I am the "proud" new owner of a 1988 745 (non turbo) that has some engine "issues". 250,000 of them to be exact. There is an engine oil leak that is probably due to a leaky head-gasket, that was probably caused by the upper neck of the radiator breaking off (love those plastic radiators!). I have managed to get the hose tenuously clamped back on, but it still leaks under pressure and has oil in the coolant.

Okay, let's just say that I am keeping this, and I am having, at least, a new radiator installed the day after Christmas.

Here is my, albeit long-winded, question. I am guessing that the radiator fill-bottle should have coolant up to the minimum mark with the engine off and cool. If this is correct, I shall go outside and add coolant. I am not driving him much, and keeping the "eagle eye" on the temp guage, which comes up nicely to the middle so far and stays there. I am hoping that the new radiator may cure some oil leak problems (leaking oil cooler perhaps) and that I can eke a few hundred more thousand miles out of him without an engine rebuild (it's really not that kind of car.) I'll let you all know.