OK-so a few months ago, I am taking my beloved '87 300D Turbo out for a spirited spin, when the fan and radiator suddenly feel a need to meet each other-KERRRANNNNG! Spew... A month or two of saving, a new fan and clutch, reinforced Nissens radiator, drive belt and idler pulley later (hey, it was apart...), I check clearance, top off the coolant, start her up and she's fine. I'm freaking proud because I learned all of this stuff right here...

I stop her and start a second time while topping coolant, I hear a BANG! I see spritzes of coolant all over the left side the engine bay and hood. There is a leak in the NEW radiator almost exactly where the old one was. now, I can't SEE any damage-no fins out of place or anything. But I did hear a noise sounding like the fan hitting it. When turned off, there are no clearance issues as the fan hand-turns. Could I have clipped the radiator's tubing ever so slightly, or is it more likely the Nissens is bad out of the box? And if so, what are my chances of getting a warranty replacement now that i have reinforced the composite necks?

Barring replacement, is there any good way to repair this nearly-new radiator? Obviously additional cost at this point is humiliating, but understood. Thanks in advance-I'm gonna go kick a small dog now.

DS

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Der Dieselschnell
1987 300D Turbo "Greta" 170k
1990 Ford F250 "Marnie" 93k

The BANG noise tells me something hit the radiator. A left over tool? Pull it out and simply have any radiator shop repair it.

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81 300CD (sold) 1972 280 SEL 4.5 (sold) 1966 250 S 4 spd (sold) 1974 450 SL (sold) 86 BMW 325ES (sold), 1973 280C (sold) 1988 300 SE.

I would second that diagnosis. And most radiator repair shops will save your top and bottom housings and replace the center tube/fin section. Lots less than a new radiator. On old ones the process can less than 100% successful as the heads on each end may end up cracking getting the units apart after years of being clamped together. But a new one should be fine to replace. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Did you replace the whole fan? If not how tight is the bearing? When the engine is running does it look like the fan wobbles?

I know their is much less space in the W124, I'm used to the W126 and the fan would have to fail and fly off to hit the radiator. But they don't just move and then fix themselves. The fan is either lose, so check the bolt, or the bearing is failing if you didn't replace that.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thanks for the advice-I did replace the fan/clutch as one whole, new assembly-I though maybe there was enough flex in the plastic fan blades to maybe make contact once they were spinning...I'll pull the rad out, see about getting it repaired and meantime check all my work again. The W124 IS tight-I was actually thinking of possibly modifying the shroud so only the top part remains of the half that's closest to the fan-enough to protect fingers but not enough to catch fan blades-seems once it comes off, it never goes back on perfect, and my friend and I were at it for some time before we felt we had it perfect.

I guess this is the stuff I'll laugh about when I'm old...Aw heck, why wait?

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Der Dieselschnell
1987 300D Turbo "Greta" 170k
1990 Ford F250 "Marnie" 93k

Did you happen to buy the new radiator with a Gold or Platinum credit card that has a purchase protection feature?

No such luck-just a simple man with a simple card But I may have some purchase protection on it anyway-good thinking, it never crossed my mind to try that. Thanks.

DS

__________________
Der Dieselschnell
1987 300D Turbo "Greta" 170k
1990 Ford F250 "Marnie" 93k

Could the fan blade be snagging the shroud and forcing either to bend by any chance?

I'd try for a warranty claim on the radiator, why the heck not worst they can do is say no. Just play dumb.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Seems like the first step is to look into the back of the radiator to see if there is external damage. If it has been hit, forget warranties.

The shroud is there for a reason. It makes a huge difference in airflow when the fan is running. Without the shroud, the fan becomes more of a centrifuge, much of the air just gets spun around and out, ... the shroud should be there if you feel that you want the maximum effectiveness from the fan.

Figure out what went wrong, if it got hit figure out with what. The plastic blades should show some damage if they hit the radiator.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Finally had some time to get a good look at things-thank God this is not my daily driver....

It looks like the shroud may be to blame- one of the nipples that slide into place was out of alignment, due to the fact the shroud had cracked at the bottom and broke. It had been rubbing prior to starting, but we had aligned it properly before we cranked it up. The first start was fine-it was not until the second time that it made any noise. Something may have shifted to cause it.

While I really can't see or feel any damage, I can see where it is coming out, and it seems to be from a fan blade strike-one blade is a wee bit boogered.

My local radiator shop (thankfully I have one) has informed me they can use the epoxy process to repair the leak if it is within reach, which it should be based on the source of damage-if I can't get a refund I'm going to take it to them.

Thanks again guys, for all the help.

DS

__________________
Der Dieselschnell
1987 300D Turbo "Greta" 170k
1990 Ford F250 "Marnie" 93k