w210 E300TD Coolant Loss

[mat_at_home]

Hi,

My 1997 E300 is loosing coolant somewhere. About every 2-300 miles I am getting to "Coolant Low" up on the Dash. I can not see any puddles under the car, and see no steam in the exhaust. I have put about 4 litres of coolant back into the car in the last 800 miles!!

Any ideas!

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[wscheffer]

What is the condition of your oil?

Does it have water bubbles in it or is it normal?

 

[mat_at_home]

I had new oil put in when I got the car, so its only 1000 miles old. The oil seems ok, there are no water bubbles and the oil cap is oily and with no mayo. It looked fine before the oil change also.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

At the back of the engine inbetween the engine and firewall is a coolant pipe. Check it hasn't rusted through.

 

[wscheffer]

Feel under the water pump to see if it is wet.

 

[mat_at_home]

Just got home from work and I now have a visible leak underneath, so I should be able to locate it now, hopefully its only a rubber pipe. Got to get the ramps out of the garage and take off the plastic tray/cover and see where its coming from.

 

[television]

http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.as...GA=722.608&CT=F&cat=45P&SID=83&SGR=180&SGN=05

These are all of the pipes in the heater part of the system

 

[mat_at_home]

Ah thanks Malcolm, I will print that out and take it outside with me,

 

[mat_at_home]

Ok found the leak, its at the back of the engine on the right hand side if standing at the front of the car looking towards the rear.

I think its on a metal pipe, just before the firewall, so maybe it can be plugged.

Is it worth trying some radweld first before sending the car to my indie, or is that just asking for trouble elsewhere?

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[Blobcat]

That is the part that POD advised above ^

 

[mat_at_home]

Yes your right it looks like POD was correct!! Is that going to cost me a lot in labour, or can it be easily replaced?

 

[television]

Buy a new one, any garage can fit it, if you cant do it your self

 

[mat_at_home]

Ah that sounds relatively cheap then, I will get a quote from my indie and see how much it is. Looks like it is in to awkward position for me with my fat fingers!

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Its a pain to fit. Don't put any radweld in.

I just had mine sleeved with rubber pipe, quicker and easier, secured at either end with a jubilee clip.

 

[mat_at_home]

Ok got some plastic metal stuff (Rocol 64011 Metal Repair Compound) on the hole, hopefully it will help me for the next two weeks, as I have 16 x 12 hour shifts to do over the next 16 days.

I will then get a day off and will replace the pipe myself. I plan to leave the old pipe in, and rest the new pipe next to it / above it. Would this be ok? Looks like a difficult job to remove the existing pipe.

 

[Blobcat]

I have 16 x 12 hour shifts to do over the next 16 days.

Ugh! Are you sure you picked the right user name? "mat_at_work" may have been better

 

[mat_at_home]

Yeah true, but then again I have 5 weeks off from the end of july to the begining of september!! So I will be then mat_on_holiday!

 

[mat_at_home]

Ok the plastic metal did not work, had to top up 6 litres in 20 miles today, as the coolant light came on three seperate times.

I have ordered a new pipe (£76! ) which I will get on friday, and have disconnected the ends of the old one (which was harder to remove than expected).

It looks difficult to remove the old metal pipe, so I am thinking of using metal zip-ties, and tie the new pipe to the old one. Hopefully that will secure it in place. Fingers crossed eh!!

 

[Parrot of Doom]

You mean jubilee clips? That would be best.

 

[mat_at_home]

I will use jubliee clips to secure the rubber hoses onto the new metal pipe. But I am planning to just use stainless steel zip ties to secure the new pipe to the existing old pipe. Mainly as I can get them for free from work.