Hi All:

I just bought a 1986 Mercedes Benz 300SDL with 260K miles on it. Fell in love with it almost the moment I saw it. Burgundy red with almost pristine black leather interior, body's good and very minimal rust, and what I think is a pretty solid frame...the (really stinking rich) little old lady who sold it to me was entirely willing to hand it over for a song.

Anyhow, here's the rub. She might have had a "creative" mechanic. There's a open rubber tube filled with green coolant standing vertical against the engine compartment containing the brake fluid unit. When I saw it, I was freaked . Seriously, i thought there was a part missing. Maybe there is. The coolant has to be leaking, right?

It originates off the radiator, travels down through this thing with fins, over the wheel well and is leaning up against the compartment containing the brake fluid unit. It doesn't over heat. It's not getting hot. The engine chatters quietly (well, fairly quietly...its a diesel after all) The heat works, and that sucker flies down the freeway no problems.

Now, it runs a little rough once turned over (it's January after all), but otherwise runs just fine once warm, and looking over that side of the engine, I cannot see where this coolant tube is supposed to connect to???

I'll try to post some pics soon, but any leads are appreciated.

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Ethan Hunter
1986 Mercedes-Benz 300SDL (263,000 miles)

It's on the wrong side that hose from your radiator needs to be connected to the hard plastic fill tank on the left. Maybe the plastic is cracked? I'm just looking at the SDL I picked up today and noticed the work of a lazy mechanic.

pics would help, but the coolant tube at the top of the radiator is supposed to connect to the expansion tank with the radiator cap.

possibly he has a gasser radiator installed?