Changed oil cooler lines, motor mounts and engine shock absorbers. '85 300 Turbo Diesel.

Did the same thing on my '84 last month. Congrats! I was struggling with the oil lines being super stuck on the oil cooler, but got it all done without damage.

Not the most pleasant job in the world, but also not the most difficult, all things considered.

It's nice to get it done. Shouldn't have to touch it anymore for the next decade.

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"The MB W123 is so bulletproof, you can drive them forever. Which is a good thing as it takes that long to get anywhere."
Betsie: 1984 W123 300D (hobby, 280k miles)
Myrla: 2001 Mazda Protege 2.0 ES 5spd (daily driver, 130k miles)
The Turd: 2007 Toyota Camry (wife's car, 118k miles)

Nice job. Where did you find the replacement cooler lines?

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'89 260e (212K Mi.), '92 400e (208K Mi.), '92 400e (not a misprint) (146K Mi.), '95 C220, '81 240D--Sold

I got them from MS, very good quality and fit perfectly.

^^^ They will be leaking in less then six months...the rubber is crap....there are many threads talking about them....its better to just replace the rubber....easier...cheaper...and will last longer....I have a thread under my name with supplies...

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Those oil cooler lines are still one of the toughest jobs I have completed.

I guess you haven't had the pleasure of changing a salve clutch cylinder on the side of a manual transmission in a euro car....while it is stuck on a 45 degree slopped....now that was the hardest Plus I had the brake burns for days to prove it..

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I agree, their not physically hard just kind of a mind-bender. After I got them off I started to put the new ones on, but needed to quit for the day and start fresh. They were tangled, but all of a sudden they went right in kind of creepy. In high school I had a 66 Chevelle with a 396 in it and I put headers on it, that was a pain!! Stupid high school kids don't care about that frustration.

It's doable. I did mine a lot of decades ago in the garage with jackstands and a floor jack. With enough time - anything is doable.

I did them on my 1981 300TD a while back. I cut grooves in the union nuts and split them, to save the fittings on the oil cooler. Cut the rubber hoses on the old ones to make getting them out easier, since the rubber was really stiff.

I remember getting the new ones in being tricky but have forgotten the details. I think I did take the big bolt out of the left motor mount and jack the motor up a little. Two hardest parts were getting the fittings on the oil filter housing threaded properly -- they're awkward to reach -- and getting the engine lined back up to get the motor mount bolt back in. I had to have my wife pry on the engine with a piece of pipe to move it into position.

Hard to say which is more aggravating, those or changing the starter. It's pretty clear neither job was intended to be done with the engine in the car.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
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