Since the last flush, I'm not getting any heavy deposits. Instead I'm getting lots of fine powered rust. I pulled the heater core hoses and the bright orange rust that was built up on the heater core and inside the hoses is completely gone! :-)
Looks like another flush similar to the last one should result in much cleaner coolant. On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 7:22 PM, Dan Penoff <lwb...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > Most likely your heater core is copper, or possibly aluminum. > > I had a similar situation on a W126 (300SD) I once owned. > > When I bought it the owner had just put a radiator on it within the = > year. When I inspected the coolant it was brown and rusty colored. = > Figuring that it just needed a good flush and a return to MB coolant, I = > removed it, flushed it and the cooling system, and installed the correct = > coolant. I would add that I also replaced hoses, as the hoses had a = > nasty accumulation of brown discoloration in them that I can only = > suspect was rust. > > Within a matter of weeks I started having problems with the temperatures = > rising if the car was moving more than about 40-50 mph. As soon as I = > crossed that threshold, the temperature would climb a good 10-15 degrees = > above the proper 82F or thereabouts. > > Anyway, I removed the radiator and took it to a trusted shop. The core = > was plugged in the very center but what they said was rust. Where it = > came from, I have no idea. When I flushed and refilled the system the = > coolant remained the proper honey color that MB coolant is. > > Apparently the core was already clogged, but since I bought the car in = > the winter (relatively speaking) the problem didn't manifest itself = > until the ambient temps got up relatively high. I can only suspect that = > they were running straight water in the system, and it caused the block = > to rust, as it's the only part in the system that could do so. > > Point being, flush the system for sure. Whether or not you'll continue = > to see the rust/crud in the system is questionable. I doubt it's your = > heater core. > > Dan > > > > From: "Brian Toscano" <brian.tosc...@gmail.com> > >> Ernest, > >> I have thought the same thing. After I replaced the thermostat/flushed > the > >> system I poured water in the upper radiator hose (connected to the > >> radiator) until water came out the thermostat housing. What I'm not > clear > >> on is how does a heater core get rusty? Are they made of steel or iron > and > >> not copper? Or does the rust from elsewhere just collect in the heater > >> core? > >> > >> I am somewhat concerned if the heater core is rusty and I try to clean > it, > >> that it may spring a leak! > >> > >> My current plan is to leave the system as is for now and see how dirty > the > >> coolant gets over the next 2-3 months. I suspect the hoses may > continue to > >> shed rust/discolor the coolant. What I don't want to do is spend money > on > >> something that will not solve the problem. If I'm going to get rust > even > >> with new hoses, I don't see any reason to replace hoses that are > otherwise > >> good. > >> > >> On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 5:32 PM, ernest breakfield < > >> erne...@backyardengineering.org> wrote: > > > >>> since your observation is that most of the crap is in the heater hoses, > >>> odds are that your cooling system isn't getting fully filled, and the > air > >>> in the system is rising to the highest point (the heater core) and > causing > >>> corrosion there. > >>> replacing the heater core in an XJ isn't fun. > >>> > >>> i'd suggest rinsing the heater core thoroughly, but hooking up the > >>> garden hose to the inlets on the heater core and letting is run 'til > it's > >>> clear, then hooking the hose up to the other side. repeat until fully > clear. > >>> then read up on how to get the system completely full ('burped') by > >>> filling at the radiator hose, and see if you still have the same > problem. > >>> cheers! > >>> e > >>> '85 300D (200K+) > >>> '94 XJ (240K+) > >>> > >>> On 02/Jun/12 10:51, Brian Toscano wrote: > >>>> Last night I drained the coolant from the drain plug on the radiator. > >>>> What > >>>> came out first was bright green. After a little bit, it turns rusty > >>>> brown, > >>>> and then turned to dirty coolant. This was just draining. Likewise, > what > >>>> is in the expansion tank is typically rust colored and when I poured > clean > >>>> water into the heater core, what came out was rust colored. What I > >>>> removed > >>>> the water pump what I saw was dirty coolant, but the inside of the > engine > >>>> (outside of the cylinder wall for #1) looks perfectly fine and > rust-free. > >>>> It makes me think the coolant does separate as it cools. > >>>> > >>>> The water pump itself looks fine also. A gasket leak developed on > the top > >>>> of the pump after I did the first round of flushing. > >>>> > >>>> What has the most crap buildup are the heater hoses. The supply and > >>>> return to the heater core have a rust buildup inside. The lower > radiator > >>>> hose has a large spring in it almost the entire length and that spring > >>>> holds a ton of crap. It makes me wonder where all this rust comes > from if > >>>> the inside of the engine looks fine. > >>>> > >>>> On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 8:39 AM, Brian Toscano<brian.toscano@gmail. > **com<brian.tosc...@gmail.com> > >>>> >wrote: > >>>> > >>>> I considered that the dark radiator has an effect on the coolant. The > >>>>> bright green when in the radiator is almost clear in a coolant > tester. > >>>>> However, what's in the expansion tank is darker. The original > problem > >>>>> has > >>>>> been fixed. The flushing I did definitely helped. I'm not expecting > >>>>> 100% > >>>>> perfectly new looking coolant in 11 year old engine with cast iron > block > >>>>> and head. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 9:26 PM, Max<meadedil...@bellsouth.net> > wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> Remove a sample from the radiator and another from expansion tank to > >>>>>> compare side by side; it's awfully hard to judge color inside a > dark > >>>>>> radiator. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Did you fix the original problem? > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I think your flushing method failed. > >>>>>> -- > >>>>>> Max Dillon > >>>>>> Charleston SC > >>>>>> '95 E300, '87 300TD > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com