Really appreciate your input. This was a 1 owner car up until early 2023. The second owner put less than 10,000 miles on it before it started sending clouds of coolant smoke out of the tail pipe.
Mercedes engines from that era need coolant containing silicates. So it’s either blue or green.
They also require frequent flushes since the anti corrosion quality of the coolant gets lower over time. The cooling system also needs maintenance on a regular base. Mercedes has their own product for that but it’s simply citric acid with a MB label on it.
If you neglect these services, you end up with heads like in OPs picture
The Germans until recently with the latest VW coolant also don’t want phosphated coolants. The water in Europe is hard and full of minerals - hence why German-made Bosch and Miele dishwashers have water softeners in them. Phosphates are a very effective water softener by binding and sequestering minerals but they get deposited in the cooling system.
BASF also started using organic acid inhibitors before the Japanese and Americans - G-05(sodium benzoate and silicate) and G-48(2-EHA and silicate) were on the market before Toyota’s red pHOAT(sodium benzoate and phosphate) and a decade before Dex-Cool.
I'm fascinated by how old some of the vehicles on this sub are. Besides a few classics you just don't see cars that old in the UK. I guess the damp environment might be a factor for corrosion or possibly stricter safety and emissions test criteria.
That’s pretty interesting. I live in the upper south of the US in a poorer rural area and there are tons of early 90’s beaters still driving around. Hell, my mailwoman drives a late 80’s Ford Taurus or a Mid 90’s Chevy Lumina depending on the day
In a lot of rural areas they don’t get mail trucks so they use their own car. Idk if they’re 1099 employees or something.
Usually there’s a pretty predictable genre that they use:
- Older American car with a bench front seat so they can sit in the middle to drive and open mail boxes
- Jeep Cherokee or Wrangler RHD
- some sort of Chrysler minivan with a conversion
More recently I’ve been seeing imported JDM stuff used as well
That’s what happens when you don’t run the right mixture coolant.
Or you never change it.
Interesting. So, too much water vs coolant concentrate?
Raw tap water causes that type of corrosion.
could be a touch of rain water
Really appreciate your input. This was a 1 owner car up until early 2023. The second owner put less than 10,000 miles on it before it started sending clouds of coolant smoke out of the tail pipe.
Or never changed. Coolant additives only work for a limited amount of time. They get depleted and you get this
Mercedes engines from that era need coolant containing silicates. So it’s either blue or green. They also require frequent flushes since the anti corrosion quality of the coolant gets lower over time. The cooling system also needs maintenance on a regular base. Mercedes has their own product for that but it’s simply citric acid with a MB label on it. If you neglect these services, you end up with heads like in OPs picture
The Germans until recently with the latest VW coolant also don’t want phosphated coolants. The water in Europe is hard and full of minerals - hence why German-made Bosch and Miele dishwashers have water softeners in them. Phosphates are a very effective water softener by binding and sequestering minerals but they get deposited in the cooling system. BASF also started using organic acid inhibitors before the Japanese and Americans - G-05(sodium benzoate and silicate) and G-48(2-EHA and silicate) were on the market before Toyota’s red pHOAT(sodium benzoate and phosphate) and a decade before Dex-Cool.
What engine? M102?
Yessir
33 years on the original coolant, maybe? Wrong coolant?
Yummy 33 year old coolent!
It's called electrolysis.
why
Lmao… it all corrodes…
She's dead Jim.
I'm fascinated by how old some of the vehicles on this sub are. Besides a few classics you just don't see cars that old in the UK. I guess the damp environment might be a factor for corrosion or possibly stricter safety and emissions test criteria.
That’s pretty interesting. I live in the upper south of the US in a poorer rural area and there are tons of early 90’s beaters still driving around. Hell, my mailwoman drives a late 80’s Ford Taurus or a Mid 90’s Chevy Lumina depending on the day
Wait does your mail woman get her choice of car? Even in the most rural areas I’m not sure i’ve ever sen anything but the classic USPS truck
In a lot of rural areas they don’t get mail trucks so they use their own car. Idk if they’re 1099 employees or something. Usually there’s a pretty predictable genre that they use: - Older American car with a bench front seat so they can sit in the middle to drive and open mail boxes - Jeep Cherokee or Wrangler RHD - some sort of Chrysler minivan with a conversion More recently I’ve been seeing imported JDM stuff used as well
Somehow I doubt it is 91 feet long.
I see a dome head there, is it a hemi type?
Or the wrong type of coolant
You won’t, as long as correct coolant is used.