Okay I plan on doing a bit of driving this summer in my old '76 240d.

Now, I've had this car for 5 years and have never drained/flushed the coolant or done anything w/ the hoses.

I noticed that some of the upper coolant hoses look a little bulgy, not too bad but it made me think about draining/flushing etc.

My local mechanic however mentioned that they feel hesitant about doing a real flush on these old rigs because a few weeks later after all the rust/dirt that was blocking leaks is out you find you're springing leaks everywhere.

Now should I just drain the sucker at the radiator, get as much out as I can, and fill it up with OEM fluid and distilled water?

And maybe just replace the bigger hoses that look bulgy?

Thanks for the help!

mark

Flushes do push some pending leaks over the edge and sometimes the stuff that is loosend plugs up Radiator Cores. The Radiator Core plugging is less of a problem with Cross Flow Radiators.

So it depends on how you want to look at it. If a Flush discovers a weak area and leaks your at least you can plan for the possibility. However, if something like your Heater Core starts to leak it could end up being a big job.

For myself as long as my Engine is not having any overheating issues I think I would just change the Hosese.

I think Flushing works best if it is done periodically so that nothing is allowed to build up in the Cooling System. If the Engine has not been Flushed in 25 years it could loosen something up.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I would replace the bad hoses, top off and wait til you aren't counting on the car after the vacation break to do the flush. Also, on that car, you must be careful to fill up the individual heater hoses, and basically put coolant on both sides of the thermostat or it will heat up incredibly fast when you start it up and the thermostat won't open leaving you with the possibility of seizing the engine. So, I'd wait til after your planned trips with the car.

Also, if I remember correctly, doesn't the heater core come out through the engine compartment, rather easily, compared to american cars?

Torie

__________________
1983 300D, the "Avocado"
1976 240D, 4-spd the "Pumpkin", SOLD to Pierre
1984 190D, 2.2L, 5-spd, my intro to MBZ diesels, crashed into in 2002