Hello
It's been nearly a year since I sold my last Mercedes (1981 240D - my fourth diesel Benz since 1996) to pay for my honeymoon.
Anywho, it's project time again, and I'm picking up a 1971 220D this weekend that will need a LOT of love. It's a southern car that has been up here in the northeast for about ten years (only driven here the first five). It's got rust (looks fixable to me so far) and is definitely a long term project, but I couldn't pass up a running 4-speed manual W115 diesel at the price.
The first, and biggest issue I will need to deal with is the oil cooler. The car has been off the road for years and in that time, the oil cooler rusted and spilled. It's currently bypassed so I could hear the car run and drive it onto a trailer, but the engine, to my knowledge, has not been driven at all without the oil cooler.
I did some checking and the oil cooler for this car seems to be out of production. I am starting to put feelers out for a used one, but was wondering if I could effectively adapt an aftermarket unit, or perhaps one from a later Mercedes diesel to no ill mechanical effect and save $$$ in the process (plus, having more options would help me locate one sooner).
Bottom line, I want a functional oil cooler in there but if I can avoid spending three times the purchase price of the car to do so... well then I'd rather save the money. Keeping the car original is secondary to me, as so many things are compromised as it is. Solid and functional is my goal, rather than a concours-quality restoration.
Also, since it's an OM615, how do valve clearances compare to the OM616? I can't get to my valve adjustment manual (genuine Mercedessource item! :) ) at the moment to check it.
Rick W
Worcester, MA