Radiator Worries

[Michel]

It started with a few drops of coolant on the floor...
And then it was a liitle more than a few drops when I realised my radiator in the 690SEL was leaking.

Off it went to my MB repairer who removed the radiator and sent it to a radiator shop.
The diagnostic was a stuffed radiator that couldn't be cleaned as it was leaking from everywhere.
A new core later (under $500) and it was ready to put in.

Alas, it never ends so easy.
I was advised by Morris (my MB engineer) that who ever 'touched' the engine cooling unit alongside the radiator had stuffed the thread in the past and he was unable to simply refit.

I am awaiting further news.....

 

[BenzBoy]

Buy the Bentley you told me about and Bugger the Benz.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

The 690SEL is still not back.....

Morris found another oil cooler unit...
(where on earth do you find 6.9 oil cooler units when they were not even an option on Australian delivered cars...)

Apparently 450s (imports) had them as an option...

But the thread from the lines is also damaged....
Awaiting Pirtek tomorrow to 'do something'....


NO BenzBoy.......
I like my 690SEL

I like that Bentley too.....

 

[Styria]

Hi Michel, you did well with the price of the recore. Trade price to me some three uears ago was round about $420.00, with a retail listing in excess of $500.00.

The problems that your radiator guy encountered can occur quite easily. With the oil cooler on imported 6.9's being alloy, undoing the 27mm fitting that is part of the flexible oil hose coming from the oil filter housing can damage the thread on the oil cooler mounting. Also when re-attaching, with the thread being so fine, one could easily cross-thread it. Similar can be said for the fittings on the bottom tank which take the oil lines from the Automatic transmission. They are somewhat more sturdy being made of brass and even when correctly started up, can give the impression that you're cross threading the flexible pipe fitting. It always pays to double check just to make sure.

Good luck with the 450 oil cooler-I didn't think that they would fit, but I can't double check at the moment. All I know is that I had similar problems some four years ago, with a somewhat less than perfect solution to the problem. Hope everything works for you. Regards, Styria

 

[WGB]

I have a spare oil cooler and radiator from an import 450 but don't know if it is any good or even if it is equivalent.

I wasn't particularly planning on selling either as I have a 450 with the same setup and was keeping them for spares.

The oil cooler on my Euro 6.9 is on the opposite side to my Euro 450 one and I never even considered that they would be a direct replacement - I am sure they may be mirror images at the very least.

I left my 6.9 with the air-conditioning guys when I went to New Zealand 10 days ago and they are still having trouble finding my leak so I can't even do a comparison for you but will look and photograph when all is returned if you like.

Bill

 

[WGB]

Had my 6.9 on the hoist today and found the part no for the Euro oil cooler - 116 180 13 65 upside down on the bottom rear edge of the tank with the numbering upside down.

As I said on a 6.9 the oil cooler is mounted to the left side of the radiator and on a 450 it is on the right side.

I looked over my spare 450 radiator and the oil cooler has the same number 116 180 13 65 on the upper outer edge with the numbering the correct way up.

It looks like they merely inverted the cooler to make it fit on a 6.9 but tacked to the side of it is a bracket for mounting it and it has a definite 'R' stamped on it with an 'L' on the other side of the radiator on the ex 4.5 one.

This might create a problem as presumably a 6.9 would need either the opposite bracket or may have a completely different mounting system.

Whatever the side mounting bracket appears to be tacked onto the side of the cooler in a somewhat permanent way even though the cooler is bolted to the radiator.

Bill

Addendum - on further inspection in the daylight, what at first glance late last might looked like a metal moulding has turned out to be push on rubber radiator mounts obviously marked L and R. These just peel off so it appears the 4.5 oil cooler is a direct replacement with no modification necessary for a 6.9.