Radiator recore, advice please?
Hi,
I have just finished installing new water pump and thermostat, which involved removing the radiator.
The back of the radiator (nearst the engine), is fine and solid.
The front however has very brittle fins, infact they just crumble to the touch. This has only happened in one small section, but I suspect the same will happen over most of the front.
The radiator is not leaking and appears to be working fine.
Whilst the radiator is removed, should I opt for a recore, or should it still be alright?
Another point was the rubber gasket provided with the thermostat, is a different shape to the original.
The new gasket is round, the old one has a bump on one side with a hole in it, which fits into a crevass on the housing.
Is there any particular reason for this "bump", or am I okay using the new one?
Thanks
The brittleness is an indication the the core is old and frail, therefore it should be serviced, i.e replaced or re-cored. Re-coring is cheaper by far, however, if the system is not leaking yet, I do not see any reason not to continue using this current radiator untill this develops into a leak.
You are aware this cost is pending, if can spare the cost then repair the unit, it may be that now you can afford the vehicle to be 'off-the-road' at a latter date you may not be able to afford this time off, only you can answer that. Alternately, why spend if you do not immediately need to?
Put on the thread some photograhs of the thermostat and gasket and seal.
Choice is still yours, Regards,
Hi is the thermostat to an MB part number? the seal looks non compatible with the thermostat housing.......the orifice in the housing will be blanked of if you use the new seal.....
MB part exactly the same number
It does not look right, your original seal seems thicker than the replacement. Have you tried offering the new seal to the new thermostat to see how it woulld fit int he housing?
As long as the seal covers all around the thermostat there should be no problems, but what concerns me, you say the new seal covers up the hole we see, in which case I would say this is definately the wrong seal.
It looks like you will need to head bash with the dealers and get an experienced parts member to looking this for you, M/benz do constantly modify parts introducing additional parts to make their replacements work, it looks to me that some one has not told you of this additional replacement you require.
Falling this, re-use the old seal, but I think you may find this does not sit on your thermostat properly.
The new one sits fine, and where the old one has a hole, there is a channel behind. The new thermostat is identical to the old one, and the old rubber sits on it fine.
So with the new one there will be no gasket over this channel, but I cannot see that this would necassarily be a problem.
However someone thought it was a good idea with the original design, so I think I'll just use the old one.
The rubber is very slightly perished in parts, but I think it should hold up okay.
Just really wanted to know if anyone had fitted a new thermostat and had the same issues.
Aye,
Where ever did Mercedes source those crap radiators
As when I bought the Van the Radiator was on its way out and was duly replaced a couple of years ago.
same symptons, rotten fins, crumbled away at a touch.
However :oops:
FORD / VW Galaxy radiator 1998, 193,000 miles
Origional radiator, still physically sound, holding temperature perfectly too.
Hmmm
&
A mate a No of years ago had a 190
Mercedes said one replaced the radiator at 100,000 miles :shock:
His comment at the time was that Vauxhall fitted better radiators
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Here's the thermostat.
New one on left, old one fitted.
I would prefer to use the new one, as the old seal is 20 years old, but just a bit unsure due to the different shape.