Urgent HELP Please Coolant/Flush question
 

Hi all
Can someone please tell me about this Flush and Fill situation..
I am leaving for a long trip

Thanks is advane.

Opened the T-Stat housing, put the garden hose with running water in reservoir, started the car, turn the heat in car all the way up, saw water coming out of TS assembly, little splashing all over :), since the engine is running and water is hitting the fan and belt, no big deal.

Anyway, after running for 7-10 min I saw only clean water coming out of T-Stat Housing. Car OFF
I replaced the T-Stat housing, and poured in 1 gallon on MB antifreeze into the resarvoir, then I started to add water, only the resarvoir took 1 quart of water.

WHY. The system is for 10.6 Quart. and I only put in 4 quart Coolant and 1 quart of water..it is full, after driving for 1 hour it is still full.... You think remaining 5 quarts in the engine is water? Or is it old mixed up coolant?

Is my system completely flushed? Or does it have too much Coolant, if other 5 quart is old coolant and water....
Thanks
1998 e320

You're going about it all wrong.
You need to remove the pan under the engine, then the other pan under the radiator and foglight (the bumber "apron").
Then you'll be able to loosen the radiator drain plug, but you also need to loosen the block drain plug, which is on the right side of the engine near the motor mount, to drain the block.
After it drains out, then you can start adding coolant and water in a 50:50 mix. You shouldn't be removing the thermostat or anything like that to do this job. You should also use the MB coolant.

Gilly

Thanks Gilly,

Here is why I did this..

2 weeks ago, I took the car to so called mechanic, he drained the radiator, by only opening the radiator plug, and he filled it with MB coolant 3 quarts and rest water. He did not open the block drain. It appeared at that time there was green coolant, and someone did replace ccolant or added, dont know.

Yesterday, I changed the T-stat, while changing, I thought I do what I stated earlier in the post.

So, based on the what mechanic did, just flush the radiator, and what I did yesterday..what do you think?

Thanks in advance.

I don't have a problem with just draining out the old stuff (completely as reasonably possible) and refilling it. The mechanic should have drained the block also. In my opinion that's the only thing he did wrong.
What I believe you have done has left mostly water in it.
Is there a dealer nearby that you can obtain the MB coolant? I'd get 2 gallons of it.
It is difficult to accesss the block drain without the car being on a hoist.
I'd drain it, put in 1 qt of straight MB coolant (undiluted) then use 50:50 MB coolant/water mix, because there is likely a rather weak mix in there right now, the 1 qt will make up for the existing weak mix that won't drain out.

Gilly

GillY I really apprecite your time and effort in responding quickly.

1. So, you are saying what I did (not a right method thru hose in Resarvoir and T-stat housing open, running full heat and car running) did flushed out the system entirely?

If thats the case mentioned above (1) than I had 5 Quarts of water in the radiator and the engine. Than I added straight MB coolant into the RESERVOIR and 1 Quart of water in RESARVOIR.

If thats the case why do I need to add 4 more quarts Coolant... Right know if above is true I have 4 quarts Coolant (I know this for fact, since I poured the 1 gallon in the Resarvoir) This makes 40% Coolant and 60% Water...

What do you think... I hope I am not confusing here...:(

Yeah, I guess I see your point.
Maybe the best course of action is to either buy an antifreeze tester or just have it checked at a garage, they should be willing to do this for you, it's not a big deal, and decide how much you'd want to drain out to get it to the freezing point you'd like to have.
You can find decent anti-freeze testers in lots of locations, try either a department/discount store or an auto parts place should have them pretty cheap too, Autozone, PepBoys, places like that, and check it out, I assume it should be pretty well mixed up by now (just like us!)

Gilly

Thanks Gilly, I am goign to pep boys.. to pick up the tester..

Clarification... needed
1. By doing what I did, did it flush the system entirely.

2. If, So.. The 1 gallon MB coolant I poured into the RESERVOIR, is it still sitting in resarvoir, OR.. you think it mixed in with the rest of the water in the radiator and engine...

Thanks a million..

Hi Merc1,

I don't know your car, but I assume the coolant flow is from reservoir back to radiator, then to thermostat housing, then engine and then back to reservoir, once operating temp. is reached, i.e. thermostat is open. So if you reached operating temp, the antifreeze has completely mixed. On my 87 420, I can feel the rubberhose between radiator and reservoir getting hot, which means coolant is flowing.

You flushed probably the reservoir, radiator and hoses, but not the engine.

Regards

Reinhard Kreutzer

Sounds like it should have flushed it pretty well.
I would have preferred to stick with the tried and true method of just draining the old stuff and refilling, sounds like after what the cooling system has been through that the old green stuff is long gone though.

The gallon you put in should be mostly mixed by now (assuming you drove the car to PepBoys).
If the ratio seems strong at this point (-40 or colder), I would leave it alone for now and recheck it in a week.
If it seems rather weak now, say +10 or warmer, drain or siphon off 1 or 2 quarts, add an equal amount of undiluted antifreeze, and recheck in a week.

Reinhard, since he had the thermostat removed when he ran water through it, it should have at least weakly flushed the engine block.

Gilly

Thanks Gilly and Reihard..

Well, I feel better knowing all old stuff came out, and the remaining 5 quart in the engine was water.

I guess it will cycle thru my reservoir and mix the antifreeze. I will drive another 20 30 miles and have the check for antifreeze ratio.

Thanks again.

Thanks, Gilly

I overlooked that he had the engine running for 10 minutes.
So part of the flow should be from the lower connection of the radiator through the engine, as the waterpump is working and pumping the water towards the thermostat, where it then comes out.

Reinhard