggested, because they should already be capped off with shipping plugs.It would be a good idea to cap the old ones, because there is going to be oil all over the place.I would suggest replacing both hoses,because they not only weep oil, they can develop pin holes that can pump all the oil out at cruise speed.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

I was planning on replacing it during my next oil change. It is necessary to remove the cooler lines when replacing this gasket. I figured it was a messy PIA job, but after reading Mark's post, I might just live with the small leak.

Tips,

JCD

I agree with Peter - why not pull the motor mount & shock out? It gives tons more room to work with the hoses, and it's not THAT hard to yank the mount! Besides, if your mount is more than ~5 years or ~50kmi old, it's probably a good idea to replace it anyway (while you're working in there). They're only ~$15 or so and can make a big difference in idle quality compared to old hardened ones (or worse yet, oil soaked).


Regards,

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Dave
Boise, ID
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