I bought Zerex by the case for $15.00 shipped.

You only need 11 quarts in a 617..........about $22. worth of antifreeze.

Be very careful trying this stuff. Both ethylene & propylene glycol are much more viscous than water so you will significantly reduce coolant flow rates through the cooling system ~ reduced capacity.
The heat capacity is also significantly less so you need higher flow rates to achieve the same level of cooling.
Overall if you look at the numbers for glycol's you can expect a 20 to 40% reduction in the cooling capacity of the cooling system. To over come this the cooling system will need to run hotter. We only see the coolant temp, not the metal surface temps. I have seen a Daimler-Chrysler bulletin some place saying no to glycol concentration above a certain % also says no to anything containing propylene glycol.
Best be cautious of recommendations of Jay as he is big on payments for endorsements.

Edit

Coolant flows through the engine water jackets and cylinder heads absorbing heat produced by the engine during operation. The coolant carries heat to the radiator and heater core. Here it is transferred to ambient air passing through the radiator and heater core fins.

The required ethylene-glycol (antifreeze) and water mixture depends upon the climate and vehicle oper- ating conditions. The recommended mixture of 50/50 ethylene-glycol and water will provide protection against freezing to -37 deg. C (-35 deg. F). The anti- freeze concentration must always be a minimum of 44 percent, year-round in all climates. If percentage is lower than 44 percent, engine parts may be eroded by cavitation, and cooling system com- ponents may be severely damaged by corrosion. Maximum protection against freezing is provided with a 68 percent antifreeze concentration, which prevents freezing down to -67.7 deg. C (-90 deg. F). A higher percentage will freeze at a warmer tempera- ture. Also, a higher percentage of antifreeze can cause the engine to overheat because the specific heat of antifreeze is lower than that of water.

100 Percent Ethylene-Glycol—Should Not Be Used in Daimler-Chrysler Vehicles
Use of 100 percent ethylene-glycol will cause for- mation of additive deposits in the system, as the cor- rosion inhibitive additives in ethylene-glycol require the presence of water to dissolve. The deposits act as insulation, causing temperatures to rise to as high as 149 deg. C (300 deg. F). This temperature is hot enough to melt plastic and soften solder. The increased temperature can result in engine detona- tion. In addition, 100 percent ethylene-glycol freezes at -22 deg. C (-8 deg. F ).

Propylene-glycol Formulations—Should Not Be Used in Daimler-Chrysler Vehicles
Propylene-glycol formulations do not meet Daimler-Chrysler coolant specifications. It’s overall effective temperature range is smaller than that of ethyl- ene-glycol. The freeze point of 50/50 propylene-glycol and water is -32 deg. C (-26 deg. F). 5 deg. C higher than ethylene-glycol’s freeze point. The boiling point (protection against summer boil-over) of propylene-gly- col is 125 deg. C (257 deg. F ) at 96.5 kPa (14 psi), compared to 128 deg. C (263 deg. F) for ethylene-gly- col. Use of propylene-glycol can result in boil-over or reeze-up in Daimler-Chrysler vehicles, which are designed for ethylene-glycol. Propylene glycol also has poorer heat transfer characteristics than ethylene glycol. This can increase cylinder head temperatures under certain conditions.

Propylene-glycol/Ethylene-glycol Mixtures—Should Not Be Used in Daimler-Chrysler Vehicles

Propylene-glycol/ethylene-glycol Mixtures can cause the destabilization of various corrosion inhibitors, causing damage to the various cooling system compo- nents. Also, once ethylene-glycol and propylene-glycol based coolants are mixed in the vehicle, conventional methods of determining freeze point will not be accu- rate. Both the refractive index and specific gravity dif- fer between ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Interesting discussion on this and various coolants. Since this discussion has included alternatives I might pose a question. Do you guys really go to the Mercedes dealer for coolant?

My car has somewhat urine colored coolant in it. I plan on changing the thermostat after finding the same color of coolant. I am a bit ignorant on this. I have a jug of prestone, That is Ethlyline glycol is it not?

I remember hearing about some antifreezes having some silica in it and that was bad for some engines. Can someone give me a specific info. Not necessarily brand specific.

__________________
85 Merc 300D - Unwinding 31 years of wear
86 VW TD
Mahindra Diesel
Iseki Diesel

In 2007 I didn't own a diesel.

Zerex G-05 IS the same as the Mercedes coolant,at a greatly reduced cost.

Silber,
[Your "Urine Colored" coolant mix may or may not be Mercedes/Zerex G-05,
BUT they (MB/G-05) ARE THE ONLY SAFE coolants for Mercedes.]

Think:
Multiples of Metals Galvanic Corrosion
Electrolysis
Heat Transfer Rates

(I used to be a big proponent of the Evans,BUT became disenchanted for
the reasons Layback lists)

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

I use Zerex G05. It is MB spec coolant. You want low silicate for any Diesel engine. My F250 requires a low silicate and SCA formula for cavitation prevention. I use FleetCharge antifreeze and DCA-4 additive for that. The OM617 is not as susceptible to cavitation as the 7.3 is, so I go with the recommended G05 coolant. My second choice would be the FleetCharge antifreeze.

G05 is yellow in color but that does not mean what you have is MB compliant. If you are in doubt, flush what you have and refill with G05. That was one of my first projects with the 300SD. I went ahead and rebuilt the whole coolant system minus the water pump. The generic green stuff is not good with the plastic, iron and aluminum parts in the coolant system of the OM617.

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1991 F250 super-cab 7.3 IDI. (rebuilt by me) Banks Sidewinder turbo, hydroboost brakes, new IP and injectors.
2003 S430 - 107K
1983 300SD - Tanoshii - mostly restored ~400K+.
1983 300SD - Good interior. Engine finally tamed ~250K.
Monark Nozzle Install Video - http://tinyurl.com/ptd2tge

I'm considering using some NPG in my standby generator. The only question I have about the Evans coolant is the removal of all water from the system. They sell a flushing agent, but I don't know if enough is required for a comlete fill, or if it acts as a drying agent for the remaining water. There website is not clear on that. Looks like a phone call in the near future. It's a good venue for a trial, as it holds a small amount of coolant, and tends to run cool.

AFAIK, the coolant is oil based, that's why it's called "Non-aqueous" propylene glycol.

VStech, that $45/gallons sounds very heavy. The last coolant I bought at MB of Huntington (LI) was either $22.50 or $25.00/gallon, and that's full sticker, no discount.

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'83 300D, 126K miles.