Don’t allow penetrant on the rubber?
I think a bit late for that… what’s the issue? Can it be cleaned?

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

I wouldn’t worry. You’re gonna get new rubber anyway. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

__________________
79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

Issue is, I don't have a drill press for the repair nipples.

Waiting for delivery, finding a shop to do the work, plus fabricating new lines is getting a bit more costly than I was anticipating.

Thinking I may put this off for another time when I'm able to pull a replacement cooler and an extra set of lines from the JY to be rebuilt.

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Don't be concerned that penetrant got on the rubber just try not to get a lot of it on there. Wash heavy amounts off and call it a day. A lot of penetrant for a long period of time will break down the rubber. This is what happens to many left side diesel motor mounts as diesel fuel gets on them every time the car runs if there is a fuel leak near the injection pump, they turn to mush and collapse.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Thanks for that SB.

Thought about it a bit more and oil lines have always made me nervous.
I made some markings and cut through the rubber (preserved the curve, should be fine).

I cut the ferules off with a hacksaw and removed the hoses... they actually seemed to be in okay shape, but I digress.

Here's the state of the cooler:




Notice the right side hose fitting is clocked to the left. Did it come from the factory like that? PO mistake? Not sure...



I cranked on those fittings and they did not feel like they wanted to budge.
In the end I found a drill press, and made peace with the nipple repair job if necessary.
Now concerned I'll end up shearing the nipple clean off.

I'm not really sure how best to proceed here. It seems like my only recourse are oetiker clamps and 15mm hose.

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

The right side clocking doesn't look correct but I don't know for certain. Either way I'd leave it like that. The barbs look different too, maybe one hose isn't original.

As far as how to repair it I'd try the double clamp method and monitor it periodically for seepage and movement.

Hopefully others will chime in.

Good luck!!!

__________________
"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Doing the oetiker thing makes me nervous...

If I were to cut the hard-lines right before the bend, wonder if I could braze on a new fitting. Same on the other section of hardline. I could then have short custom hoses made. AN? JIC? I don't know much about hose fitting standards or options.

I should mention that I've never brazed anything (only braised), though it doesn't seem too complicated.

Any ideas?

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Can understand the reluctance to use clamps. At this point consider visiting a hydraulic hose shop for advice.

Good luck!!!

__________________
"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Depends on how you want to gamble.

Good hose clamps have proven themselves to work on this forum. Several of the guys have used them successfully.

Oetickers doubled up with safety wires should work.

Depends on what you want. On a side note I’ve been finding if I make a compromise on my cars I feel a gnawing sense of worry for quite time even though the fix may be sufficiently good. Especially when the downside risk is big. I’ll never be happy.

If it were my car I’d keep going. Probably in this order.

1) back the side of the nut up on an anvil and lightly tap on it with a small hammer. This may break up corrosion. Just lots of light taps. No mashing the nut. light taps. Lots of them. Then put the wrenches on them.

2) torch. It’s gonna get Smokey. Hold your breath and make sure you have some wind. Heat it up and try to wrench on it. Or heat it up and let it cool. Whatever works.

3) I think I saw a Kent Bergsma video where he used one of those power oscillating tools to shock corroded fasteners. It was a variation on my method 1). Basically lots of little taps.

Good luck. Your call. Awaiting your scream of regret or victory.

__________________
79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

Would you consider sawing the nipples off and installing AN fittings as per this:

Converting Oil Cooler Lines To AN Stainless Braided Hose

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Yeah wow. I remember that thread. Those are a little over the top for me. They are very nice solutions. Once you start getting to that level you can think about building hoses from scratch. The ball end fitting MB uses can be sourced as I recall from a thread here.

You can dremel off your nuts. I’ve done this on my SD. Split the nut with a cutoff wheel and then pry it open with a little screwdriver.

I guess it depends how far you want to go.

I recall one of the solutions was the hose shop actually sourcing the fittings that matched the MB side and then making hoses around that with some TIG welding.

There are many ways to fix this. Depends on how intense you want to get.

Your bulkhead on the cooler looks different than my turbodiesels.

Once you tap for NPT you open up all kinds of possibilities for custom plumbing.

__________________
79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

No leaks, just seized lines. Not sure I'm following...

I thought about sawing/dremeling the nuts but finding a new fitting was my concern.

I'm going to go find myself a torch at harbor freight. Seems I should have one of these anyway. Do I need a particular type? Or will a propane torch do the job?

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Heat will help but it is tricky. The nuts are steel but the cooler is aluminum so the inner piece expands about five times more than the outer once the heat transfers, this makes the connection tighter. A lot of heat applied quickly to the nut only with the wrenches at the ready will help. A propane torch won't put out enough quantity of heat fast enough.

A propane torch could be used to make repeated heat cycles with penetrating oil applied during cooling to be wicked inward.

IMHO, I like your idea of cautiously grinding away the nuts it is good, see if you can find fittings first though. Put an open end wrench on the fittings to figure out which flats you'll use mark them and grind the others. Next heat the very thin remains of the nut and turn the nut with the remaining flats and the nut should crack.

Good luck!!!

__________________
"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Not sure what you mean or what "job" you want the torch to do. If you're a novice, I would suggest reading up on torches and torch safety BEFORE you spark the striker. Propane should be fine for what I think you'll need. Acetylene is another option but poses more danger and risk. Especially for the inexperienced.

Do not take a cutting torch set lightly. Gasses under pressure can be extremely dangerous if mishandled. It's also very easy to ignite all sorts of things in the same general area in which you're burning/working.

At the very least, make sure both lines have back flow preventers AND spark arrestors. Have a fire extinguisher close by and water. Another good accessory is a "heat blanket" which is woven asbestos. It's flame resistant and can cover areas you don't want the flame to contact.

Of course, I haven't even mentioned PPE. Eyes, skin, lungs.....?

These points have but "scratched the surface" of proper torch safety/handling. Don't guess or assume. Be armed with facts before you start and put safety first.

As always......"a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing" (sometimes, even deadly).

This is what I'm thinking. Surely a few heat cycles is enough to break the corrosion?

Releasing two seized fittings (see posts above).


I just got one of the fittings off and believe it or not, the threads are fine. One down...
The clocked one is another animal entirely. I put my full weight on the spanner and nothing -this is of course while holding the counter wrench so as not to shear the nipple off.
Been hammering the nut against an anvil which certainly helped the other side.

Heat is next.

__________________
1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.