2004CLKSilver

Hi All,

I have a 2004 CLK 320. I discovered that I have a coolant leak and was able to locate the location of the leak. Please see attached photo to view exact location of leak. It is the tube that comes out of the coolant expansion reservoir. My question is:

Can I fix this myself using some glue or industrial quality tape? I hope I do not sound very naive as I don't know much about cars. If the options mentioned are not practical, what is my best option to fix it cheap?

Thanks in advance, Much appreciated.

DanielFD

well you could glue it technically though i would don't how efficient and reliable that would be. Almost all benzs have a tendency to break the reservoir at that specific spot, the usual fix is change the box itself its about 50$ maybe less at the stealership. not too expensive, also buy yourself 2 bottles of coolant then open the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator empty out all that water then remove and install the box, nothing complicated, then fill up the 2 bottles then continue with tap water until full. turn on the car and run until the car is at 90 degrees, turn up the heat inside to get there faster, that will open the thermostat and fill ur engine with the new water then top up again and drive, check up on it in 2 days it will probably be missing a bit of water as the air is now removed from the system then top up again and your good. (there is a faster way too remove air from the system but i think this way your always double checking everything for 2 days so its safer)

Yidney

Sort of depends on what kind of plastic it is. If it's ABS, super glue may work because it sort of melts ABS so that it actually welds together. On some other plastics you might as well use mayonnaise as super glue. Worth a try. You'll have to pull off that hose and get the crack real clean with some solvent like alcohol. But as Daniel said, doing it right does not cost a lot.

2004CLKSilver

Thanks DanielFD & Yidney. I ll for the change the box option as it is economical. Great Forum .. happy to have found it.

DanielFD

keep us posted as it will help other people too.

DanielFD

OH and btw! be careful installing that section of the box again! they break easily!

2004CLKSilver

Thx. will do. I am in Toronto, Canada. I just called the stealer it is $100.60 plus tax = $113 Canadian dollars which works out to roughly $86 USD.

irokdastar

try going to home depot and ask them for heavy duty plastic glue . they have them for high temperature as well . it comes in a syringe and you have to mix it . I dont think super glue would hold up from the heat cycles.

2004CLKSilver

Thanks irokdastar. I will try this option tomorrow. You are right Home Depot has heat resistant glue. I post an update in a few days to see if this works,

Yidney

I assume you are talking about an epoxy? Like I said, if its ABS I'd try super glue first. It's really not an issue of whether the glue will "hold". It's like when you glue PVC (white) or ABS (black) plumbing pipes together. The glues chemically melt the plastic so the two pipes melt together and basically become one piece. Super glue has the same effect on ABS, which much of the plastic on cars is made of. You can test it by putting a small drop of super glue on the same plastic somewhere. Let the drop sit 10 seconds then try and wipe it off. If it wipes off clean then it's not ABS. You'll be able to tell if it was starting to dissolve the surface. A good example of non-ABS plastic is the black plastic shields on the bottom of your car. That stuff is immune to super glue.

2004CLKSilver

Thanks Yidney for a detailed explanation. Hope it is ABS plastic.

2004CLKSilver

Just wanted to post an update as it may help others. I went for the high heat resistant glue option that I got from Home Depot. I did not drive the car for 2 days after applying the glue (This specific glue needs 12 hours to harden). So far it appear to be holding and did not see any additional leak. I will be topping off the coolant and will post another update at that time.

Thanks all for the help and suggestion. Great Forum