Rebe, your last post is a bit cryptic, but if I'm following it, you are saying that after the motor has come up to operating temp and is then turned off, it will be hotter when turned on again after a short time. If that's what you mean, that's how mine is too, and I believe that to be normal. That's the effect of heat soak causing the engine to actually get hotter while it's not running because there is no air or coolant circulation during that time to keep the temp down. But that's only a momentary condition. As soon as the coolant pump is running again and there's some airflow over the radiator, the temp should come right back down to "normal" operating temp, about 85C or so.

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1988 California version 260E (W124)
Anthracite Grey/Palomino
Owned since new and still going strong and smooth
MBCA member

Past Mercedes-Benz:
1986 190E Baby Benz
1967 230 Inherited from mom when she downsized
1959 220S Introduced me to the joys of keepin' 'em goin'

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world--those who understand binary and those who don't