Coolant flush questions, hopefully not too redundant - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

BodhiBenz1987 · #1 03-21-2010, 12:33 PM

Well, I just emerged from somewhat of a hibernation from wrenching (house-buying, work and snow kind of put the car stuff on the shelf), and I'm ready to get greasy and sooty again. I already took the driveshaft out of my 300D over the weekend which was extremely satisfying.

Now I'm ready to do a long-needed coolant flush on the 240D. It's been driving quite well all winter, but now that it's getting warm (hot, even) out, I need to make sure the car is properly cooled. And it's full of green stuff of unknown origin. I've got it up on ramps (not that easy to do with a stick, I felt) and have a couple questions. Yes, I have done a search, but still can't decide.
1-Should I just flush, or citrus flush. The car seems a definite candidate for a citrus flush because god knows what's in there and for how long it's been in there. But, I keep reading about people doing citrus flushes and getting leaks everywhere. I have a bottle of GUNK radiator cleaner. Should I just do the citrus flush and accept the fact that I may have to replace a few things? Or should I try a plain flush and see what comes out first?
2-Where and how do you dispose of old coolant? We have a couple stray cats living in our garage, and while they can be a pain in the butt sometimes, they're very sweet and I would feel just terrible if they got into the coolant. I'm afraid to spill any or leave it around. How do you get rid of it?
3-In the DieselGiant writeup, he uses a device to remove vacuum from the system, which I do not have. I know I found a thread here at one point that describes the old-fashioned way of "burping," but I can't find it again. Can someone run me through the burp process?
Any help appreciated. I have the Haynes manual, which is ... you know.