Just overheated, what should I do?

[JordaanDMC-12]

My main coolant line just popped open a big leak and the needle went up to the white above the red. I'm parked on the side of the road right as I type this (thanks to my iPhone ) and I have coolant in the trunk but should I call AAA or should I try and make it? I live about 5 miles from where I'm at.

Wow, I seriously hate this damn desert....

[JordaanDMC-12]

The needle is now halfway and she's cooling down nicley thank god

[pawoSD]

AAA. 5 miles = guaranteed overheat/mess up engine

Sounds like you are long overdue for some new hoses!

[jt20]

if you cannot fix the leak so that pressure may build in the coolant system, you will continue to overheat.

[JordaanDMC-12]

Alright

[JordaanDMC-12]

Originally Posted by pawoSD

AAA. 5 miles = guaranteed overheat/mess up engine

Sounds like you are long overdue for some new hoses!

Yeah srsly way overdue, I should have checked it before -.- ugh

[Biodiesel300TD]

You could drive home, but I'd only go a short distance. Then stop and shut the engine down. Let it cool. Then go a little further. The stop again. Don't let the temp gauge get higher than 100C. It will take a while but waiting for a tow can take a long time as well. You'd have to make sure you have good places to pull off and hang out for a bit.

[JordaanDMC-12]

Alright, everything is cool now and i'm back home..

Turns out for some reason, I didn't have my AAA card on me :/ So I called my dad and we went to pep boys and bought the hose and installed it right there. It's back to normal now and running fine from what I can tell.

Scared me though when the needle went above the red I was like "CRAAAAAAAP"

I remember reading in my 300E manual that if the engine is overheating, not to shut it off right away but to let it run at idle so it can cool. But I had no coolant and I was afraid of shutting it off, So I ran it a tiny tiny bit above idle so the fan was cooling it down, it didn't do anything but I didn't want to shut it off right away, was that the right thing to do?

[barry123400]

The running at idle before shutting down or equalization of metal temperatures is a good ideal. Thats if the coolant system is intact. You are dealing with any hotspots from high speed running especially. An engine will tend to last longer from doing it.

When coolant is lost from say a ruptured hose things are different. If it is detected by the temperature gauge rising especially. Quickest shutdown practical under the situation is where to go. Wherever the engine is creating heat will only get hotter. Until all the coolant has been blown out of the engine you usually get away with this. Perhaps not on certain engines like the 603 diesel unfortunatly.

[pj67coll]

I think you're lucky it's a "real" Mercedes with an all iron engine. I had a similar situation in of my 81 240D thru my own ignorance and stupidity. I was able to make it back home - just - without complete coolant loss and with the needle flirting with the redline. Had no problems resulting from that. Not sure I'd have been that lucky with and aluminum head.

- Peter.

[barry123400]

Diesels do not seem to build heat quite as quickly as gas engines. I never carry duct tape in my cars but that might be a method of temporarily closing up a ruptured hose.

Then adding coolant and running with the coolant cap off. Maybe I should throw a small roll in the trunk? It might help a person at least to limp along.

[rs899]

Not sure it would have helped in this situation, but sometimes running with the heat on will be enough auxiliary cooling to bring down high temps. The heater is a small radiator, after all. By turning it on you are dumping a small amount of relatively very cool coolant into the circuit, too.

Rick