BenzMan1

I was adding some freon to y AC and during this I hear pop and see this. It looks like their is now a small hole in my radiator. My questions are

1. How much trouble am I in?
2. Is this a DIY fix or a mechanic job
3. any ideas on pricing for this fix?





Thanks,
Jay

splinter

Not sure how adding refrigerant to your HVAC system could cause a breach in the engine’s cooling circuit.
None of MB’s HOAT antifreeze is green, either.

It’s easy enough to install a new radiator. Budget ~$200 for hardware and requisite consumables.
Labor might substantially increase that figure though.

samaritrey

what model do you have? were you suing freon with dye in it? just wondering if that is really coolant.

Glyn M Ruck

If it's a radiator leak & not a burst condenser coil for the aircon - make sure you fit a Behr radiator.

BenzMan1

I have a '99 C230k I was using the can freon. As far as I know it does not have die in it. I noticed that the fans started to run really fast fight as the pop happened.

Carsy

If I was sure it was the radiator & not the AC condenser I would remove it & take it to a radiator repair shop & receive an opinion on the condition of the radiator as a whole . Then ask whether the hole can be repaired. I had a rock through my aluminium radiator & the repair lasted about 8 years before it needed replacing.

Its hard to explain why the gassing caused it.

Good luck.

Boom vang

the two are not related, I think it is just by coincidence. The green is coolant leaking from your rad or hose. MB coolant is usually not green. The condenser and the rad are 2 separate units and not connected and one will not cause problems on the other. The only thing that the rad has in common with other parts is that it has a built in tranny oil cooler ( a source of much trouble with those that have a Valeo rad and auto tranny).

Adding a can of freon is not a DIY job as you need to see the pressures through guages and usually will cause more problems in the long run. See an A/c sepecialist because if you need to add freon you obviously have a leak somewhere

Glyn M Ruck

New South African built Behr radiators are so cheap in the US that the rad is not worth repairing.

Boom - I'm well aware that the condenser is separate to the radiator but if you overpressured the aircon you could burst it & blow an oil/refrigerant mixture onto the radiator fins. The pics do not show where the leak is.

Boom vang

it would have to be quite the over pressure to burst through the condenser, not sure if a DIY can packs that much punch. The green liquid to me looks like coolant

splinter

Mr. Ruck is justifiably proud of those excellent South African Behr radiators.



:D

Boom vang

they have diamond dust in them

Behr rads are great, the paint from Home Depot with that name (not related), not so great

BenzMan1

It looks like the leak in right behind the fan motor. Is that the rad or condenser?

Boom vang

rad

Glyn M Ruck

Very easy check - what colour is the coolant in the surge tank????

BenzMan1

Took my car into the shop this morning and it appears that the A/C condenser is the issue. Besides the car remained at normal operation temps.

Glyn M Ruck

I thought it might be. Some Polyolester refrigeration compressor oils for R134a are dyed green.