what kind of coolant to use ?
 

hi what are the other brands aside from MB that are safe to use for MB cars? how would you know if it is safe for aluminum head? here in the philippines it is common to use japanese coolant but im afraid it might not be safe

Greetings! since nobody else seems to be home, i'll just throw in my 2 cents.
if it's available i use Zerex G-05 (i believe it's valvoline product but not sure), which is apparently the same as the MB coolant. not cheap ($10 a gallon), but probably easier to get. recommended for (they say) all MB engines, including cast iron and aluminum.

I pay $9 and change for the OE stuff from Fastlane. It doesn't cost anymore to use the right stuff.

Zerex G-05 meets the DB spec for current and older Merc engines. I'm not aware of any other commercial available product that does. If you can't find G-05, buy MB brand coolant from the dealer.

Duke

Is MB coolant typically brown or clear? Mine is clear.

MP

Remember: When it leaks, the MB stuff (and other German stuff, like VW Autobahn) smells like crayons, not maple syrup/pancakes as US stuff smells. I once heard the Car Talk guys get stumped by this scent -- car was a VW that smelled like crayons when the heat was on. They suggested looking for crayons down in the defrost vents -- not a leaking heater core which was probably the problem.

MB coolent is very clear, with a slight tan color to it.

It is o.k. to mix Zerex G-05 with MB coolant? I just realize the PO used the "green stuff" and I only have one jar of MB stuff.

Yes. They are the same thing in different packages.

Yes, I looked at the MSDS of each formulation. Though I'm not an expert on antifreeze formulation, I'm not completely ignorant of chemistry. The additives of each (MB and G 05) appeared very similar, though perhaps at slightly different concentrations. I feel comfortable mixing the two.

Prestone just came out with a new coolent I believe its called "Big Yellow" that claims to be approved for any car and will mix with any coolent.For my money I use MB coolent.

Prestone (the green stuff) antifreeze fine in my old 450sl 1977
 

Just replaced my 5 year old Prestone green with same. Never any problems and green was clean as day put in. I think that if you have a good sealed cooling system and replace antirust chemical once in a whle, you wont have any problems with Prestone. Possible newer cars have more non-compatible metals but for me never any problems. No leaks, no discoloration, just fine. Abe G

I just put a jug of that in my daughter's Taurus. It seems to be working just fine so far, whatever that's worth. They call it "all color compatible" We'll see, I suppose.

Isn't it amazing, how plain old ethelyne glycol worked so well for so many, many years? Now every other manufacturer insists that theirs is the only possible coolant that will work in their cars. Toyato has their own, Honda, Ford, GM.

sheesh,

No antifreeze is "plain old ethylene glycol". All antifreezes have corrosion inhibitors. If they didn't you'd have serious corrosion within a few years or even a few months.

Traditional green antifreeze uses inorganic salts like phosphates and silicates and is called IAT (inorganic additive technlogy). GM Dexcool and most Japanese OE antifreezes use organic technolgy - OAT (organic acid technology), which consists or organic acids.

MB antifreeze and Zerez G-05 are are hybrids - HOAT (hybrid organic acid technology) - that use primarily organic technology, but have a small dose of silicates.

IATs provided good corrosion protection, but the salts precipitate out and clog radiator and heater core tubes over time. OATs don't do this, but there is some question as to their compatibility with tradional solders used in brass radiators and heater cores.

HOATs seem to be the best of both worlds and are considered "universal" because they are okay for cars that previously had the IAT type, and IAT types are being phased out of production.

Duke

What are your thoughts or experiences with PENTOSIN?

http://www.pentosin.com/eng/index.html

http://img50.exs.cx/img50/570/pentos...ssigkeiten.jpg

PENTOSIN ANTIFREEZE is an antifreeze for passenger cars and trucks, meeting the quality requirements of the automotive manufacturers, especially suitable for alloy engines. It protects excellently against corrosion and cavitation, does not foam, prevents lime formation and is neutral to different types of metals , rubber parts and sealing materials which are used in the engine construction. Pentosin Antifreeze is produced under stringent quality controls and has proved excellent operating performance in daily use. PENTOSIN ANTIFREEZE is free of nitrite, amine and phosphate.

Duke:

Very nice explanation - simple and to the point.

hi im from the tropics so i dont need any anti freeze coolant. what is most important is a coolant that will lower my engine temp. In the case of Water Wetter it really works. i recommend it during very hot weather .

