Ok, Seems to be fairly common issue, The plastic barb on the top of your radiator (82-85 I believe) gets brittle with age and breaks off, leaving coolant spraying all over your engine.



Here is a $1.25 fix.

Goto the local hardware store and find one of these barbs. Take the broken piece with you if you can, and maybe even the hose just to make sure you get the right size.



Drill a hole CAREFULLY thats a little smaller than the threaded end of the barb. The tank plastic is very thin and take no effort whatsoever to drill so again, slow and careful. I covered my threads in High temp red gasket sealer to stop any potential leak (might be overkill)



Using pressure from your finger and the correct wrench for the barb, push on it while screwing it against the new drilled hole. IT should thread itself and then tighten up.

Reattach the overflow tank return line, give the gasket sealer a little time to harden and you should be gold.



Nice thing is it's replaceable should it ever break again.

Attached Thumbnails

         

Nice !!

I remember some years back, somebody did a similar fix using a metal tire valve.

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Great idea.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Knowing that that part breaks off so easily, as preventative maintenance everybody should fillet the area with JB weld before the original nipple snaps off, and you should be golden.

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Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D

Oddly enough the jb weld does not adhear to the plasic on the radiator very well. I had infact done the jb weld trick first, which after sitting for 24 hours prompty popped right off... there was jb weld half way up the barb, plus the entire vally filled with it, as you see in te pictures, there's none now....

I think the fitting is better than the JB weld. In fact, it might be worth doing as preventive maintenance????

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

i used 2-part, high-temp epoxy from autozone and it worked great! i don't think JB weld will adhere to nylon fittings like the one you show in the pics.

__________________
john
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'98 E300 TD "Lukas" 156K
'11 C300 "Mia" 10K, Gorgeous!, Wifey's Car