Sierra Grande

The plastic reservoir on the driver's side of my rad is cracked. Time to replace. 11 years seems a good life for a piece of plastic which lives in hellish conditions. Opinions on good replacement brands? I saw a BEHR for $277 (partsgeek). I also saw some lower priced (tempting) models, but the factory rad says BEHR on it, so that seems like the obvious choice.

Also, while I have it apart and the front of the motor is more accessable, any other items I should consider? Maybe the oil cooler lines? I'm definitely replacing the fan clutch (looks like it's leaking out), all the coolant hoses and the serpintine belt.

Thanks!!

ejsheltra

Yes one other item to look at would be the belt tensioner and the condition of the serpentine belt. About 100K miles is a good time to replace both depending on condition.

Hirnbeiss

Voltage regulator, if your alternator is more accessible. I know the access on the 4matic is a bear.

Dave1965

Oil cooler lines are pretty stout. Wouldn't worry about those.

You want to rotate all the pulleys you can by hand with the belt off to check conditions on bearings. Check alternator, A/C pulley, idler, waterpump.

I would go ahead and replace thermostat and waterpump with a radiator change.

It's also a great time to clean out/hose down your A/C condenser.

Sierra Grande

Thanks for the excellent advice. Probably start looking at parts today. Hate seeing it stuck in the garage with the hood up.

Sierra Grande

Went through all the service records today (the previous owner finally got them to me a year later!!).

There is no record of any cooling system parts having been replaced. The water pump looks original as does the thermostat. There doesn't seem to be any play in the wp shaft, turns smoothly and no appearant leaks. The upper rad hose has a visible merc star on it. The lower hose matches the upper hose but no markings.

Pulley checks:
Alternator - smooth and quiet. (appears orig, no records)
Idler - very smooth, perhaps a little noisy. A tiny bit of play if you twist on it. (appears orig, no records)
AC - Smooth, quiet, no play. (ac service performed, comp appears orig)
Belt tensioner - Very smooth, makes intermittant dull clicks. (appears orig, no records)
PS pump - Smooth with no play (reservoir only replaced in past)

There's actually very little that's alarming. I expected it to look worse with 190k. Really, the only things that are obviously wrong are the rad and fan clutch. (and the 2" of mud on the crossmember under the rad!)

Sierra Grande

HELP!
There are like 10 different kinds of radiators that say they fit this car! I have only found one on ebay that references the part number off my radiator PN 2105005503. Price is $350+ship. I would much rather buy the one that is $175 (which also says it fits) but if it doesn't have the oil cooler or some other mis-configuration then I will not be enjoying my car for even longer.....

Oh yeah, and does anybody have any insight into the fan clutch? Same situation. Prices range from $70 to $480!!!!!! Thay all say they work! I doubt half of them are any good, but there is no way in hell I'm spending $480 on a fan clutch.

RichardM98

When it comes to auto repair parts, eBay is a bit of a crap shoot, in my opinion. I rely on either third party suppliers who sell OEM MB parts or dealers offering a discount. Some choices are autohausaz, germanstar, parts.com (MB section which is run by a dealership), buymbparts, peachparts, Anaheim (CA) MB and MB of Cincinnati.

Of course, I haven't personally done business with some of them.

Hirnbeiss

I went with a Meyle fan clutch. Pronably middle of the road, but Meyle has been around as an aftermarket supplier for a long time.

ohlord

www.autohausaz.com
Radiator
www.radiator.com
replace your water pump while out.

ejsheltra

Call Bob Rox at my MercedesParts.com. He has been there for 35 yrs and is a great help. Their pricing structure is very good for discount against a dealer price. Their volume is very high in internet business. They are a dealer in South Atlanta GA. You can mention my name to Bob as he has help me many times. All the best
Eric S. from Pittsburgh

skiier3_9

Did you remove the fan when you replaced the radiator? I've seen a couple posts where they did and at least another where the didn't. Is it necessary on the 4matic?

Sierra Grande

Sorry I took so long to reply. I'm not sure if you can get it out with the fan in or not. When I replaced my rad I also replaced my electric fan belt, fan clutch, belt tensioner and water pump so I had everything pulled anyway. I know this, it's pretty damn tight trying to get at the oil cooler lines and the more stuff that's out of your way the better off you will be.

Thanks again for the advice from everybody. I got busy and never posted results. Install went fine. I bought the rad from parts.com and it was a factory merc part and a great deal (about $300 SHIPPED!). Everything else came from autohaus.

I didn't do hoses, they looked perfectly fine, nor did I do the serp belt since it looked new.