Coolant Level Checking

Mod Description

The smart engine can suffer badly if not cooled properly so lets check the coolant is at the correct level.

Mod Details

PremiumNo Difficulty Mod ID336 CreditEvilution Cost££0 For Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/coolant-level-checking.htm Copy to Clipboard

Coolant

The coolant in your car is more than just tap water, it is a mixture of water and coolant fluid.
You buy the coolant (normally) in a concentrate and it is mixed with normal tap water to a 50/50 ratio.

Consult the lable of the coolant, depending on the temperature of your country will dictate what mixture ratio you will need to use in your car. In many cases you buy the coolant premixed. This means you don’t have to worry about ratios and the quality of the water used.

Coolant contains rust inhibitor and a chemical that stops mould/algae and stops rubber hoses from perishing increasing the lifetime of the hoses.

Coolant Colour

Don’t pay too much attention to the colour of the coolant, it doesn’t necessarily tell you what it is made from (propylene glycol, ethylene glycol etc). It is recommended that you top up with the same type coolant but if you bought the car new, you won’t know what was used. As long as you select a coolant from the list on this page, you will be ok to top your system up with it.

If you have drained the system and flushed it out, you can replace the coolant with which ever type you like as long as it is compatable with aluminium.

Deionised & Distilled Water

Don’t be tempted to use deionised or distilled water. Tap water is normally fine (according to Mercedes).
If you live in a very hard water area, use bottled drinking water.

600cc And 700cc Fortwo

Stand looking at the front of your car and on the right you will see this plastic screen, circled in red is a catch. Using any key (except the smart key because you don’t want to break it) put it in the hole and ¼ turn anticlockwise. Pull the top towards you and pull up, the whole flap will come free from the car.

Below it you will see another screen, push the tab found in the top centre and slide the unit out of the hole.

Circled in red is the coolant filler cap, it is not recommended that you unscrew this while the engine is warm or hot as the pressure can force water from the tank. Looking into the coolant tank you will see an indent of plastic nearest the front.

When the engine is cold the level should not be over the top of this. If your coolant is too low you will see another piece of plastic that circles around the inside edge of the container. Fill the tank up to the correct level so that the lower plastic marker is covered.

Check regularly if the level is low, if it goes down a lot you may have a leak.

999cc Smart

First thing to do is access the fluids of the new smart by .

Look over to the right for the container shown in the picture below. It is not recommended that you unscrew this while the engine is warm or hot as the pressure can force water from the tank.

The min/max marks are visible on the side of the container.

Roadster

Thanks to Gavin from www.onsmart.co.uk for the use of his Roadster

Open the boot, take away the carpet and open the engine hatch.

The coolant tank is over to the far right, it is a white tank with a black cap. It is not recommended that you unscrew this while the engine is warm or hot as the pressure can force water from the tank. The level can be seen on the side.

What If I Get An Airlock?

Simple, have a look at the page about airlocks, here.

Premixed