190E Coolant Loss Blues
 

Hi,
I have a 1993 190E with 116,000 miles. I had oil in coolant, so head gasket replaced, head sent out to check for cracks, and re-surfaced.The car never overheated. The car is now losing 1 qt. coolant in 50 miles. I took it back to garage, had it presure tested that was fine. Previous to head gasket replacement compression test was fine. The mechanics said the block is cracked, and to "get rid of it". Just wanted to know if there is any other reason I could be losing coolant. What's ironic is the car runs great!

What did the mechanic do to determine the block was cracked ?? Did you take it to the same shop that did the head work? , Do you see coolant in the oil? (Milky stuff on the dipstick or fill cap) How many miles have you driven since the head job was done? Any puddles or steaming?..... I wouldn't get rid of it too quickly.

If I am reading your post correctly, you returned to the shop that did the head work for a pressure test, which was good. If that is the case, I can't see how that would point to a cracked block diagnosis.

I had a car that was losing a similar amount of coolant, yet the oil and coolant was clean, and it left no puddles....I kept it fed for several months and by chance, one day while petering around, I found some rust on my exhaust (rust is unusual in Southern CA). With the help of a dental type mirror found a hole on the underside of metal heater hose which directed coolant onto a hot exhaust pipe, leaving no puddles as it all evaporated off.

I fixed the hose and all was well for years after. Please don't ditch the car just yet.

EDIT- It may be me, but I would think of "getting rid of your mechanic" before getting rid of the car.

Hi,*I took the car to the mechanic who replaced head gasket,- he thought maybe it was a situation similar to yours. He said maybe when it's hot the coolant is leaking from somewhere.Then I took it it to a second mechanic, who said to "get rid of it". Since gasket replacement I put 1800 miles on car. We do not see anything wrong with the oil. It looks fine.
If I had an internal crack somewhere what would the symptoms be? Or is there a specific test they can do?
At this point I have invested quite a bit of time, and money into the car. I phoned the Mercedes dealer yesterday. I have an appointment next week. They said in 3 hours, or less they can probably have it diagnosed. I feel at this point, this is my best move.

I replaced the head gasket on my '93 190E 2.3 in Aug. of 2007 due to oil in the coolant. I also had the head resurfaced and checked for cracks. I had to replace all of the rubber hoses due to oil contamination.

Did your mechanic replace the hoses?

I would think that the only place for coolant to go is:

1. Leak into the cylinders...you can pull the spark plugs and compare them to see if one or more is burning coolant. It will look like it has been steam cleaned.

2. Leaking hose/hoses...do you see any coolant leaking from anywhere under the car?

3. Leaking into the crankcase...but you stated that the oil looks fine. That's a good sign!

4. Defective reservoir cap.

Don't get rid of the car yet. Please keep us posted on the outcome.

Just a thought...... Try getting your car to operating temp. and turning on the defroster...... if your windshield fogs up, you may have a heater core problem, still a quart every 50 miles sounds a bit high for a heater core.

Also you may want to check your floor carpeting for signs of dampness, they can hold a gallon or so.

If your oil and your antifreeze are clean, (not swaping fluids) and you say it runs good. Check the top of your oil filler cap if it does not have any milky deposits around it your looking good. Then fire your mechanic.

One more quick thought, I hope you replaced the pressure cap when you did the HG repair. If not you could be blowing coolant out the drain tube by the passenger side wheel well.

Check around the water pump too. A shft leak might only leak when the car is running, and the fan blows the coolant back before you can see any puddling.

190E Coolant Loss Resolved!
 

Hi Guys,

Just got a phone call from Mercedes dealer. They said I have a duo shut off valve that is leaking. Cost is $320.00 to fix. Sounds like a bargain. I asked them if it could be going anywhere else, and to check plugs. Shop foreman said no need to.
I did crawl underneath car and found the area the leak was coming from. I don't understand why the mechanic couldn't of done that.
I thank all of you for your support.
Lisa

I'm glad to hear it !!! Certainly quite a bit less expensive than a new block AND a duo valve.