Do you recognize what made the hole in the radiator?
 

Do you recognize what made the hole in the radiator? That piece of metal sicking out of the center of the fan.

While driving, I hear nothing wrong, and the dashboard light illuminates: “Hey, your water is low!”

I later pull over and see a puddle under the car. I had no steam.

There seems to be a hole in radiator, on the engine side (with the picture, it seems to be the shinny mark in the radiator). What could that metal piece be? It has a MB logo on it, with some numbers.

What else could be broken, that I should fix while replacing the radiator? The thermostat will be replaced, just for good measure.

Thanks for the help.

The numbers I can see seem to be …

122 ??? 602100013002 94 M06



W124 E420
Model - 124.034
Engine - 119.975

Its part of the fan clutch, which will need to be replaced, not repaired. As for additional parts just make sure that the radiator hoses are sound and the trans cooler lines aren't showing any leakage.

That is the bi-metallic strip that goes on the front of the fan clutch. It is responsible for engaging the fan when it heats up. Since that is off you may have also lost some silicone in the fan clutch as well. So you may also want to check on that. There is a small metal piece that resembles a piece if pencil lead that fits into a hole on the fan clutch and protrudes out and that bi-metallic strip fits over it.

The bread crumbs all fit together now
 

Well, now that the Fan Clutch was mentioned, I did some research.

Seems when the clutch is bad, it may not disengage, so the car runs cooler. I was having a cooler engine. A mechanic friend of mine suggested I replace the thermostat, but guess it was the fan clutch.

The radiator, fan clutch and thermostat are all ordered new from Pelican.

Thanks guys -

Next weekend is repair days. Hope the clutch is as easy as others have posted.

getting to the center bolt of the fan clutch will be a pain - I use a standard 8mm hex allen key to loosen it on my W124 OM606 engine. Once loose I then use the MB socket by stahlwile to unscrew the bolt and grab it between the index fingers of both hands and withdraw it out.

For some reason the 2 piece fan shroud on my car does not like to come out with fan in place. Ergo the radiator cannot come out. Once the rad is out there is tons of room for servicing anything on the front case of the engine.

I know what you mean, its a pain to get the fan bolt out, I have since become a pro at it without having to remove anything other than the radiator bracket. However, I don't think the OP will have a problem since his radiator must be replaced anyways. just take the radiator out and be careful of the hoses.

That sucks. It seems that strip isn't fixed very well, it fell out on my clutch and was gone from 2 used clutches I looked at.

An expensive repair from a small failure :(

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk 2

Ditch the FAn Clutch + Water Pump Pulley Powered Fan.
 

1.GSXR's 143/150 Amp Alternator "UpGrade",with associated larger AWG Conductors.
2.Super High CFM SLIM ELECTRIC "Puller" fan,mounted onto the backside of the Radiator.
a. More Clearance
b. Less "Drag" on the Uber complicated Serpentine Belt Drive/Tensioner system.
c. Water Pump LASTS longer.(Bearings!)
d. Actual increase in H.P. (Minute) from NOT having to drive that antiquated
Fan/Clutch System.
e. LESS EXPENSIVE!

By far the 124.034 / .036 cars are the worst to get the fan clutch bolt out of. It will be an ENORMOUS P.I.T.A. to get out.

That is why the strip is affixed with RTV silicon on the edges.

The new clutch I have has no RTV on the edges. Perhaps I should add some?

-J

Yes. Add enough to cover the edges, but don't spread it. Just apply it like you would toothpaste on a toothbrush. That way you can ensure that the silicone does not alter the function of the strip

I got me a used 606 clutch for kicks and found that the strip just sits there under spring tension, poo poo design.

two squirts of white or black RTV sealant on the edges of the BMS and let it sit overnight (dont start the engine) - otherwise you will see silicon rain on the fan blades which wont come off.

The used one was a toy to see how its built - I cut it up, I did however get a new genuine MB part to replace the old BEHR brand fan clutch which makes the car sound like a dump truck. The new Horton clutch is very good at its job - the fan does go loud but only for a few seconds only.