I have finally managed to fit the OEM oil cooler I have had sitting in the garage for some while. There was not much room for the new filter bowl but it is now all installed. I think I have read someplace that the cooler holds about 1 and a bit quarts of oil and I will need to top it up once the oil has warmed up. I drove the car today with some spare oil with me, the water temperature was about 85 all the time with the outside temp about 35 celcius. After about a half hour of driving I noted that the cooler itself was still fairly cool and the oil level had not dropped in the engine. My question is, at what sort of temperature will the thermostat in the housing open to allow oil to flow around the matrix ? Comments always most welcome !

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1993 190E 2.0L (Euro.) sold
1991. 500 SEL (Euro.)
1991. 300 CE (Euro.) sold
1993. 500 E (U.S. spec.)

Andy- sorry I don't the answer to your question.

However, how easy was the "retrofit" / install ? Do you have all the part numbers, if so can you post them?

:-) neil

Neil,

Long ago Partshop & ItalianBenz put together a kit. The part number is M119 and includes all the parts.

Michael Curcio was kind enough to send me the parts list some 9 months ago. It all fits together fairly well, the only guide I really had was the CD service manual under the section of changing the filter housing and installing the heat exchanger. It is advantageous to take off the front bumper and lift the front end to gain access, and some good ¼" drive sockets to nail it all together. If you e mail me I will attach the parts list for you as I am not quite clever enough to post the 3 pages. Hopes this helps. BTW, the total cost of the parts here was eqv. US$760

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1993 190E 2.0L (Euro.) sold
1991. 500 SEL (Euro.)
1991. 300 CE (Euro.) sold
1993. 500 E (U.S. spec.)

Neil, please check your e mail . . . . Again, I think I have answered my own question. After further digging in the service discs, I have located section 18-1110, "Function of the oil filter". It shows the temperature thermostat for the oil control and the write up quotes the element opening at 110°C. This would certainly explain why the matrix stayed cool and I did not need to add any oil when done. Seems however that is is no way to prime the system so I need to wait now until the next hot day's ride to top it up !

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1993 190E 2.0L (Euro.) sold
1991. 500 SEL (Euro.)
1991. 300 CE (Euro.) sold
1993. 500 E (U.S. spec.)

Andy- sorry I can't find your email.

You can "PM"/private email me with the buttons below.

:-) neil

The odd thing is that the PartsShop (FastLane?) kit has a bunch of part numbers that don't match what's in the Euro EPC for the 500E. But yes, all the parts add up to $750-$1000 when it's all done - not cheap. Also, the engine needs to be under load to get the oil hot enough to trigger the t-stat. Cruising down the freeway won't do it. Do a couple of dragstrip-style acceleration runs and feel the cooler, it should be hot. Oh, and use synthetic oil like Mobil-1 if you're not already - that's good for a significant reduction in oil temps just by using synthetic!!

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Hi Dave, yes you are quite right on that, I ended up with a few nuts and bolts but on the whole I had all the bits I needed. I presently use BP visco 2000 20/50 and change the oil and filter every 2000 miles. I don't think I want to try the Mobil 1 just yet as I have read some real tales of woe regarding engine oil leaks in high mileage motors. This oil does me well here in summer with temperatures up to 50°C. The stat. on the housing opens at about 110°C so getting the oil through it takes time. Stopping the engine cooling fans will do nothing as hot water does not mean hot oil ! I have found that over the past few weeks the cooler seems to drain in abit more every time I drive it hard and I think it must be about topped off by now. One thing that did puzzle me is that when the oil is changed, I am left with the stuff in the pipes, but the other side of the coin is that as it is temperature controlled, it does not get as much use as the oil in the engine so, I shall continue with the regular oil changes. I think the real worth will be in the summer. Any heat the oil can dissipate is less heat to go into the water and that must be good. !

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1993 190E 2.0L (Euro.) sold
1991. 500 SEL (Euro.)
1991. 300 CE (Euro.) sold
1993. 500 E (U.S. spec.)