I was going to remove the anti-freeze expansion tank on my 190E yesterday just to give it a really thorough cleaning. After being filled with coolant for the past 17 years it has gotten kind of slimy inside and I can't see the level of the coolant without taking off the cap and looking inside.

I removed the one nut and the plastic fastener at the end of the tank, but when I tried to remove it I found that the bottom of the tank is attached the the inside of the fender. I gave it a firm pull but I was afraid of breaking something seeing as how the plastic tank is 17 years old. Is there a trick to removing this tank? I looked up the tank in Fastlane to get a better look at the bottom and it looks like it just has a plastic knob that pops into the fender. My tank also has a rubber grommet around the knob that connects to the fender. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Spray the knob with some penetrating oil, wait a few minutes and then twist the tank a bit back and forth. Should pop right out.

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A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.

You may want to consider silicone spray instead if the rubber is still good. It won't deteriorate the rubber as easily as penetrating oil will. It's a petroleum based chemical and will melt rubber fairly quickly.

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1973 220D 78k

Do'h! He's right.

__________________
A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.