Just drained and flushed the rad & engine block on the 1988 300ce. Owner's manual says capacity is 10 liters. I meticulously added one liter of water and then one liter of Zerex, until the reservoir was at the max. When I was done, after "burping" the system by squeezing radiator hoses, and checking for air blockages by removing the temp sensor on the engine block, and even taking the car for a ride to make sure the heat was working (very hot air), I was only able to add a little less than six (6) liters, which as I recall was about the same amount I added 3 years ago when I last did this. Car never runs hot (since I installed the updated fan clutch and fan last year). Did I mess up or do I have a problem somewhere? Thanks.

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87 300e (white/black; amg body kit)
88 300ce (red/cream; amg body kit)
93 300ce cabrio (white/blue/blue top)
93 300ce cabrio (black/grey/black top)
98 ml 320 (totaled @ 137,000 miles)
99 clk320 (black/grey/black top)

Depending on how you exactly flushed the system, you may have a shade less than a 50% mix. Otherwise I think you're okay. Use an inexpensive coolant strength tester to find out the exact strength of your coolant.

After flushing, it's hard to drain all of the water, so some pure water remained in the cooling system before refilling. Also, flushing doesn't remove the coolant in some passages, like the heater core and water pump. Both of these things leave you less than 10 liters for refilling.

During flushing I run the heater and engine so all coolant is removed, including the overflow. Then drain as much water out of the system as possible. Refill half the capacity with antifreeze, and top off with water. This should guarantee a 50% mix.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

Thanks; I feel much better.

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87 300e (white/black; amg body kit)
88 300ce (red/cream; amg body kit)
93 300ce cabrio (white/blue/blue top)
93 300ce cabrio (black/grey/black top)
98 ml 320 (totaled @ 137,000 miles)
99 clk320 (black/grey/black top)