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There are a lot of car guys here so I thought I'd ask here rather than go to the myriad of Benz forums. I have an '87 Benz 300E (W124 body) that I use as my commuting car. It has about 90,000 miles, I've owned it 2 years, got it cheap and is perfect for it's purpose. The problem I am having is with the anitfreeze/coolant system. I get the coolant light on the dashboard, fill up the reservoir tank, light goes off and then it promptly comes back on (after about 5 miles). The coolant level in the reservoir goes down, but not like it's leaking anywhere. There is no coolant on the ground. Right now, the coolant level is adequate, maybe a bit low but the light is still on. Also, the coolant temp gauge goes from 0-120 degrees in about 5-10 minutes of the car running. There was a crack in the thermostat head cover that was letting out coolant, but I replaced that. Also, when the temp gauge goes as high as it can, in the two front heating/cooling vents on the dashboard, you hear a boiling liquid sound. There is some liquid swishing in there (coolant?) that starts to boil when the car gets hot. Any ideas what I should check for?
I know I can take it to a mechanic and I probably will but I am using this car as my guinea pig to learn about car engines, repairs etc. (it's also my "bad weather shoes" equivalent as I don't really care what happens to it, like when you are coming off the exit ramp on the Palisades Pkwy, dooze off and side swipe the guard rail). Also, the car was cheap and I've put about 2K in it so I don't want to spend a whole lot more than it's worth.
I know I can take it to a mechanic and I probably will but I am using this car as my guinea pig to learn about car engines, repairs etc. (it's also my "bad weather shoes" equivalent as I don't really care what happens to it, like when you are coming off the exit ramp on the Palisades Pkwy, dooze off and side swipe the guard rail). Also, the car was cheap and I've put about 2K in it so I don't want to spend a whole lot more than it's worth.