How easy is it? I am about to replace my lower oil pan and gasket and was told to replace the oil sending unit while i am at it since it tends to leak after a while. The process calls for rotating the crankshaft as the counter weights on the crankshaft are very close to connector mounting point of the sending unit. Is this easy or shall i take it to the shop? I just don’t want to start the job and then realize I will not be able to have access to the connector and then regret doing it myself. Need your advice and help if someone familiar with this specific task for this 124 engine. I rate myself as 6 on a scale of 1-10 on mechanical stuff.

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Joe95E420

If you're confident you can remove the oil pan, then rotating the crankshaft to access the oil level sending should be easy add-on task. I'm not sure about the 420 engine, but a 27 mm socket with a 1/2"-drive breaker bar should rotate the engine at the dampner without too much effort.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 140K

Kestas,
Please excuse my ignorance, but i have two questions to clarify how to rotate the crankshaft:
1) The dampner you are talking about is this accessible from underneath the car and located to the front where bolt that turns the engine driven by the belt?
2) Do you turn the crankshaft clockwise and you're saying (with 8-cylinder engine) this shouldn't be a big effort?

Thanks for your help.

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Joe95E420

I'm not sure how accessible the dampner bolt is on your car, but I imagine you can get at it from underneath. It shares the same centerline axis with the crankshaft. The dampner is mounted on the nose of the crankshaft outside the block and oil pan at the front of the engine. This dampner is what powers the belt. The bolt is somewhat recessed in the dampner. It's torqued on there pretty good, so this bolt is what is usually used to turn the engine.

It just dawned on me that turning the engine may take some effort because of the accessories, but should not be impossible. If you're worried before undertaking this task, practice turning the engine with the dampner bolt before starting anything.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 140K

It sound like I will need a deep socket 27mm. I guess the largest I have is 22mm. Time to upgrade the tool box. I hope I have enough clearance to do this from underneath with a ½” ratchet. So Will I be turning the bolt clockwise - to the right from underneath?
Thanks man!

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Joe95E420

Before buying, double-check which socket you need... I only guessed at the size. A 3" extension may work instead of a deep socket. Crawl under to assess what you need.

If you have a 1-1/16" socket, it may work, albeit a little tighter (1.0625" versus 1.0630" for the 27mm).

It's good form to turn the engine in the direction of rotation, though in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it really matters if you turn it in the other direction.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 140K