Mercedes coolant (aka Xerex G-05) has different corrosion inhibitors. "Green" coolant (the dye is to indicate anticorrosion package, by the way) will damage your hoses AND allow terrible corrosion of the aluminum parts, along with considerable scaling that is difficult to impossible to remove.

Leading cause of radiator failure on these cars is using green coolant and failing to change it often enough. Rad gets clogged with phosphate salts of aluminum, hole grow around the cooling passages in the head, etc. This happened to my sister's Volvo 740 Turbo -- I'm not sure if the head gasket blew first or the rad went, but there was only a small area at the head gasket ring on the head that was NOT corroded away at the coolant passages, so I think the head gasket went. Had to get a new head. Not cheap.

You are about the right age for the hood pad to fall apart -- hopefully no one "fixed" the old one or installed a new on with liquid nails or something, getting all that crap off from a bad glueing job is a PITA -- I spent at least a couple hours getting my hood clean a couple weeks ago. New pad isn't bad if you don't have a mess up there -- scrape all the residue off after covering the engine with some disposable plastic, spray down with carb cleaner and wipe as much of the adhesive off as you can (factory stuff and 3M will come right off), then fit pad dry. Stick a broom behind the hood latch to hold the pad up, peel the top back and use 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, #8090 (there are others, use ONLY the 8090!) to glue up -- two or three very thin coats on pad and hood. Allow to dry 10 minutes or so until just barely tacky, then roll the pad back up and press firmly. Will stick permanently at once! Peel the bottom up, use the broom to hold it, and repeat the glueing for the bottom.

I highly recommend finding some sound encapsulation panels. You can run with the front only, but must hav ethe front panel to install the rear one -- if the front is missing, the rear one bends down and hits the road.... running without them may in fact reduce cooling, there is a slot to draw air down off the rad!

If you are running hot and using coolant with no leaks, it's head time. If you run too warm in traffic, but cools down nicely in open road conditions, the visco clutch is shot.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!