Hi everyone:
I researched how to replace the oil filter housing and the oil cooler seal and came up empty.
So, I ended up doing it myself. The job takes about three hours, could be done with less time if you rushed but if you are a neat freak like me, I like my engine nice and shiny.
What you will be needing for this job is:
a decent tool box...
T-50, T-30, T27, 10mm socket, 8mm socket 17mm socket.
A torque wrench, very useful, a nice lamp to see what you actually doing, some cleaning solvent or de-greaser, MB coolant, some towels to clean up, and some patience.
So, removed air box front cover, then you will have to do is removed the bolts mounted on the secondary smog pump. Removed the serpentine belt, make sure you know the loops. Removed the idler pulley right by the thermostat. Removed the thermostat (it a real pain getting it out, I by passed it by just getting the two bolts out and twisting the thermostat to the counter clockwise). You can now start loosening the bolts on the oil filter housing. I suggest clean as you go along, makes it easier what you are doing and you don't want to get any debris in those holes where the oil and coolant pass-through. Once you get through all that, you will need to disabled the oil filter housing in order to replace the seal between the oil cooler and the actual oil filter housing (You should probably remove the oil filter to be sure that you don't get anything inside the housing in-case you need to do additional cleaning).
The seal or gaskets you will need is: PN: 2721840280 (Oil cooler), and PN: 2721840080 (Oil filter housing)
Torque values are as follow: Oi Housing 12 foot pounds, oil cooler 8 foot pounds, and thermostat at 15 foot pounds. The Secondary Air pump just hand tight or you can go with 5 foot pounds of torque.
Once you decide to start putting everything back, you can do it in the reverse order. The way I did it is, I went ahead and took the belt tensioner because the oil was just everywhere and it made it easier to get everything cleaned up. So it’s your choice. With that being said, one thing I have to mention, you might want to get new gaskets for your thermostat in case you use that same part, or else you will end up having a coolant leak like mine did. Also, my particular oil filter housing had an old part which I could not get a seal for, there is a new part which supersedes mine and there is two bolts instead of the plastic plug with one screw holding it. You might also want to check the oil pressure plug just in case it’s leaking oil (mine was leaking just a bit).
Other than that, just expect to break your back, I know I did, but it will save you a lot of money and you can be sure that you oil leak day are now over. Just try to support yourself against the front-end of your vehicle. If I missed anything, it’s not intentional, I did all that work based on my own experience and I don’t get intimidated by taking the engine apart. But you on the other hand, you might want to make sure you have the tool or risk being stuck at some point.

See all the pictures (you will also see what the new oil filer housing version looks like now) I took while I was performing the job, feel free to comment, and make any suggestions that would streamline the process.


Best regards,

 

How much would this cost at at the dealer or a euro repair shop?

Thanks.

 

) it was $800+ for my GL350, I'd assume not going too much difference for E-Class