Coolants - Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Owner's Manual

Fuels C oolants Lubricants etc.

Coolants

The coolant is a m ixture of water and
antifreeze. In p ro d u ctio n , the cooling
system is filled with an antifreeze-
water m ixture offering protection to
approx. -3 0 ° C /-2 2 ° F. The red mark
on the tem pera tu re gauge in the in­
strum ent cluster is m atched to this
antifreeze-w ater m ixture (approx.
boiling point 125° C /2 5 7 0 F). The p ro ­
tection against corrosion is also en­
sured by this m ixture m aking it un­
necessary to add a corrosion in­
hibitor.
The coolant rem ains in the cooling
system all year round and m ust be re­
newed after 2 years at the latest.
If coolant has leaked from the cooling
system, replace the m issing quantity
with w ater and a recom m ended brand
of antifreeze. For norm al replenish­
ment (due to evaporation of water)
plain w ater will do.
The w ater should be clean, soft to m e­
dium soft and contain the m inim um
am ount of scale fo rm in g m inerals (p o ­
table water quality).
The coolant m ixture should always
contain enough antifreeze to ensure
protection to a m inim um of -2 0 ° C /
-4 ° F.
If antifreeze is not available, add a
co rro sio n in h ib ito r to the cooling
w ater to ensure p ro p er protection
against corrosion. To treat the cooling
water, do not use m ore than 1 %
(10 cm 3/l) of a recom m ended c o r­
rosion inhibitor.
W ithout antifreeze in the cooling
system, the w ater already starts b o il­
ing at approx. 118° C/224° F, w hich
means th a tth e pointer of th e te m p e r-
ature gauge in the instrum ent cluster
may still be below the red m ark.
Antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a num ber of
alum inum parts. The use of alum inum
com ponents in m otor vehicle engines
necessitates that antifre eze /coo la n t
used in such engines be specifically
form u la te d to prote ct the alum inum
parts. (Failure to use such a n tifreeze/
coolant may result in a significantly
shortened service life.)
W hile there may be a num ber of anti­
freeze/coolants available w hich will
provide the requisite protection, all
such p roducts have not been tested
fo r MERCEDES-BENZ vehicles. The
follow ing products, however, are
deem ed suitable fo r use in your car:
MERCEDES-BENZ Anti-Freeze and
S um m er Coolant.
P rior to the onset of the cold season,
check the coolant fo r its resistance to
cold. Repeat this check during the
cold spell. Regular testing of the anti­
freeze concentration is carried out
only at each MERCEDES-BENZ m ain­
tenance service.
280 SE
A ntifreeze
Protection
up to lite r/U S qt
-2 0 ° C
3.75 I
- 4 °F
3.9 US qt
-3 0 ° C
5.00 I 6.75 I
-2 2 ° F
5.3 US qt
-4 0 ° C 5.75 I 7.75 I
-4 0 ° F
6.1 US qt 8.2 US qt
450 SEL
5.25 I
5.6 US qt
7.1 US qt