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upper radiator neck leaking?
I notice that every few months i have to add in a little water to the coolant tank.
today...i just squeeezed the upper hose and some water oozed around it.. should I 1. Tighten the clamp 2. Take off the hose and see if the neck is leak-ing... 3. If the plastic is cracked ..do the home-made neck saver 4. Plan for a new radiator I'll bet this has been going on for 8 months...and i really never gave it a second thought.. this is on the CE
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1989 300ce 129k ( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone) 1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus 1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k 1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it [/SIGPIC] Last edited by lee polowczuk; 09-16-2006 at 09:55 PM. |
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I'd plan on doing that before I drive the car again. It could break and leave you stranded. |
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If it all possible I'd get it replaced now.
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How old is the radiator?
If its original don't tighten it you could break the neck. I'd replace the radiator, heater hoses, and flush with MB coolant. Then forget about it.
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1999 SL500 1969 280SE 2023 Ram 1500 2007 Tiara 3200 |
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its a behr. don't know how old it is...
did the ovp on Friday.. i think it was original. i'll look for some markings tomorrow.. what brand replacement...?
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1989 300ce 129k ( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone) 1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus 1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k 1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it [/SIGPIC] |
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I'd stick with a Behr radiator, not that there aren't others of equal value/performance.
I've followed a lot of radiator threads here and have yet to find any sort of solid consensus that anyone made anything near as good as Behr. When mine gave up the ghost, I stuck with Behr. That was 4 or 5 yrs. ago. You may hear yack here that Behr's upper necks are reinforced with a metal sleeve. They must of left mine out when they built it and I've heard from a couple of local independent techs that the metal sleeve insert hasn't been around in awhile. Like everything else these days, corners are being cut to save $$$. One of the things that kills the upper necks in my opinion other than age is overtightening. Back in the early days at this forum, a tech named Benzmac suggested that one use a cooling system pressure tester to adjust the upper neck hose. Refit everything, then hook up cooling system pressure tester. At this stage, your upper neck hose clamp is snug, but not too much. Pump the system up to around 17-20 lbs and gradually tighten the upper hose clamp until the leaking stops.
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Mike Murrell 1991 300-SEL - Model 126 M103 - SOHC "Fräulein" Last edited by Mike Murrell; 09-17-2006 at 01:36 AM. |
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behr radiator-- with a surprise
I have a behr radiator ...with what looks like a factory mercedes sticker and part number on it.
there is also a smaller green sticker with raised braille type lettering... Here's the kicker-- the neck had a shiny aluminum insert in it. i took off the hose obviously..and looked for a ..but didn't see anything.. i re-rightened the hose...and now have the car idling... i am going to watch it for about an hour or so.. like i said in the original message-- the water that i was losing was so minimal...i thought it was evaporation... i'll just have to monitor it for a bit.. i am not opposed to paying a couple of hundred dollars for a radiator..but why if i don't have to... i do want to get motor mounts in.. i have one in my stock..and have to get the other...
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1989 300ce 129k ( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone) 1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus 1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k 1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it [/SIGPIC] |
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With the engine cooled off, hook up a cooling system pressure tester. Watch for leaks. If it's leaking at a hose-to-radiator-pipe-connection, gradually tighten clamp until it stops. You can rent these at the mass marketer parts shops like Auto Zone. The one they rent fits perfectly to my MBs pressurized coolant tank without any adapters. I've found these to be invaluable for locating leaks. Much better than trying to eye ball a warm/running motor. That approach doesn't always work.
Another possibility is a small plastic elbow piece on top of radiator(more to drivers side) that has a long/skinny hose connected to it. This hose goes back to the overflow tank. This elbow has been known to leak and it's been mentioned at this forum many times that it's replaceable and available at your local dealer. It's also available here. Photo below. http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=1KU172UOY1WE0NEJEJ&year=1989&make=MB&model=300-CE-001&category=G&part=Radiator+Fitting
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Mike Murrell 1991 300-SEL - Model 126 M103 - SOHC "Fräulein" Last edited by Mike Murrell; 09-17-2006 at 10:59 AM. |
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thanks , mike..
i keep one of those plastic things in my spare parts bin.. i also noticed that the radiator is stamped with BEHR and also stamped into the metal with the mercedes star. I like the idea of the leak tester... i will do that..
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1989 300ce 129k ( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone) 1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus 1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k 1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it [/SIGPIC] |
#10
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If you have the metal sleeve and it still seeps after you keep tightening it then maybe the hose is not making a good seal. What I've done in that situation is just get a new hose and it will most likely seal better.
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thanks Ron.... sometime this fall, i am going to take the radiator out and do the fan bracket.. i may put new hoses on then.. and do a good flush and some zerex and hopefully be good for awhile...
btw... i will probably rent your tools for the valve stem seals and do it myself here... so many projects.
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1989 300ce 129k ( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone) 1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus 1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k 1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it [/SIGPIC] |
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