The neck where the top hose isn't broken, but sometimes the top hose will come off under the pressure when I'm driving and coolant will leak come out. Will replacing the top hose and the clamp prevent this? I have seen threads about reinforcing the neck so it wont break incase the clamp is overtightened.

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.

Maybe you should investigate why you are getting so much pressure This could be a warning sign of a head gasket problem

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

I'm not sure but I can tell you that the nipple on top of the rad blew on mine. That part was cheap to buy. You can see what I mean here:

Please Help!!! Coolant Explosion!!!

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

Mine isn't the nipple coming off, it's the upper hose..but good thread there.

Is replacing the thermostat a DIY job? would a bad thermostat create too much pressure?

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.

I had a similar experience with the same radiator/motor.

What I noticed was that over time, these hoses "glaze" if you will or get slick.
I simply replaced the hose with an OEM part and that solved the problem.

My 2 cents.

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

THanks,
I will order parts from dealership today..hope to get them tomorrow.

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.

I always keep an extra plastic elbow on the shelf...since they are prone to cracking... I also keep an extra drain plug and thermostat, too... very cheap insurance.

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Is the thermostat easy to replace, moreover, where is it?

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.

The thermostat is very easy to replace on the 103 motor.

3 -> 10mm bolts come out and off comes the t-stat cover. You're going to replace the upper hose that connects to the t-stat connection, so now would be a good time to do it. There's a jiggler valve or air bleed valve that needs to be in the highest positon when you lay the t-stat in the housing. There are basically 2 brands used: Behr and Wahler.

Behr is considered OEM and Wahler has received bad press here. I've used both and have found the vehicle to run cooler with the Wahler. Your choice, though you're more likely to get a Behr unit if purchased from a dealer.

Some will say why not change coolant while you're at it? That again is your choice, but if you elect to go this route, buy the coolant from an MB dealer and mix with distilled water -> 50/50.

The radiator on your car has a red colored drain plug that in the lower front part - passenger side. In some cases this drain plug is very hard to get to. It is in mine and as a result, I simply remove a lower hose(an inch or so in dia.) from the back side of the radiator - passenger side and let the rad. and overflow tank drain at the same time. The block is drained by loosening a 19mm metal drain plug that's found on the passenger side in between cyl 5 & 6. You can hook up some heater hose to it in order to catch the draining coolant into a pan.

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

My car doesn't run hot really, its about 85-90 if stucked in hot traffic, other than that, it runs cool, below 80.

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.

If it runs that cool, you should replace the thermostat. The 103 engine runs around 87 degrees, about horizontal, when at speed in moderate weather. Running below 80 all the time will leave the engine in cold-start mode, which makes it run richer than it should.

Maybe that's why i get piss poor fuel economy.

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87' 300E champagne - Euro headlights and corners, 8-hole rims, 140,000miles/220,00km.