Winterizing a SoCal W123 for Texas Winter
 

Hello All-

Since I’ve moved from the weather-less San Diego to Amarillo TX, its come to my attention I should make some changes under the hood for the winter.

Any suggestions for engine/drivetrain? The car is garaged and snow isn’t too bad. Its mostly the cold.

Cold, What cold, 50deg F? Surely you jest.

Just make sure your glow plug system is functioning properly and you have a good battery. There is nothing else you really need to do for a TX winter. IF it snows, most counties do not plow or salt the roads. Some use sand but only on main roads. Two years ago we had an ice storm followed by a few inches of snow; the schools and work were closed for an entire week. I was one of the few who can drive in the snow, so I was mostly un-phased by it.

Word. Should I be concerned with the antifreeze/coolant?

You should use Antifreeze/Coolant to Mercedes Specifications. Texas usually has mild winters but sometimes it does get down into the teens.

If you haven't done a cooling system flush in a few years it is a good time to do it and make sure you have the correct MB spec stuff in there.

Some don't run coolant?

I was going to reply in my usual smartypants manner but I didn't want to bring the wrath of all the good Texans upon my head (had to do with replacing bicycle racks with gun racks, environmental stickers, etc.) so let me add one thing. When you do the coolant change, use distilled water. Some of that Texas water is so hard you have to chew it before you can swallow it.

Firstly, replace the "Coexist" stickers with NRA stickers. If you need to do a coolant flush, use Zerex G05. It is part number G05 at O'Reilly. Also get an MB branded thermostat and gasket to replace since you will have the system open. Use distilled water only.

From a fellow Amarillo Benz guy, make sure you have your glowplugs operational, block heater, good battery, coolant and good tires. My 300SD has never failed to start but the 2 deg. F day was a bit tough without the block heater (parked out in open all day). Also, pack a blanket, crackers and peanut butter in trunk in event you do become stranded. Though we don't have the lowest temperatures in the USA, we do have blizzards with white-out conditions.

Everything is pretty much in order on the wagon. The glowplug system is sound, the block heater works (pretty sure), I’ve never had a coexist sticker, and I drained the coolant a year ago to replace a water pump. So I should be alright. I think I’ll still do a specific gravity test from Oreily’s.

Thanks for the advice.

I lived in the Texas panhandle as a teenager, so I know what you, or maybe more correctly your car, will have to deal with.

Many of the readers of this thread will think that it's Texas so there is no Winter preparation necessary. Not true. Although it's rare to deal with anything lower than the teens Fahrenheit, when you have those temps in the panhandle, you typically have LOTS of wind to go with them.

Just make sure you put in a 50 50 antifreeze mix and have your glow plug system in top shape. When glow plugs were only a couple of dollars a piece, I changed them every Fall. Now that they are more expen$ive you might give this more thought, but if you can afford to replace them in the fall, DO IT, if it is a car that you drive alot and have to depend on. Also, while on the subject, get a spare bar fuse for the glow plug relay and keep it in your spares.

It doesn't appear that any of the cars in your signature would be manual transmission cars, so you don't have to worry about light transmission oil. For someone who might be reading this, however, running 10W30 Premium motor oil in manual transmissions will ensure long life and easy Winter shifting.

Agreed. Always a good practice to use distilled water.

I'd source a spare GP strip fuse and have it in the glove box.

Get a jug of 0 degree coolant in place of the standard blue 32+ stuff. Maybe have some spare bulbs on hand since temp swings and more winter use seems to cause them to burn out in the winter.

If there's a forecast ice storm, maybe avoid locking the doors; or have a cigarette lighter handy to warm the key.

I agree. Keep a few strip fuses and few of each other fuse in the glove box. A blown strip fuse can leave you cranking in the parking lot for a while before you figure out what happened. I used a gator clip to join two halves of a split fuse once until I received a new strip fuse.