I took my car out to wash it about 1 hour ago. On the way back my check coolant showed up as a malfunction. I thought maybe because I've only driven my car 4 times since I took it out again because i stored it for winter. I come home open the hood and the engine is steaming from the top driver side. I look underneath the car and its leaking coolant. I check the coolant there is nothing in there. Anybody know what happened? And can I drive it to the dealer on Monday?

 

Here's some pictures I took. I believe this hose came undone. Can someone let me know for sure? Thanks guys.

 

Looks like you popped a heater hose. No you can't drive it until repaired

 

chemistry 101:

car was stored for winter = rubber parts get harder

run the car after a long time = cold hard rubber reacts to heat = cracks/breaks rubber

solution:

inspect other rubber parts and replace what needs to be replaced.

 

This occurred for my car just a week ago so I can be of some help.

Don't bother driving it to the dealership, it will not be covered under warranty because coolant tube is considered a "hose / belt" which normally will break from normal wear and tear.

Do not drive your car anywhere, you will void your warranty if you damage your engine.

If you decide to have the dealership fix it, the bill will be around $300. If you have an independent shop do it for you, it may run you from $70-$120. Or if your lucky the service manager might just have it covered under warranty

 

Thanks guys. It looks like the hose just came off, could I possibly just put it back on and clamp it? Would it work?

 

worth a shot! make sure there some slack on the hose. you dont want to pull the other end off.

 

I presume that there is no chance the cooling system froze during winter?

Remember to refill the system with a 50/50% mix of MB genuine coolant.

If it popped off & did not break off it's OK to refit & clamp. From the pic it looks as though it popped off - why? that's why I ask if the system froze - fit a new clamp - dont reuse the Benz one. Good luck

 

Alright guys thanks for the responses. Now if I do just reclamp the hose and refill the coolant (there isnt any left in the resevoir) do i have to bleed the air from the coolant system? I also checked if any of the leaked coolant has oil in it and it seems it is all just a clear consistancy with no oil.

 

That is what I myself was also wondering. I started my car every other week for the 5 month period it wasnt driven so idk if the coolant would actually freeze. And it also has been pretty mild here in the detroit area for the last month and I have driven the car a few times. Just another headache for me to deal with.

 

No...the reservoir is higher than the block. But to be sure, fill....warm up engine....top off if necessary. Use the correct coolant.....5 yr. al block motor compatible.

 

I'm a rookie dealing with this stuff so bare with me. I checked online on what kind of coolant to use on my car but with no luck. Can I buy the coolant at an autozone or auto store of any kind, or do I have to buy it from the dealer? Also, is it ok if I start the car to reverse it out of the garage with no coolant in it so I can fix the hose or will that cause problems?

 

Running the car for even a moment without coolant puts a lot of stress on the coolant pump as it isn't being lubricated. I know with my last car after having the exact same issue you had I needed a new coolant pump 4 months later because it began leaking due to the damaged seals from running it dry.

 

There's a booklet that comes with the car that lists fluid requirements. Basically it requires an extended life coolant, 5 yr/150K miles, and chemicals that make it aluminum friendly for modern motors. Not hard to find and usually available at the local auto parts store. And yea, moving the car on its' own for a couple of feet is ok.

 

I just wanted to let you guys know that I fixed the problem 2 days ago. I went to the dealership and got a gallon of MB coolant, diluted it 50/50 and refilled the resevoir. My car takes 5.9 quarts and I added exactly 4 quarts to the resevoir. The rest must have still been in the radiator. Car runs really good now, I was getting about 29.3 mpg last night so everything seems to be working great (knock on wood). Now I'm thinking that the hose that popped off of the heater core due to the clamp not being installed correctly was from service that was done to my engine a few years ago. I was looking at some of my service receipts and when there was major work done on my engine (replacing cylinder head, removing supercharger, replacing wire harness, replacing O2 sensors) the description read that a hose was removed and then reclamped.....Looks like they never clamped it back on right. It's crazy how that could happen. Eh, at least I fixed it.

 

You know i really start to wonder if the dealership like breaks something on your car when you take it in for a service... So that your always coming back to them and paying them


Glad to hear you got your car running