Hey all! Got in a 'mood' today to do a coolant flush but after calling 3 'parts' stores, NOBODY has a "citrus" coolant flush product! I know - my bad! Shoulda gone to the dealer yesterday and got some but I JUST KNEW I could get it elsewhere! But NOOOOOOO....

My coolant system (after draining the rad and block) doesn't seem to be rusty. I've had the car a couple years and this is the first flush for me. Is there some other product I can safely use that will not damage the system? Thanks for any reply(s)...

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Dale

you can get citric acid at some hardware stores or more expensively @ health food stores / pharmacies.

I only used a little more than a pound and I had pretty good results

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Ungh.....I've gotta still do this before winter gets here........

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

I've never ever done it and my car never runs any hotter than 80-82C. I've flushed out the coolant with new a couple times but thats it.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

of all places.. the dealership has it for a decent price


or

ebay

and you want

"citric acid"

Thanks for the replies!

I prolly did a no-no but I found a 1/3 full bottle of Prestone Flush and figures what-the-heck, throw it in there and circulate it a while (it's actually sitting out there running now!). I'll then drain and flush with clean water for a bit and call it a day - this time. Next year, I'll bne prepared with the right stuff.



OH Yeah...almost forgot! Also was planning on replacing that short piece of hose at the thermostat housing-water pump(?) and clamps. Not really looking forward to that but think it needs done. Leaks small amount of coolant from that area...

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Dale

Vinegar will work too, but I rather have my car smell like an orange than a pickle

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

I bought 2lbs on ebay for $9 shipped.

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

DONE!


Well...almost. Been fartin' around with the infamous air in the system thing. Got that resolved, now it's a dang LEAK - well more like a drip drip drip drip after system is up to temp, then shut it down. Still, a LEAK .

First suspect was the upper rad hose. I had taken it loose from the radiator to fill head with coolant and didn't get it tight enough. Took it for another short trip, pulled into teh garage and, yep B]drip [/B] drip drip drip.

There is a trace of coolant at the top lip of the radiator, not all the way around it but pretty much along the end where the upper hose connects and thyen along the inside edge. Any suggestions would be appreciated

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Dale