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Hello there. Just few days ago there is a " check coolant level" message popped up. it goes away after few seconds and doe not come back. it comes back the next morning and then goes away. I checked the coolant level but I can't tell if it's low or not. The color looks blue-greenish. If I do need to fill it, where can I buy the coolant? owner manual says MB326.0 coolant. Can I get this from autozone, or does it have to come from mercedes dealership? Thanks for your help everyone.
Clean off the reservoir and use a bright LED flashlight to see the coolant level in the reservoir.
bevo site lists product brand names that meet the standard. Zerex I think is one but check to be sure. The bottle needs to have the Mb spec number written on the label.
I would follow Chassis suggestion and determine how much is missing. However, if you are planning to service it soon, I would just add distilled/demineralized water to top it off. Do NOT use tap water.
Not certain if because of the picture, but it looks a bit on the dirtier side. Just an opinion from very far.
the common Zerex in US autoparts stores is G05, in the gold jugs, this is a pale yellow coolant that was used on many European cars in the 90s. Late 90s(I think?) they switched to the blue 325.0 (or 326.0 for pre-mixed) and is what the Mercedes blue coolant is. note the newest mercedes use a violet/pink coolant which is totally incompatible with either of those, I think thats 325.5/326.5 ?
Note the bottles should say "MB Approved 32x.x" and not "meets MB 32x.x". The Approved means MB tested it and agrees it meets their specifications, the 'meets' just is a claim by the manufacturer.
I am not sure what technology you have in your car, but MB makes unique coolants and in some years the coolant level sensor is electric probe checking the level by reading current, who depends on PH or other chemistry.
Wrong coolant will not activate it.
I would strongly advise switching to proper coolant, but old remedy for poor coolant is adding few grains of salt to adjust PH.
I stopped by Oreily's and picked up a gallon of Valvoline Zerex G48 premix. Topped it off and will find out tomorrow if the message still come up. Thanks everyone!!
I am not sure what technology you have in your car, but MB makes unique coolants and in some years the coolant level sensor is electric probe checking the level by reading current, who depends on PH or other chemistry.
Wrong coolant will not activate it.
I would strongly advise switching to proper coolant, but old remedy for poor coolant is adding few grains of salt to adjust PH.
KEY08: Q1: Does Daoism's first photo of the outside of the coolant reservoir match your reservoir? Should there be a tube held by the three white plastic 'holders' in the photo? (friend's GLK has a tube that fits thru the white plastic outer 'holders') My E550 does not.
Also, I'm hunting a coolant issue, but still figuring out what's normal for an E. Q2: Is your coolant level within "+/- 0.6 inches" of the marker (according to manual) ?
Thanks CK
KEY08: Q1: Does Daoism's first photo of the outside of the coolant reservoir match your reservoir? Should there be a tube held by the three white plastic 'holders' in the photo? (friend's GLK has a tube that fits thru the white plastic outer 'holders') My E550 does not.
Also, I'm hunting a coolant issue, but still figuring out what's normal for an E. Q2: Is your coolant level within "+/- 0.6 inches" of the marker (according to manual) ?
Thanks CK
No hose in those side clips. My coolant was replaced in May 2020 by my dealer and checked annually. I don’t check it myself so I’m going to assume it is at the correct level.
MB coolant reservoirs do have a neck, who will always leave air bubble on the top.
Easy way to check the proper level is open the cap on hot engine (make sure not boiling temperature).
With engine hot the coolant level should be very close to the fill neck.
KEY08: Q1: Does Daoism's first photo of the outside of the coolant reservoir match your reservoir? Should there be a tube held by the three white plastic 'holders' in the photo? (friend's GLK has a tube that fits thru the white plastic outer 'holders') My E550 does not.
Also, I'm hunting a coolant issue, but still figuring out what's normal for an E. Q2: Is your coolant level within "+/- 0.6 inches" of the marker (according to manual) ?
Thanks CK
I am guessing here, but I wonder if those brackets are for small return hoses for cars that have the "Rest" feature, which we no longer get in the U.S. ? Does your buddy's GLK have that feature? It allows coolant to be circulated through the heater core when the engine is off for heating the cabin.
Last edited by pierrejoliat; 11-07-2021 at 02:21 PM.
We are all here gathered around our coolant tank swaping notes about refills
I wonder where has our missing coolant gone?
We have a small active leak in our circuit!!
I don't think it's the standard tank-hairline-crack yet my W212 has smelled coolant since new. Water pump shaft seal...?
Missing 1Qt is not an optical illusion.
These cars can lose coolant while everything is fine. When car is turned off with hot engine the coolant heats up in very high temperature inside the engine as coolant stops moving. This causes coolant evaporation when temperature is high enough. Expanding volume pushes the coolant in the reservoir and it will over flow if pressure is high enough and coolant is lost. This expansion is easy to see if you remove the reservoir cap right after engine is turned off. The reservoir in most cases will fill up full and over flow thru the opening unless the cap is put back on.
On my S550 I have the rest function and I can prevent this "boiling" of the coolant by setting the REST function ON after turning the engine OFF. Wonder why they have not made this REST automatic every time engine goes OFF as it can only be good thing for the engine. My AUDI Q7 had this function automatically on every time I killed the engine.
I own my white W212 for 3 years, drive it often in temperatures above 120F and never had to add coolant yet.
As for circulating the coolant after engine shut-down I know MB made the program to do it in ML class and other heavy vehicles, when they did not on E class. Never needed.
I own my white W212 for 3 years, drive it often in temperatures above 120F and never had to add coolant yet.
As for circulating the coolant after engine shut-down I know MB made the program to do it in ML class and other heavy vehicles, when they did not on E class. Never needed.
For it not happening to you does not mean it cannot happen to someone else, like to someone who has coolant changed by someone else and new mixture is too lean making it boil at lower temperature.
For it not happening to you does not mean it cannot happen to someone else, like to someone who has coolant changed by someone else and new mixture is too lean making it boil at lower temperature.
Over the years I maintained dozens of MB for my family members. None of them required coolant addition more often than every 5 years.
When some fluid evaporation can be expected, MB makes pressurized system, who on well maintained vehicle never opens. Meaning if you have to add coolant more often, either you have a leak, or other problems who lead to boiling temperatures.
If I replace the coolant - it is always lean as I just put 1 gallon of MB coolant and top it off with distillate water.
I don't have to worry about freezing, while even 40% mix of coolant + applied pressure puts boiling point above 120C
From the different contributions to the thread, I think we all agree with the following: The W212 MB cooling system is pressurized and closed; therefore, there should be no loss of coolant unless there is a leak.
The leak might not be obvious, but if coolant is missing it is enough proof of a leak (or worse an intrusion). As mentioned in the thread, if the system can maintain its design pressure (only possible if the system has no leaks), the coolant should not boil, and the vapors should never leave the system. The gatekeeper of a "leak-free" coolant system is the "radiator cap"
Worse scenario: Intrusion. In this case, the head gasket fails and hot gases come into the cooling system possibly raising the pressure and likely boiling the coolant which can only escape through the gatekeeper, i.e. the system pressure is above the relief pressure and coolant vapors will leave the system. When cooled down the level should be lower than it used to be.
The above is my basic understanding, perhaps incorrect, but that is how I approach it.
I just added coolant, but I can’t tell if I added too much. I wanted to check before turning her on, if not I’ll have to turkey baster some out 😂. I just want to confirm if the fill line is where the black and white plastic parts meet inside the reservoir? Can I absolutely not go past this point?
10-31-2021, 11:41 AM
