300D Oil Cooler Lines

[jcoop]

So heres what happened. The white '83 300D with the engine noise was never really diagnosed. I ended up pulling the engine out of the white car and my silver '84. Since I had hit a deer with the '84, the core support was pushed back a little bit, making it just tight enough to where I had to remove the oil cooler. (Didn't have this issue with the pulling the motor out of the white one). Well, upon doing so I totally wrecked the threads on the bottom of the oil cooler and had to cut the cooler line. So, yes. I have a friend in Texas who is willing to sell me a used cooler and line assembly which would be fantastic.

Thing is, I was pondering the benefits of going with new lines instead... They're a little hard to find (quality units, that is). Basically, without going through the dealer, the only ones I have found are being produced by Cohline. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these or if I should just install the older factory Mercedes units that my friend will supply with the cooler. He said they're in good shape and aren't leaking but they're still old.

Also, here are some pictures of what's been going on:

[Rogviler]

I'd look through this thread:

Oil Cooler Line Alternatives

The mach4 AN lines are the way to go, really. But my second choice would be having them rebuilt at a hydraulic shop. Third would be good hose and clamps. LAST choice would be Chinese lines.

Here's the AN conversion thread:

Converting Oil Cooler Lines To AN Stainless Braided Hose

-Rog

[mach4]

^^Funny, that's what I was going to recommend.

I now have 102k miles on the hoses now....

[Rogviler]

Originally Posted by mach4

^^Funny, that's what I was going to recommend.

I now have 102k miles on the hoses now....

I've had mine for almost a year and put a whopping 3,000 miles on them. Still, it's one of the few things on the car I have 100% confidence in.

-Rog

[jcoop]

Originally Posted by Rogviler

I've had mine for almost a year and put a whopping 3,000 miles on them. Still, it's one of the few things on the car I have 100% confidence in.

-Rog

I love the sound of (and the look of) Mach4's braided steel cooler lines! Those quite honestly look like the bulletproof way to go. I guess I'll just have to see the condition of the hoses when they arrive.

Mach4, were you able to get everything you needed off of eBay?

[mach4]

Originally Posted by jcoop

Mach4, were you able to get everything you needed off of eBay?

Yes, that was my primary source....though I did get the 3/4 step drill and 1/2 NPT tap at HF and the 1/2NPT-10AN 90 locally at a surplus outlet because it was easier. I also had the -10AN steel fittings brazed to the hard lines professionally as I always seem to get porous welds with my MIG setup and didn't want that with oil.

[Diesel911]

The stripped nipple on the Oil Cooler can be sawed off and the inside tapped and threaded and an new fitting inserted into it. The Metal Fittings are the same ones that the Oil Cooler Lines screw onto on at the bottom of the Oil Filter Housing.

There is 2 threads that tell how to do the repair and what drill and tap you need.

The Tap can be had at OSH Hardware for around $14 or on eBay. It is the reduced to 3/8" shanked Drill bit that can be expensive. But, not so expensive on eBay or from some tool suppliers.

[Ceristimo]

The braided lines really seems the way to go!

When I changed the lines on my car last year I contemplated it, but I wouldn't know where to find a shop to perform the work and I don't trust my own skill enough to do that myself, so I ended up just changing the lines.

I bought Trucktec lines from this website, and whatever you do: please don't get those.
I had one new line leak a day after install, so I had to send it back and wait for a new one to arrive, then install that one; I ended up doing that terrible oil line job twice.

I'm not bitter...

[w123fanman]

I did the SS lines for my brother's car. It was really easy. I had a shop machine the cooler for about $50. My best recommendation is to flush the heck out of the cooler before installing it to get any metal shavings out. You don't want to flush it through, you want to pour oil into the top or bottom tank then swish it around and drain and repeat. Allowing the particles to go through the core could plug it up. I would also recommend using high quality teflon tape to seal it up at the end.

[mach4]

Originally Posted by w123fanman

I did the SS lines for my brother's car. It was really easy. I had a shop machine the cooler for about $50. My best recommendation is to flush the heck out of the cooler before installing it to get any metal shavings out. You don't want to flush it through, you want to pour oil into the top or bottom tank then swish it around and drain and repeat. Allowing the particles to go through the core could plug it up. I would also recommend using high quality teflon tape to seal it up at the end.

Obviously keep things as clean as possible but don't sweat it if you miss a chip or two as it will go back to the filter and get caught - not the engine.

[ngarover]

I went ahead and replaced both lines with new from Mercedes In my 85 wagon. Figured the original ones lasted 30 years so I should be good to go for another 30....

[dkr]

Where did you buy them and what did they cost?

When I checked about a year ago, I was told they were $330 each and needed to be ordered from Germany. When I tried to order one, they said they checked the warehouse in Germany and all were NLA.

Dkr.

[mach4]

Originally Posted by ngarover

I went ahead and replaced both lines with new from Mercedes In my 85 wagon. Figured the original ones lasted 30 years so I should be good to go for another 30....

It's possible that the ones from MB have been sitting on the shelf for 30 years - rubber ages on the shelf, not just when installed. It's also possible that if they're freshly manufactured they're sourced from China or somewhere else and not original quality. Hence, "new" ones may only last a few years...no one knows and it's a crap shoot.

In my case, if a hose fails I can get some AN hose most anywhere and since the hose ends are reusable I can replace them myself with a couple wrenches....almost anywhere.

In the end it's all just data and probability upon which individual choices are made....

[BillGrissom]

Easy to change the rubber hose sections while you have the tubes out. Anybody can do it. I used AC hose (see post). If you don't have an AC crimper like me, Oeticker step-less hose clamps (ebay) are easy and look professional. Use 2 on each fitting if worried. You could also use Breeze smooth hose clamps or even regular screw type.

The stainless braid hose w/ AN fittings looks cool for a resto-mod car if you plan to show yours, but otherwise is mostly bling, though it would help avoid the "p.s. belt cuts oil hose" issue. Whatever you use, cut the top hose 1" shorter than the factory did. Had they done so, the p.s. belt wouldn't be so threatening.

[ngarover]

Originally Posted by dkr

Where did you buy them and what did they cost?

When I checked about a year ago, I was told they were $330 each and needed to be ordered from Germany. When I tried to order one, they said they checked the warehouse in Germany and all were NLA.

Dkr.

I checked in my given the 300TDT Love thread, and I talked about it there on the 3rd page. I buy so many parts I forget where I got them exactly. I'm thinking from an ATL Mercedes dealer that has a nice online store. I got the rear sub-frame bushings for the TD from them along with some other harder to find parts over time. In the thread I said I paid 150 for the set. I can look back in my receipts and try and locate for sure.


Maybe I did go after market... Considering I said I paid 150 for the set. They are available fairly reasonable from multiple suppliers.
Checking with the online store for the ATL Mercedes they list for 287 each.

http://www.mbpartsworld.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=1087023&ukey_make=1103&ukey_model=16084&modelYear=1985&ukey_trimLevel=20654&searchString=oil%20line

https://www.google.com/search?q=1985+300TDT+oil+lines&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=1985+300TDT+oil+lines&tbm=shop