Does Water Wetter have corrosion inhibitors and lubricants? You really do need those even in the tropics.

Jorg

This is what happens if you don't have proper boiling protection. This head was from Texas where customers often replace the coolant mix with pure water for better heat transfer. These are the inner passages of an aluminum head on the suction side of the coolant flow. The combination of suction pressures and lack of boilover protection caused the bubbles from boiling to pound away at the material until a leak path was formed to the outside of the head.

My car has 112K on it and it has . . . .
 

always used MB af and distilled water (DW). A few months ago, I drained the radiator and while it was up on the hoist, I removed the bottom radiator hose. The interior of the radiator was plainly visible and it was as clean as new. No lime, calcium deposits.

However, as important as the use of MB af is, the most important is the use of DW. All modern af mixtures will support the use of tap water but if you really want to keep the coolant system clean through out its life, use DW!

The use of tap water degrades the length that you can keep the coolant from becoming an 'acid' because as the water breaks down, the 'protective' properties of the af get depleted. With DW, the time is increased and you can easily go 2 years before flushing.

Water Wetter has a rust inhibitor and provides added cooling for the engine. More info can be found on my web page, MENU#17.

But if you used . . .
 

distilled water, you would not have to use a citric flush! BION!

I don't use distilled water, the tap water in my area is pretty free of deposits.

And my dad works for the water company, so he doesn't think it needs to be filtered more. :D

to : 89-300ce

i use water wetter with distilled water or tap water. From what it says from the bottle it lubricates water pump seals, reduces rust corrosion, improve heat transfer, and can be use with all antifreeze/coolants.

As of now im pretty much satisfied.

Not trying to be confrontational, but I am a little confused
 

Huh. My Indie uses green (not sure if its Al approved) and has for 30yrs on MB's and hasn't had a problem.


For what its worth, this is the best MB mechanic for 200miles, and when ever "MB" and "repair" is mentioned in the same sentence, the words 'Shuler ********' is invariably mentioned as the only place to go.

*shrug* Whatever works. :)

To the best of my knowledge as MB coolant ages the ph increases, or becomes more basic not acidic. Using a swimming pool test strip determine the actual ph of the coolant. A ph reading between 7 and 8 is acceptable. If the ph exceeds 8 the coolant should be changed. Reportedly the ph of MB coolant right out of the bottle is 5.5 and as water is added the 50/50 mix becomes neutral (7).

Does Mercedes also offer a Blue color antifreeze / coolant as well as the orange?

Yes, I believe the newer Mercedes come with blue coolant. I have read it is compatable with the old pale yellow coolant.

I just bought 2 gallons of the orange stuff. Should I have bought the Blue? What's the difference?

Orange?

Some guys call if orange, but the coolant I have always bought at the dealer has always looked like a very pale yellow to me.

I don't think it matters which color you use, though. I have read that they are all compatable.

I have never seen blue coolant, I will ask the guys at the dealer next time I'm their about it.

Here is the one I have:
http://img43.exs.cx/img43/8067/DSC02055.jpg

Yep same as mine, I think their is only one. When I purchased my coolent from the dealer I just asked for coolant, they didn't ask which type.

So who has used the Blue color original Mercees antifreeze? Anybody?

What about this:

http://www.evanscooling.com/catalog/C_npg1.htm

WaterWetter
 

Glad to hear that a few have been using WaterWetter with distilled water. Aside from lowering the notoriously high temps of the M119, it sure has left my radiator sparkling clean!

Going back to the post about Pentosin, they make a pink "G12" coolant for VW/Audi that's supposed to be incompatible with other coolants. VW makes a big deal of making sure you don't mix anything else with it. If you get the Pentosin, don't get the pink stuff!

I ran Prestone extended life (Dexcool type, bright orange) for a couple years in my ML with no adverse effects. However at the next coolant change I used Zerex G-05 (pretty much clear in color) because it meets the factory specs. I don't think it was $9 per gallon.

Evans Coolant is a non-aqueous propylene glycol blend coolant with a boiling point of 375 deg. F. That means it runs at essentially 0 psi, putting less stress on all parts of your cooling system, from radiator to hoses to pump to heater core.

