D'oh, you are correct! That info is buried in the fine print. The correct stuff is $13.26 per gallon. At least you only need to buy 2 to get the free shipping though.

http://www.amazon.com/Zerex-ZXGO51-G-05-Antifreeze-Gallon/dp/B0033QNZZ0/

I'll update the previous post.

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Originally Posted by vstech
it's not the aluminum parts you have to worry about, it's the plastic ones.

You 2 are right on this !!

There are people in white coats that spend years on developing corrosion inhibitor packages for coolants. Many of the real good ones have been banned ~ Arsenic, Chromate, Vanadium, Phosphates to name a few.

Every now and again we get a thread about some one with a bad top tank.
I often wonder what coolant they have been using.

It is quite clear that MB had good reasons (technical not commercial) for their coolant requirements.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

So, I'm curious....the car in question (92 300D) has 226,000 miles and has been on the green stuff since I've owned it (7 years, 89,000 miles ago). I'm switching to Zerex once the weather warms up. Radiator and aux water pump were changed about six years ago. Coolant changes have been done every 2 years.

So what are my most likely candidates for damage? Or am I likely OK?

Oddly enough, it had the green stuff when I bought it and the lady I bought it from always took it to the dealer. Perplexing....

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 156k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 173k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 143k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 67k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

One of the first signs of plastic damage can be seen by checking the top radiator hose inlet pipe int the tank. If you can easily scrape away plastic, kind of like crumbly cheese, from the inside of the tank fitting, its on the way out. It is more likely to be a problem if the motor has run very hot for extended periods.
What was the reason for the replacement 6 years ago?

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I'm having some difficulty recalling...it was when I first got the car and I was a complete novice. But I THINK it was a matter of the neck breaking/cracking.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 156k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 173k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 143k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 67k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Yes that is what happens once the degradation of the plastic tank goes beyond just the inside surface of the neck degrading. Dont panic just yet though, probably the plastic is ok. I hope you catch it before it goes all crumbly.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

The 50/50 mix is 1/2 water. so the engine takes about 2 gallons to fill it. as stated, the 50/50 is $9.60 a gallon X 2= $19.20.

One gallon of concentrate is $13.26. Mixed with one gallon of Distilled water @ say $0.80 = $14.06 for 2 gallons.

The premix would be $9.20 for the GO-5 and $0.20 for the water per gallon. Is it mixed with Distilled water, or hose water?

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Possibly the plastic issues, as noted above; although with a fairly recent radiator (which should have a metal-reinforced neck) you are probably ok. For reasons I don't fully understand, the OM60x diesels can cause weird internal deposits inside the radiator, resulting in abnormally high engine temps, even on a fairly new radiator. My '87 ran too hot when I bought it but the radiator was only 4 years old (new OE/dealer rad). I figured it couldn't be the radiator, so I changed everything else with no luck. Long story short, another new radiator cured it. That one lasted longer, about 10 years before it started leaking at the tank seam...

I wouldn't lose sleep unless you have issues with operating temps in the future which aren't cured by the usual new t-stat / rad / fan clutch.



You'll sometimes get a dealer that doesn't do the right thing. My guess is, they save a few bucks buying green instead of MB antifreeze. Maybe they pad the margins even more by then making their customers come back every 2 years for a flush since the green doesn't last as long; whereas the G-05 may cost slightly more up front but lasts longer so it's actually less expensive in the long run.