Car is consuming coolant? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

hufriedy · #1 12-21-2009, 02:17 PM

I have a 1983 turbo diesel (w123) and i noticed that its been consuming the coolant. I haven't noticed any leaks anywhere, the pressure is good, The thermostat, and the water pump was changed out almost 2 years now. I recently took it for a long drive (4 hours) I filled the reservoir and waited till the car heated up and the reading for coolant is at the correct height. I brought 2 gallons of distilled water and a gallon of the Dex (orange) 50/50 just in case. A third of the way through the trip the car started to over heat (100 c). I'll pulled over released pressure from reservoir waited 30 mins. opened the reservoir cap and filled almost the whole gallon of distilled water. after the pit stop the car worked great the whole way.

has anyone had this problem before? I would really like to put an end to this problem.

Graplr · #2 12-21-2009, 02:20 PM

How does your exhaust look/smell? Any color/odor? Notice any oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil?

hufriedy · #3 12-21-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graplr

How does your exhaust look/smell? Any color/odor? Notice any oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil?

I do have an exhaust leak, but I haven't notice any smell. Or other odor/color other than the radiator fluid smell and the color orange from the rad fluid. And there is no oil in the reservoir.

Graplr · #4 12-21-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hufriedy

I do have an exhaust leak, but I haven't notice any smell. Or other odor/color other than the radiator fluid smell and the color orange from the rad fluid. And there is no oil in the reservoir.

So your exhaust is clear and does not smell sweet? The reason I ask is one possibiliy of dissapearing coolant is the coolant passing through a hole(s) in the head gasket.

I would look harder for leaks. And I would get the correct fluid in there along with the proper blend of distilled water/coolant. You can use either MB Coolant OR Zerex G05.

hufriedy · #5 12-21-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graplr

So your exhaust is clear and does not smell sweet? The reason I ask is one possibiliy of dissapearing coolant is the coolant passing through a hole(s) in the head gasket.

I would look harder for leaks. And I would get the correct fluid in there along with the proper blend of distilled water/coolant. You can use either MB Coolant OR Zerex G05.

Thank you Graplr i really appreciate it. How long should it take to do a head gasket change? wow it sounds like an all nighter job

Aquaticedge · #6 12-21-2009, 03:34 PM

you also may want to look at your oil too, Pull the dipstick and see if it looks milky.

kerry · #7 12-21-2009, 03:39 PM

I'd look closely for a leak. While a failed headgasket is possible, it's not a common problem on the 617 engine. That's a lot of coolant to lose thru a headgasket in 2 hours. Seems like you'd see a lot of white smoke with that much coolant going thru the combustion chambers.

Graplr · #8 12-21-2009, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hufriedy

Thank you Graplr i really appreciate it. How long should it take to do a head gasket change? wow it sounds like an all nighter job

I would think if you lost a gallon of coolant in a few hours through the headgasket you would notice it in the exhaust.

Again, is your exhaust clear and does not smell sweet? I would first look for coolant leaks elsewhere and verify it is not leaking anywhere. Where you park is completely dry and there are no fluids on the ground?

If you can change a headgasket in a night's work I'm going to hire you as my personal mechanic. I've never done it but I can't imagine one could get it done in one night and drive it the next morning. I think the book time is around 15-20 hours. You will probably want to have the head checked out while it is off as well. BUT I wouldn't do anything with the head until I was fairly certain the coolant was disapearing through the headgasket. Hopefully others will chime in as I've never experienced a headgasket failure myself.

Cr from Texas · #9 12-21-2009, 04:17 PM

I wouldn't start a head gasket job unless I absolutely sure that was the problem. You don't seem to have those symptoms. I wonder if you might have had an air pocket from the last change that finally burped out. I'd ontinue to watch the level and keep driving. If it doesn't drop again, it aint broke and you don't need to fix it.