how and what could have caused this. the pics arent that clear but it looks as if this was dropped into a bucket of acid. it looks eaten away. any ideas?

__________________
1980 300D

that is pretty normal looking corrosion. i would wire brush it off and put a new hose on it and go! if i had time to wait i would paint it before putting the hose on.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

eh, but its not just normal. man i wish my camera would have taken better pics. its really pitted. a small little bb sized chunk broke off in my hand while cleaning it. it looks like there was a very harsh reaction to something. ive seen them corroded, but not this bad. i will be putting in the new thermostat when its arrives. so when i have it all apart again, ill try to get a clearer pic this time.

__________________
1980 300D

or long term results from using the wrong coolant?

possibly, i just got the car. its got the green stuff in it now. well it did. today, among many other things, i flushed the system, degreased it, and did a citric flush.

__________________
1980 300D

My '83 has the same problem. Definitely from a combination of a lack of coolant change, wrong type of coolant, and the skinny band stock MB hose clamp. Make sure to use MB approve coolant or Zerez G-05. Along with using wider band aftermarket hose clamps for better sealing.

__________________
1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

If you don't know what it is, I'd flush it out. Then again you could have refilled with Sierra (or another Peak product) which is green, but propylene glycol based. This is up for debate, but lots of MB people stand behind Peak products.

__________________
-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

oh dont worry, i spent a lot of time today flushing it out. im putting Zerex in it as soon as the thermostat i ordered from Phil gets here.

__________________
1980 300D

I just changed / flushed an unknown coolant from my '85 300D.....and renewed my thermostat......refilled with the high dollar official MB coolant.....

If you haven't access to an MB Service manual.....and if your new Thermostat has an Arrow stamped into it's edge......the Arrow points up......

SB

Forgot to mention......that is probably what long term use of incompatible coolant looks like......why I changed my coolant in the first place.....to avoid something like this....

__________________

Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

maybe yes. i confess that i drove benzes for close to 20 years without realizing that the antifreeze made any difference!

the corroded necks is about all i ever suffered from it. but this is mainly with the iron block iron heads.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

There are some great threads in the archives about antifreeze.... when dealing with MB it is more complicated than your past experience...
HINT... Changing out the HEATER CORE up under your dash ( not to mention the antifreeze cleanup job when which caused you to realize you had a problem ) because you used the wrong coolant or did not flush often enough is a severe economic penalty !
TAKE HEED and read up on it...