This afternoon I was doing some preventive maintenance on my daughter's 1989 300TE. I replaced the thermostat and the two radiator hoses and I adjusted the anti-freeze/water ratio to about 40/60 (distilled water, of course).

I looked inside the upper radiator hose intake and...I am happy to report that the neck is reinforced with a metal sleeve.

Now I have a couple of questions

When did Behr start making radiator necks with the metal sleeve reinforcement?

Her car has 155K and I had planned on changing the radiator sometime this summer. I had assumed that her car still had the original radiator. But if the radiator is of recent vintage, then I may just leave it there one more year....

If the radiator has the metal reinforced neck, is it a safe bet to assume that it is NOT the original one?

Does anyone know the earliest date when Behr began reinforcing the neck?

Nothing in the car's previous records indicates a change of radiator.

I called he last PO and he didn't change the radiator. He had car from the end of 1996 to early 2002. So it could have been changed as recently as early 1996.

Any thoughts on this?

Thank you.

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

if it is already reinforced, why change it? . Do you have problems with it?

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J.H.
'86 300E

I had intended to replace it, to make sure that my daughter did not have any problems while driving her car (uber-Dad here).

But that was back when I assumed that it was of original vintage...Now that I see that it has the reinforced neck I won't replace unless it has a real problem or goes bad. Anyhow, the car now has new hoses and new thermostat and it runs very cool and smoothly.

It does have the infamous gurgling sound. I vote to have the dealer anti-gurgling kit installed. My daughter thinks that the gurgling is cute, that it gives her car personality, like it was a real person...what do kids know anyhow???

I guess it was more a matter of idle curiosity as to when Behr began to sell radiators with reinforced neck

Thanks

Uber-Dad

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

HAHAHAH thats funny

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93 300D 2.5 Turbo, Black/Palomino 273K
09 E350 Black/Black 41K