Bit of green coolant remaining after change to g05...
 

I tried my best to flush out the PO's green prestone coolant and I filled it up with G05.

While I believe I was able to flush most of the green stuff out, there's still a ever so slight green tinge to the coolant....

I realize this will it make it slightly more prone to corrosion, but how much worse?

"It'll probably be fine, just change it in 3 years"

or

"Reflush it... hope you haven't destroyed your cooling system after driving on it for 2000 miles"

There's a list of things I need to have done to the car, I'm just trying to prioritize.

It takes a LONG time. Once I had a heater core replaced and they flushed the system with a green all makes antifreeze.

It took gallons and gallons of flush water and antifreeze to get it to a proper color.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j3...SC_1694-01.jpg

If the green Prestone is older tech silicate chemistry, I'd want it gone. High (reduced from the old days but still higher than others) silicate coolants can precipitate out and make a mess. The green all makes coolants seen at most box stores are really dex cool clones, which can have plasticizers unacceptable for some gaskets and seals.

Since it's summer, I'd just buy a ton of distiller water, and do some subsequent drain and fills just via the radiator. So long as you're not driving hard/high speed so the engine is getting too hot, it's ok. Or you could just idle in the driveway. Just fill with distilled, heat it so the thermostat opens (or remove the thermostat) so it mixes, drain it out after it cools a bit, and repeat.

Now, can I do a better flush next time or is it a high priority item? I intend to replace the water pump sometime anyways since I don't know how old my current one is.

Did you pull the block drain? It's right in front of your starter, 19mm bolt

Also, when the car is full of flush water, I run the car and get up to temp, doesn't take long with no antifreeze/coolant in the mix so watch out!! and then I turn on the heater so water is flowing through the heater core to get more of the old stuff out. Get the mono valve or duo valve working (open)... whatever it takes to get heat happening inside the car. Always weird on a summer's day I know.

Then I flush again with water, then empty the water...

Then add maybe half the capacity of the system using straight coolant. This blends with the standing water left behind from the flush.
Then start adding 50/50 mix to bring the level up.

Burp it, run it. Heater core again.

Check level and mix ratio with a guage. Then top up with either straight coolant or 50/50 mix or straight water to get the ratio right.

Then the dog licks the coolant and dies. Not really. But be careful out there!

Park with nose uphill when you're doing the fill.

On the OM603 I take the heater hose off from the top of manifold rear, and use that as a burp point, air will press out of there and when fluid gushes stick the hose back on.

Keep you eye on the temp gauge in the first few miles after doing the job.

If the needle doesn't move, the sensor may not be wet because there's air in the system. Meaning you don't have good circulation, meaning you could overheat. Burp more air.

I've walked away from a used MBenz I was interested in buying when I spotted green stains around the pump. And yup, green in the overflow tank, and yes... a jug of prestone in the garage sitting on the shelf behind the car.

When asked the seller about use of green... he mentioned the cooling system parts that had to be replaced... when I told him green was wrong for the car... he was personally offended because "he was a heavy duty diesel mechanic" and thought I should shut up. I did. And just walked away.

I did pull this, and also disconnected the hose leading to the heater core.

In retrospect, I don't think I spent enough time flushing it because I was running out of containers to catch it all in.

*sigh* I could only do so much research before delving into my first MB. I did open the rad cap before I bought the car, only to make sure there wasn't any oil.

..Well, that's a good start! Don't feel bad.

All the wisdom only comes after years of learning and you've just begun.

I just use the water hose to flush all my coolant out, works a lot better, just keep it flowing until the water is clear....I also disconnect the heater hose, radiator hose and pull the radiator out....flush everything out really good, place all the hoses back and good to go for 3 years..

Yep I know the epa frowns on doing this but in reality the only big concern about coolant, is if an animal drinks it...they will die....people even use their old coolant as a ant/bug repellant...

I have a little dog from my recent breakup, would hate to see him get sick or die! Coolant is not something I want to contaminate my own property with.

So will I be OK with a tiny bit of green still in the system?

That is irresponsible of you to do so. Besides the dangers of ingestion if it by animals and children, it can also contaminate ground water, lakes and rivers. It doesn't take much to do so.

Here are some info from a quick internet search for you read to be informed a bit more...
http://iwrc.org/services/past-services/environmental-services/small-business-pollution-prevention-center-sbppc/waste-analysis-antifreeze/

http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/factsheets/hw/UsedAntifreeze.pdf

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ead-tas-antifrez_320830_7.pdf

You'll be fine.

"Green" is not "wrong" any more than conventional oil is "wrong." It just isn't the best option available for some applications.

I live in the middle of no where, ground water, lakes, streams etc don't exists around here....we have a river a few miles away and about 500ft down a canyon....

Its no more irresponsible, then the thousands of house boats we have on the water here, leaking oil, fuel, sewage into the lake.....my little bit of coolant that comes out with the house water isn't going to effect anything...

Now if you live in an urban city, don't do this and allow it to run down the gutters of the street....that may cause harm...

Not arguing here, but you should go out and look at what we do to the earth, I can snap a few photos of the washes here, where the rock is permanently stained black by all the crap that washes off the roads and down into the river..

We can say how "irresponsible" it is for me to do something...but man there is muchhhhh worse things out there killing the environment.....we also have a huge coal burning power plant here...