Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveM
Recently, the radiator/coolant icon on the dash of my 1986, 560SL lights up intermittently. However, the guage does not indicate that the car is running hot. I noticed that the coolant in the overflow reservoir is about an inch below the point where the reservoir is molded together. Could this be causing the icon on the dash to come on?
Steve M
1986 560SL
90K
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The "low coolant" light is triggered whenever the coolant level in the reservoir is considered low and needs to be topped off. Not an overheat issue as there is still plenty of coolant available to circulate through the engine. It just gives you fair warning to address the issue before you run out completely and cause real permanent damage.
If you top off with coolant/tap water/distilled water/Kool Aid, etc. whatever, the light should no longer be illuminated. If it is still illuminated, then the corrosion on the coolant sensor terminals are causing a "false positive", in which case you need to replace the sensor (located near the bottom of the coolant reservoir).
Back on topic:
My indie say "distilled water only!" but from experience, I find that the issue is really about regular maintenance, not chemicals. Although there are recommended coolant products for MB, the issue about water really is about the duration of said mixture circulating through the engine before it is refreshed.
Same with the "dino vs. synth" argument. If you are changing oil at regular intervals (7500 mi), it should not matter what oil you are using.
For either case, it you are going along with no regard for routine maintenance using the same recirculated oil and coolant, there is no doubt you are going to destroy something eventually, regardless of the "snake oil" properties of the product(s) being used...