This so called Bullet Proof W202 has blown a Rad.

[Steve Holland]

Well this long awaited Mercedes owning journey is costing a bloody fortune!!!!!

Yesterday evening sitting in traffic and "BANG".............."HISHHHHHHHHHH" ! quick glance at the temp and reads normal just above 80 ???

I think to "myself bugger it a hose has split?"

Pull over open bonnet, to be met with a split clean across the plastic top tank and a white brown stained internal valve thingy sitting alongside fuse box in the corner of the wheel arch.

An explosion of huge proportions.

Yes I know .......I've now read the threads.......it's common, it happens and normally just as spectacular.


Checking on the www and flea bay they are available for around £90.00 is that reasonable?

A local rad building/company wants £105.00.

A question having removed the rad how much transmission fluid is lost when swapping a Rad.


Any ideas on why? Other than wear and tear - it's the original rad by the look of it and so now 15 years old.

Also looking for the plastic fan cover as it ripped the top lugs off that as well as the front top plastic engine cover also damaged.

 

[NW_Merc]

As far as I know, you wont get any transmission fluid loss on your C180 as the radiator is only part of the engine cooling system. Not the transmission.

Check:

1. The viscous fan coupling and blades if they have been damaged
2. Check all hoses

With regards to blowing up of the radiator, maybe a channel has become blocked and caused an increase in pressure. Sorry can't be more helpful, other members will put it better than me.

I flush the cooling system and look at the colour of the water coming out, this helps clean out the channels before refilling the system. Maybe the coolant wasnt replaced and resulted in corrosion and blockage with eventual failure and 'exploding rad'.

 

[Steve Holland]

As far as I know, you wont get any transmission fluid loss on your C180 as the radiator is only part of the engine cooling system. Not the transmission

Mine defo' has pipes from the Auto box running into the lower part of the Radiator.

Luckily no blade damage as I stopped the car on hearing the sonic boom.

 

[NW_Merc]

Mine defo' has pipes from the Auto box running into the lower part of the Radiator.

Luckily no blade damage as I stopped the car on hearing the sonic boom.

Hmm, it may well have a transmission cooler then. Though I would expect then, that the two coolers would be independent, so one just clips to the other. I still shouldnt think you should get any loss of ATF by removing and replacing the coolant radiator for the engine.

 

[Steve Holland]

Oil cooler is built into rad on lower cross member, the various rads available for my C180 W202 Estate Classic specify variations as Manual and Air Con with the standard having the transmission oil feed pipes.

Having said that I do seem to have a perculier model as many parts seem to be on later vehicle specifications when I try and order parts .

 

[NW_Merc]

If you're in doubt, then I'd probably have some ATF ready and maybe do a gearbox service too while you're at it to be on the safe side?

 

[DSM10000]

The car is approaching its 16th year, hardly a cause for complaint when a component subject to changing thermal loads and pressure changes fails or are you just needing to let off steam?

 

[Steve Holland]

Well it's only done 92,000 miles in that time and seems overall in pretty good nick and compared to some of the old jollopy's I've had and run into the ground for 200,000 plus miles I would of expected the cream of German engineering to have maybe lasted a little bit better than this.

As the rad men I phoned up today said " Don't know how those things never got a recall - you'll be amazed how many have blown their heads off in the last 15 years...........we carry them as a stock item !!!"

I'm not that bothered.....the car let off enough steam for us both, but it would be nice to know how much oil sits in the bottom of the rad?

Gearbox oil is only 4 months and 6,000 mile old.