I put Evans NPG+ in my 86 300E in July of '03 when I replaced the radiator and water pump at about 96,000 miles and then loaded up all four of us (2 adults, 2 large teens), our luggage and a 10' popup trailer and headed up to Anacortes, WA from So. Cal. The first thing we hit was the Grapevine at about 1 pm and over 100 deg. temps outside. The car never even thought about getting seriously overheated. As I recall, the temp guage hit 110 once on one of the steeper, longer inclines but it came right back down as soon as it leveled off a bit. I'm very impressed with the stuff.

We put on over 2500 mi. during the trip, lots of it through tight mountain roads in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear and I've rolled up over 50k miles since then. I haven't had to add on ounce since I put it in, and I don't even worry about overheating in traffic at all.

The only hassle is getting all of the remaining coolant/water out of your system, but it's really not that bad. I'll describe what I did, if you're interested.

The coolant is about the same viscosity as MB coolant, so no changes are required to any part of your stock cooling system. The price is a little steep at about $25/gal., but considering that they claim you can leave it in there for 300-500k miles, I think that it's quite cost effective. I would highly recommend it based on my own first-hand experience.

Thanks for the reply Phacon51. It's nice to get an opinion based on first hand experience. I was just speaking with Evans Cooling today. Their products do look good. The tech was unavailable today and so I'll call on Monday for more detailed info. I can't believe I never heard of it before. I guess the problem in Canada is that it costs $60/gallon Canadian funds after shipping and exchange.

Brake fluid is propylene glycol; does this stuff eat paint the way brake fluid does?

Actually, brake fluid is ethylene glycol. Propylene glycol is often used as a food additive.

Here's a blurb from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry:

"Both compounds are used to make antifreeze and de-icing solutions for cars, airplanes, and boats; to make polyester compounds; and as solvents in the paint and plastics industries. Ethylene glycol is also an ingredient in photographic developing solutions, hydraulic brake fluids and in inks used in stamp pads, ballpoint pens, and print shops.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified propylene glycol as an additive that is "generally recognized as safe" for use in food. It is used to absorb extra water and maintain moisture in certain medicines, cosmetics, or food products. It is a solvent for food colors and flavors."

NPG+, according to the package labeling, contains ethylene and propylene glycol, proprietary antitoxin and corrosion inhibitors. There's no warning anywhere on the label about damaging paint.

I've never spilled it on my paint myself, so I'm afraid I can't really answer your question. But then again, in the last 38 years of doing almost all my own maintenance I've never spilled brake fluid or regular coolant on any of my car's paint jobs either. Just be careful.

Blue MB coolant
 

The blue stuff is the factory fill. When the interval arrives for changing the coolant in the new MBs, you need to completely drain and flush the cooling system to remove the blue stuff as it is of a different formulation than the orange/tan MBUSA coolant. Blue coolant is generally found on '02 and newer models if I remember correctly from the very few newer MBs we service.

The Pentosin antifreeze is formulated for VW/Audi (the pink stuff). As long as you thoroughly flush the system of any old coolant, it is ok to use the Pentosin. I did a complete flush and backflush of the cooling system on my '67 MGB and refilled with Pentosin "pink".

If you do not flush all of the coolant out, it will mix with the pink Pentosin and will leave a black-ish sludge in the cooling system.

As mentioned, I still have the green anti-freeze in my car (at least it appears to be the typical green). If I were to drain the radiator, about how many gallons of the Zerox or MB will it take to refill? I know some water will have to be mixed in. Should that be distilled water only? We have a water purification built into our water system in the house, so would this water be safe for it?

Thanks

The owners manual will tell you the capacity of the cooling system. It's probably about 11 quarts. You want a 50/50 mix. Mercedes says that any good drinking water that isn't too hard is okay to use, but you're always safe using a dollar's worth of distilled.

Len

I looked for some "Zerex" this evening in a local department store. No Zerox, but they did have something new from Prestone. It was yellow and said that it was safe for ALL cars, ALL years, ALL makes, ALL models, etc. It also said it could be mixed with any other coolant.

Would this be safe to use, or should we still stick with the Zerox or MB coolants?

BTW - it is actually "zerOx", or "zerEx"? I have seen it spelled both ways, but never paid any attention to it on the package. I am thinking "zerex".....

Try NAPA.

Len

It's Zerex:

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=10

Looking at the zerex site it looks like they made the coolant for mercedes see link.

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=10