W124 E320 C, coolant change and flush

[MotardMan]

I'm not convinced my car has the correct mix, and rather than risk a nasty corroded mess in the engine bay, I want to flush the system and refill with new. Tips and ideas for avoiding air locks and making this as painless as possible please!

Cheers.

 

[television]

Air locks are not a real problem on MB engines, the easiest way to avoid one is to fill to the height of the water pump and start the engine then top up while the engine is running and the heater on hot

 

[MotardMan]

Thanks TV. Would it be worth removing the rad and flushing it out whilst I have the coolant drained?

 

[television]

Thanks TV. Would it be worth removing the rad and flushing it out whilst I have the coolant drained?

You may just as well. best done by taking off the bottom hose to clear out any flakes of sediment

 

[Ade W124]

The haynes manual has reasonable guidance on this for a change..

There are two flushing points, one at the base of the rad, one up behind the manifold. I managed to attach a bit of hose to both which helped keep the old coolant off me and floor and into a bucket..

You should be able to do it without taking off the engine tray but I took mine off anyway.

To flush, detach a top hose for the rad and the thermostat housing for the engine (I sheared a bolt here with very little force)... and insert hose pipe.

Very straight forward if you discount buying the axle stands and shearing the bolt

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=27645&highlight=coolant

Ade

 

[MotardMan]

No worries. I note on my car the "bottom" hose is half way up the rad! That is going to make a flush very awkward. Unless I remove the rad, which will mean dropping the auto box lines off too, right?

 

[MotardMan]

The haynes manual has reasonable guidance on this for a change..

There are two flushing points, one at the base of the rad, one up behind the manifold. I managed to attach a bit of hose to both which helped keep the old coolant off me and floor and into a bucket..

You should be able to do it without taking off the engine tray but I took mine off anyway.

To flush, detach a top hose for the rad and the thermostat housing for the engine (I sheared a bolt here with very little force)... and insert hose pipe.

Very straight forward if you discount buying the axle stands and shearing the bolt

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=27645&highlight=coolant

Ade

Ade, thanks, our posts crossed in the dark. I really must check the w/shop manual before asking dumb questions......

;o)

Jim

 

[MotardMan]

Job done. Well, half done.

There was absolutely NO anti freeze in the system. The coolant did not have that whiff you get from anti freeze. The water that was drained was red and rusty, thankfully no sludge seems to have built up in the rad as I let it flow out the drain point on the rad and into a tray, then onto the drive and into the drain... Panning for gold revealed no nuggets in the tray. I flushed using a hose poked in the thermostat housing and leaving the radiator drain open. I ran the tap until the system was spewing out clean water.

I only managed half the job as the 5l of anti freeze I thought I had turned out to be 2 5l containers with hardly any in them, and a 5l container which was 50/50 diluted. So, I refilled with what I had and did not bother draining the engine down. Another day.

Thanks for the advice so far. Next time I'll do a DIY write up with pretty pictures. Hopefully it will be next week.

 

[MotardMan]

BTW, if you want to get a Sportsline equipped W124 onto your ramps, just use some wood at the base of the ramp so the car climbs onto the wood before climbing on the ramps. Avoids a valance ramp interface. Oh, and I found a massive Stanley flat blade screwdriver some monkey had dropped in the engine bay at some point. It has a melted handle where it was resting near the downpipes....

 

[television]

BTW, if you want to get a Sportsline equipped W124 onto your ramps, just use some wood at the base of the ramp so the car climbs onto the wood before climbing on the ramps. Avoids a valance ramp interface. Oh, and I found a massive Stanley flat blade screwdriver some monkey had dropped in the engine bay at some point. It has a melted handle where it was resting near the downpipes....

Finding the screwdriver should have fixed the rattle.

I had to laugh when you did not find what you thought that you had got

Its fatal to put something diluted back on the shelf

 

[MotardMan]

Finding the screwdriver should have fixed the rattle.

I had to laugh when you did not find what you thought that you had got

Its fatal to put something diluted back on the shelf

LOL! I laughed too, for about 2 seconds....... ;o)

I've learned my lesson now, trouble is the roads round here are so flooded I dare not risk going down the hill to go and get some anti freeze from Halfords in Gloucester. It can wait, at least the system now has about a 20% mix in there, and the final flush and refresh should mean my cooling system is in tip top condition. Just out of interest, is the MB coolant additive more pricey than the high street or factors stuff, and if it is, is it worth the extra?

 

[kth286]

I only use Mercedes coolant and with soft water only.

The Merc stuff is more expensive initially but if your car is a keeper will be far cheaper in the long run as the stuff is ph neutral and will not damage the mix of materials you have in the cooling system ie. mix of metals and plastics/rubber will not be so damaged over time.

 

[MotardMan]

This car is a keeper, but even if it were not, I'd like to think I'd be using the right materials in its upkeep. However there is a lot of snake oil put about by dealers and manufactirers about what to use and why.

Anyone know if there is a standard for anti freeze out there like there is for oils? Oh, and I am not trying to start a "which oil is best" type thread!

;o)

Jim

 

[Ade W124]

BTW, if you want to get a Sportsline equipped W124 onto your ramps, just use some wood at the base of the ramp so the car climbs onto the wood before climbing on the ramps. Avoids a valance ramp interface.

never thought of that...

ramps are back up north - the axle stands take up less space in the shed


Ade

 

[television]

never thought of that...

ramps are back up north - the axle stands take up less space in the shed


Ade

I can see that it has given you a lift

 

[JIZZSTER]

spam removed spammer banned

 

[MotardMan]

W124 COUPE TRY spam removed spammer banned WEB FORUM FOR W124 COUPE AND CABRIOLET OWNERS VERY FRIENDLY

STEVE

Would me trying this other forum be like being unfaithful to this forum? ;o)

What if I like it more, or it is prettier, or more intelligent? God help me if it has bigger breasts than this forum.....