motor mounts/oil cooler weekend
 

My back hurts, my oil stained go-jo hands hurt from my weekend replacement of my W126 oil cooler lines, motor mounts and engine shocks. What a PITA!!

PITA no room to work or get a tool on areas are: 6mm motor mount hex bolts (ones closest to the engine), 27mm oil cooler line nuts (the ones mounting to the oil filter housing),10mm oil cooler line holding bracket (near oil pan)

Lessons or big time savers: time to get very creative (invest) in alot of socket extensions (3", 6", 2-10"), flex and universal-u joint adapters, 3/8 to 1/2 adapter. All of these in both 3/8 and 1/2 drive. 18" 1/2 drive flex handle.

Good luck finding a stubby or crow foot 27mm open end wrench! Cut a cheap open end 27mm wrench in half to tighten oil cooler lines into oil filter housing (my Sears 27mm is too long!) To take lines off I sawed these lines and then used 27mm 6 point socket. (btw oil filter fittings come out with the oil cooler line fitting). Install 24mm oil filter housing fitting in first with a socket then screw oil cooler lines using short 27mm open end wrench.

10mm box end GEAR wrench for oil cooler line bracket near oil pan.

To install 8mm allens for mount under car. Put a rag inside of cross member hole so as not to lose bolt or socket inside of crossmember. Blue masking tape hex bolt to hex socket, then pull tape out with needle nose pliers once srewed in.

Long pipe or pry bar to move engine slightly to get 8mms to line up under car. 4 pound dead blow hammer with some type of big punch to move old engine mounts around to get access to those damn inside 6mm hex bolts, also a couple of taps.

24watt flourescent work light (no heat). Liquid wrench or the like in spray can. Lobro moly ani-seize paste on all assembies.

Good news is oil cooler fittings did not or were not galled they looked good. It turned out to be the oil filter housing areas that gave me fits!

Yes the right toos make it easier.

Crows foot

http://nationalwholesaletools.com/browseproducts/V8-Tools-17-Pc.-Jumbo-Crowfoot-Wrench-Set---Metric-20mm-to-46mm.HTML

extensions

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=31203

adaptors

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=1793

universals

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32922

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47530


The right tools makes it easier. but they dont'have to break the bank to do it.

Congtrats on doing the job.

Dave

Yipes! Harborfreight tools! Somewhere in Germany there's a Mercedes mechanic rolling over in his grave....

Ha! I just stocked up on harbor freight junk!

I have snap-on at work, harbor freight at home ;)


and that job really is a PITA, I had to do one a month or two ago at a body shop on a friends car when the shop broke the oil cooler fitting and bent one of the lines trying to take the radiator out...

Nice tip on those jumbo crows feet at national tool warehouse. I know about Harbour Freight but you will love Northern Tools and Agri Supply Company even better. See my thread on tools under tech help.

I would love to afford the German made Hazet and Stahlwille tools, but are these tools that much better? And the price is crazy!!!! I really like the quality/price of the Northern Tool sockets and ratchet stuff!!

As far as motor mounts go, I found it fairly easy took only 45 minutes.

1)unbolt the top bolt of engine shocks
2)unbolt lower bolt holding mount to body and raise engine a few inches
3)unbolt driver side engine shock mount (2 bolts and creates a hole to reach inside mount bolt
4)unbolt mounts
5)take out old mounts and swap in new ones
6)put it all back together

Hope this helps people in the future.