I'd like to think I drove through some strange white puddle - the kind that splashes up onto the engine - but I doubt it. What is this from? I do have a slight radiator fluid leak at the upper hose nipple.....

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1983 MB 300SD Turbo Diesel

Looks like dried MB coolant, salt. Were the cutting side walks near this area? Could be a cement water mix.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I was afraid to click on this.

It looks like salt.

probably cement or a white clay ....

Reminds me of when I was coming home one night and I ran the SDL through a 6in puddle of salt water. I knew the road was below the high tide level and flooded once in awhile. But it was about 1am and I was coming back from a long day of racing and wasn't paying attention.

My god the next day it was white all over, took me forever to clean it.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Whatever it is, clean it off asap before it's permanent.

I vote for salt. Clean it up, but be careful not to hurt anything. It's a bad idea to spray water on a hot engine. It would be easier to clean up if this were summer, but if this were summer you would not have that problem!

-Jim

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1995 S350D, Green with black leather interior.
Bought January 2008 w/ 233,xxx miles.
I did 22,000 miles during the first year of ownership.

Looks like aluminum when it oxidedizes (rusts). Clean it quickly and put something on the aluminum to stop it from happening again. It is probably coming up off the road or is a result of a small leak in the coolant system.

Do you live in an area where they salt the roads? I would ask your local autoparts store for something that goes on aluminum to protect it. I can't think of any product, but there has to be something for it.

It's kinda pointless to "protect" alumn.

Best way is to etch it - which is fairly cheap. Depending on it's alloy, the color can be anywhere from pearl/white to muck black.





then again; they do look sexy painted.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

its MB coolent. I changed my cooling system out this last summer. Thermostat, water pump and radeator. at the same time i switched from the green stuff to the MB coolent. i also didn't have the correct gasket for the thermostat housing to head seal. so i made one. it leaked and looked exactly like that. I got the correct gasket from Phil at Fastlane and the problem was solved.

your leak looks like it is coming from the hose. maybe tighten the hose clamp. or replace the hose if it has a pin hole leak.

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Dried MB antifreeze. Saw the same thing on my '05 CRD, which uses the same type coolant (HOAT). They flushed the cooling system to get rid of residual casting sand, splashed some on various parts in the engine bay, and when it dried had the same appearance.

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Just say "NO" to Ethanol - Drive Diesel

Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club

Dubyagee: "I was afraid to click on this."

Good one. Another acceptable response would have been "That's what she said."

I did get stuck driving over some ripped up gravel the other day, but cooloant is definitely what it was.

It was leaking from that upper hose nipple, dripping down the radiator, and being blown back at the engine by the fan. Warm water and a rag took care of it. Thanks, all.

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1983 MB 300SD Turbo Diesel