So I want to do the somewhat "infamous" oil line hose replacement job using clamps.

Yes, oil lines are a critical part.
Yes, if the DIY hoses fail it can be catastrophic.
Yes, clamps, esp worm gear clamps, are inferior to the original method.
Yes, the oil flowing through hoses is hot and a good amount passes through in a short period of time.
Yes, the original method has proven itself to last 20 to 30 years.
Yes there are a few other more reliable mods (AN fittings, getting a shop to crimp new hoses onto the existing stuffs, etc.)

But... I'm not here to justify the mod. Well, ok... Maybe a little... Point is, the mod is cheap, easy, and shown to be effective - and that's what matters.

So clamps, man. Which ones?

The fall back clamps are these, or something like these (per cooljjay):
Free SHIP 12 Count Norma Torro Stainless 16 28mm 5 8

But god knows we all want to use t-bolt clamps, or something more... Exotic.

Possibilities:

McMaster-Carr

The tube clamps look interesting... With temps up to 450F!

But the bolt clamps look nice... But they max out at 122F...

T-bolt Edelstahl Schlauch Klemme 17-19 Mm Für 8mm Id Schlauch | eBay

Bit rusty on my German, but is that 17-19mm od and 8mm id?

http://www.huecobi.de/files/Datei/HÜCOBI_Katalog_%202013.pdf

Like a candy store! Clamps start at page 70.

An interesting idea too is applying a badass adhesive to the clamp so it resists loosening over time. Nothing like a chemical bond to lock something in.

Any thoughts?

If these are the ones that Cooljjay used I used them on the Oil Filter side of the Hoses and Oetiker Clalmps the type that you pinch together on the Oil Cooler ends.

Cooljjay just started using the NORMA Clamps this year and I just put mine on less than one week ago so there is no long History to be had on them.

In order to use the Oetiker Clamps you have to be able to remove the Oil Cooler Nuts without stripping the threads off or be willing to do the repair if that happens.

I had no issues with the NAPA Worm Gear Clamps that I used that had sheilds inside so they did not cut the Hose for 6+ years. I don't see any reason why the NORMA Clamps would not do as well.

All manner of clamps is discussed in the threads below. I found T Bolt Clamps that would fit but I considered them too wide and then you only get to use one Clamp.
Cheap oil cooler hose replacement. Cheap oil cooler hose replacement. - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum

I think the main thing is that when you use any Clamps is when you have the Hood open take few seconds to look at them. I also think after a couple of years they will need to be snugged a bit as the Hose becomse in-elastic and compresses under the clamps. But, that is the same thing that happens to the Hose with Crimpped Collars.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

more t-bolt clamps:

Hose Clamps | NORMA Americas Distribution Services

the NORMACLAMP GBS looks interesting... heavy duty with a diameter of 17mm... still not quite 5/8" OD though... perhaps their R.G. Ray Mini-Series t-bolt is the ticket?

Item # TBC-SS019, Heavy Duty T-Bolt Clamps 304 Stainless Steel Band, Bolt and Nut On Kuriyama of America, Inc.

21/32" is pretty close to 5/8"...

I think I used the same NORMA Clamps the Cooljjay used and Mine have 16-28 mm clamping range on them. I also got them on eBay but it could be there is no sellers selling that size at this moment.

Also 5/8" is the inside diameter of the Hose. You need to look at the specs for the Hose to find the outside diameter or measure the outside diameter of the Hose you want to use.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

i glanced at this thread and I guess I forgot about it -I'll give it a thorough reading.

how have your Oetiker Clamps held up?

did the NAPA worm gear clamps need re-tightening every so often? id image they would.

i certainly dont mind checking out the clamps every couple years... if anything, id check them every 6 months or so, and probably a couple times a month for the first few months.

as for the t-bolt clamps... as i understand it, one yields a tighter fitting by multitudes over a worm gear clamp, so in other words one t-bolt clamp should easily outperform 2 worm clamps.

well that makes things 100x easier. good amount of heavy-duty t-bolt clamps for hoses with an OD of just over 5/8".

I only just installed the Oetiker Clamps last week.


