Can I just use any citric acid or do I have to get it from MB? What does sitric acid do to the cooling system?

What portioning of citric acid should I use coz' the citric acid I got is in powder form?


Francis

I don't know the answer to this...Mercedes sells their own and it has directions with it.

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Benzmac:
1981 280GE SWB
1987 16V
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

The citric acid is a concentrated powder. It basically eats the scale and corrosion inside the cooling system. I have always had an inherent concern about anything that eats metal. There are a lot of products out there that will get the job done. If your radiator is less than efficient, I would get it looked at by a pro. If it's bad, a flush will not do the trick..

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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

Jeff:

The citric acid does not eat metal. Actually, it neutralizes the scale and calcium carbonate of the mineral deposits which were part of hard water used in the radiator. The word citric comes from the Latin word, and is similar to the French and Spanish words, "citron". But it is not similar to the Hungarian word.

As a natural fruit acid, it cannot dissolve metal. It will, however, keep your cooling system clean of mineral deposits. If you liked the lemon-smelling dishwater soaps, you'll love this MB product.....Andras

I got Citric Acid from a chemical company here. Will this be the same as the MB product?

How do I portion this with water? I have powder form.

It says: CITRIC ACID ANHYDROUS in the packaging.


Francis

Francis:

I am an architect, not a chemist, but I do believe that the "citric acid anhydrous" you are referring to is not the same the same thing. The material that MB uses is a FORMULATION designed to work in the auto radiator.

Is the citric acid anhydrous designed for use in an auto radiator? If not, then I would not take the risk. By the way, anhydrous means "not water-based", or lacks water. In Latin, the use of the prefix "an" usually means "not", and "hydrous" means "water". Beyond knowing that, I don't know what the effect of using that in your system is, but I would ask more questions before using it....Andras

Anhydrous literally means they left out the water. probably too expensive to include. Andras, I made a misstatement when I said "eats metal" Should have said eats scale. At any rate, if the radiator is beyond a flush with a detergent and water, then I would trust it to a pro. An acid is an acid even though it's "fruity". If you don't mix it right, it can cause problems with all the aluminum in the cooling system. Most of the time, a near neutral PH is what you would like to see.. Maybe, I'll push a lemon or two into my water pump and do it the natural way...


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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 04-03-2000).]