Looking for thr Coolant Drain Plug

[Ockman]

I did a search on changing the coolant on my 98 ML320. I saw Gilly's great instructions but for the life of me I can't find the drain he describes near the tow attachment on the passenger side of the vehicle. Mine is a April 98 production model, so according to the instructions it should be there. Nothing that remotely resembles a drain plug is in that area. Can anyone help?? This is weird!

[joe p]

Its there just damn near unaccessable. If your changing the coolant why not just dump the block? Thats easier the get to. Its right under the r/h manifold and is loosened by a 5 or 6 mm allen.



Joe

[Gilly]

I agree that the block should be drained to do this job, but also the radiator. Removing the lower hose will help some, but if you study the design of the radiator, there is still a large section which can't drain out of that hose, so to do a really good job, you need to get that plug loosened up, but it sure is hard to deal with.

The main problem is that it doesn't really look like you think it would. It's more of a flat extension in a round disc, kinda like a rectangular, flat chunk of plastic. It's on the FRONT of the radiator, passengers side. The bumper partially covers it. There is that hole in the bumper for the tow/retreival hook, you can see it through that hole, just barely.

Let me know if you need more help.

Gilly

[TBGeoff]

I experienced the same difficulty in getting at the rad drain plug this fall. Gilly will think it heresy (especially in a commercial shop) but I ended up popping the bumper shell off in order to access the plug. I'll claim that I'm not particularly dextrous, and besides, I'd exhausted my curse quota for the day already.

Good luck.



Geoff

[Gilly]

Sounds OK, whatever works for you. For someone in a shop who does it regularly, it's not really a "time saver" to remove the bumper, better off figuring out a way to operate it where it is.

Gilly