Just yesterday, I replaced both oil cooler lines and the gasket on the oil filter housing. I think this project ranks way up there on the "Pain in the A" scale....messy, difficult access, shop-made tool needed (shortened allen wrench), difficult part removal, difficult re-assembly, etc.

MercedesMan, regarding the lower cooler hose...to replace just that hose, I dont think you would need to remove the engine mount. However, you may find real difficulty removing and installing it with the upper hose attached to the filter housing...with the upper hose solidly in place, space for snaking in the lower hose is very restricted. But, if you loosen or detatch the upper hose at the filter housing (dont try to remove it, just loosen or detach so you can shift it around), I think you could snake the lower hose into place.

Before you take anything out, draw a diagram of how hoses are installed....particularly the orientation of each hose at both brackets...the one beneath the power steering pump and the one beneath the injectionn pump.

I found that it was almost impossible to access the lower hose connection at the filter housing without removing the upper one...due to very limited access, limitation on swing radius of the wrench, and length of wrench (hitting the upper hose). Because I removed the oil filter housing, I was able to easily access the lower hose connection when the filter housing was detached. If you are going to remove just the lower hose without detaching the filter housing, I think you need to make a tool as indicated in a previous post....shorten the proper size open end wrench by grinding off the closed end.

To remove the hoses, you bend back the rubber hose section toward the injection pump, lift the rubber hose end up toward, under, and past the power steering pump, while pulling through the maze of vacuum hoses and wire harnesses in a way that will prevent you from getting hung up. While doing this, the filter end of the hose is pushed forward under the engine mount. The hose is then removed in vertical position up past the injection pump. Installation is exactly the reverse.


Just a final note.....I removed my hoses after filter housing was removed...this provided a lot of room in the filter housing area to snake the hoses in without hitting the filter housing on the way through. I think it would be much more difficult to install hoses with filter housing in place, but based on previous posts, doable.

As a previous post said, be prepared to use every curse word in the book!

Good luck

Mark

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)