The NAPA Clamps did need to be retightened.

But, I don't think the GoodYear Hose I used was the best choice. It is very stiff in inelastic to begin with.

When I did a similar job on My Van Oil Cooler Hoses I had some 1/2" ID GoodYear Hose that I had bought for the Mercedes Oil Cooler Hose job but it did not fit that.

I found that the 1/2" GoodYear Hose was a sloppy fit and went to Autozone and they had Parker 1/2" ID Power Steering Hose there. The Parker Hose is not only more elastic it fit tigher.
I can't remember if I used regular worm gear type Hose Clamps or they type of Hose Clamps that originally came on the Fuel Lines on the Mercedes and I am too lazy to crawl under My Van to look.
I am not sure what the temp range on the Parker Hose is but that did not matter on the Van as there is no Thermostat in the Oil Cooler circuit so the Oil is not going to get as Hot as it does on the Mercedes.

The Hose Companys have sites and you can look up ths specs on the Hoses. It will tell you what can go through them, what temp, working pressure and burst pressuer they can take at what temp.
Also the OD of the Hose will be listed.

I don't think any Hose with Steel Braid inside of it or outside of it is a good idea to use with Worm Gear Clamps unlsee the Hose Company tells you that in the Specs.
I have seen that type Hose used on repairs on Trucks and the Worm Gear Clamps are not up to the job.

I think a pair of Oetiker Clamps is similar to the Crimped Collar as they usually have 2 crimped areas on them.
Also Oetiker is actually a brand name and not just one type of clamp and not all of the ones they make are crimped types.

In the pic are some of the crimped type clamps they make. You need to match the Clamp to the job.

Attached Thumbnails

   

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

My clamps and hoses are still going strong, always keep an eye on them, sadly the 78 is sitting idle at the moment do to transmission issues....so I can't continue to keep commenting on them.

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The Later W123 Models have a part that locks the Electrical Connector to the Ignition Switch. That is likely why the Wires came out.

I think the issue involved using generic Hose and Worm Gear Clamps has more to do with the Hose and keeping the clamps snug over time.

I think it is going to take a few years before heat. vibration and the effects of compressing the Rubber on the Hose take effect. If someone has done the Mod within a year or so it is too soon to tell.

The exception might be if someone frequently drives long trips on the Freeway and gets everything nice and hot for hour upon hours upon hours. But, even that is not the same as several years of time.

If after doing the Mod someone is skeptical about the longivity using removable Clamps allows you the option of changing the Hose let us say every 3 Years.
If I remember correctly on mine I used 27.5 Inches of Hose. Suitable Hose can be had for price reange of $3-$5 per foot. So replacing less then one Yard of Hose cost very little if you wanted to replace the Hose every X amount of Years.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

the high-temp variant of the parker hose (cooljjay posted a link somewhere) seems to be an overall good choice from the sound of things, and at $8/ft or so, you could replace the hose every year for ~25 years and have it cost the same as the original oil lines (currently @ ~$500). a little more searching could perhaps yield a better hose at a lower cost, but hey, $8/ft aint terrible if the hose holds up.

like diesel911 said, keeping the clamps snug over time is the imperative goal here, it seems.

using some t-bolt clamps should be much better than worm-gear stuff (though some mil-spec or aviation-grade worm-gear clamps looked interesting), and should the clamps hold properly, the main issue is the clamp not accelerating the hose degradation. I suppose, in the area of which clamps / hoses to use, itll be a combo of trial-and-error and only-time-will tell.

regarding the parker hose, do you guys recommend 1/2" or 5/8" ID?

once I find t-bolt clamps that can withstand ~200F+ (ideally ~300F+) ill buy em and do the mod. and because we're guinea pigs with this sort of thing, I feel like I need to fabricate a safety harness system, so should a clamp fail on the oil cooler (particularly the lower one), something is there holding the hose in, at least enough to buy me some time to pull over without immediately killing the engine.

The front Barbs on mine were about 16mms and past that the rest of the barbs were about 15mm.
I could not squeeze the GoodYear 1/2 Inch ID Hose over the Front Barb. Cooljjay will have to comment on how what he used fitted.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel