Mercedes-Benz 1982 380 SL, Owner'S Manual

Page: 85 / 89

Coolants
The coolant is a mixture of water
and antifreeze. In production, the
cooling system is filled with an
antifreeze-water mixture offering
protection to approx. -3 0 ° C /
-2 2 ° F. The red mark on the tem ­
perature gauge in the instrument
cluster is matched to this anti­
freeze-water mixture (approx. boil­
ing point 125° C/257° F), The pro­
tection against corrosion is also
ensured by this mixture making it
unnecessary to add a corrosion
inhibitor.
The coolant remains in the cooling
system all year long and must be
renewed after 3 years at the latest.
If coolant is lost, replace missing
quantity with water (potable water
quality) plus antifreeze of a recom­
mended brand.
For reasons of corrosion inhibition
the minimum proportion of
antifreeze must be 34%, which
gives antifreeze protection down to
-2 0 ° C /-4 ° F.
If antifreeze is not available, add a
corrosion inhibitor to the cooling
water to ensure proper protection
against corrosion. To treat the cool­
ing water, do not use more than
1% (10 cm 3/l) of a recommended
corrosion inhibitor.
W ithout antifreeze in the cooling
system, the water already starts
boiling at approx. 118° C /224° F,
which means that the pointer of the
tem perature gauge in the in­
strum ent cluster may still be below
the red mark.
Antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of
aluminum parts. The use of alumi­
num com ponents in m otor vehicle
engines necessitates that anti­
freeze/coolant used in such engi­
nes be specifically form ulated to
protect the aluminum parts. (Failure
to use such antifreeze/coolant may
result in a significantly shortened
service life.)
Fuels Coolants Lubricants etc.
While there may be a number of
antifreeze/coolants available which
will provide the requisite protection,
all such products have not been
tested for MERCEDES-BENZ vehic­
les. The following products, howe­
ver, are deemed suitable for use in
your car: MERCEDES-BENZ Anti-
Freeze and Sum mer Coolant.
Prior to the onset of the cold
season, ch eck the coolant for its
resistance to cold. Repeat this
ch eck during the cold spell. Regu­
lar testing of the antifreeze concen­
tration is carried out only at each
MERCEDES-BENZ maintenance
service.
Protects up to Antifreeze
-2 0 ° C \
- 4 °F J
-3 0 ° C \
-22°F J
-4 0 ° C 1
- 4 0 ° F J
4.50 1/4.7 US qt
5.50 1/5.8 US qt
6.50 1/6.9 US qt
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