Thanks, guys.

I'll keep a careful eye on the fluids to be sure I don't get goo or foam or anything like that.

I had read that Mobil 1 5W-30 met MB's specs for engine oil and it has a CF rating, which is why I was using it. I'll go double-check the bottle to be sure, though.

I also just found it weird that the first time I saw this behaviour, shutting the car off for five minutes, then restarting it 'locked' the engine temp at 80C for the entire drive to Calgary. I think it may have happened one more time after that, which made me wonder if it was a bad engine temp sensor or something else electronic.

But of course, that doesn't explain the low oil pressure on idle. To have it happen together, something may have happened to affect them both. I was thinking low oil, since oil also acts as a coolant.

I hope hope hope it's not a gasket.

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1995 E300D, 253000+ km - babied by PO, let's hope I do the same...

1989 190D 2.5, 450000+km - first MB I've owned. Bought at 396000km, and now parked.