Mercedes Benz E-Class W124 (1985 - 2000) - 88 2.6 Disappearing coolant...

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Mon 11 May 2009 18:23
88 2.6 Disappearing coolant... - Lucky 7
Hi chaps

I've recently got myself an old Merc 260E. It's a fine old bus and is running great, however it's losing some coolant - needs a top up every few weeks or so depending on usage

Horrible head gasket related thoughts immediately entered my head - it doesn't seem to be showing any other symptoms though. Temp stays rock steady through the worst that London traffic throws at it, there's no white smoke other than the usual condensation on a cold day, and there's no visible oil/water contamination or bubbles in the header tank that I can see

I took the undertray off yesterday, went for a run then stood it idling for a while - couldn't see any leaks or drips underneath the car. There is, however, a very slight oil leak which worries me after reading the car-by-car breakdown!

I'll probably drop it into my local garage for pressure/compression tests in the next few weeks - just wondering if there's anything else I can try/check in the meantime? I'm new to these cars and pretty new to car mechanics in general!

Cheers...
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Wed 13 May 2009 18:35
88 2.6 Disappearing coolant... - piston power
forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/ - 35k


The above site is your best bet for all merc advice,

You will need to get the hydrocarbons sniffed comonly called the sniff test to see if h/g has gone.

And a coolant pressure tese for any other leaks etc.
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Wed 13 May 2009 21:42
88 2.6 Disappearing coolant... - Bentleyboy
Hi Fella, check your spark plugs, if you find a clean one, bingo!! theres where your coolant is going
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