So the two month saga is OVER... SDL BACK!!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

aroohk · #1 05-06-2006, 02:09 AM

So... where do i start. And the title was chosen for a little attention grabbing effect...

A couple months ago, the inevitable finally happend. My 413K mile 86 300SDL finally really needed a head gasket. I tried a normal add in bottle of stop leak, and also the super strength stuff. Finally had the car flat bedded down to my mechanic that I have known/used for years and had him check the car out...

YUP... definitely a bad gasket...

So we arrange a price and pull the head. Bad news... slight crack and a nasty mess from a bit of bad headgasket driving, etc, etc... So, we try and find a good used head... NO LUCK! I talk to all my connections in the area, and find a good shop that can safely repair/rebuild my head.

So off to the machine shop it went, for a complete head rebuild. Two cracks fixed, all new valve guides, and one bad valve replaced. He checked the lifters and all the other parts and said that it was good as new. He had to do a lot of work to fix some of the pitting from some other crap, but when I picked it up, it looked all nice and new. I shopped around and was happy with the 895.00 out the door price that he quoted me and stuck to.

So back to the mechanic it went, and was put back together last week while I was on the east coast on vacation.

Picked up the car on Wed night (this past week) and got a couple miles from the shop and it was running warmer than I liked. So turned around and dropped it back off at the shop to have him check it the next day. I had known going into it... bad fan clutch an aux fan that would not turn on. SO... he replaced the aux fan switch with one from another car (that would fit) that comes on at a cooler temp. He also had one of his guys rebuild the fan clutch and tweak it to where it comes on sooner and tightens up faster. (I could tell since I could hear the air move as I took off from a light). I also got a new water pump, oil change, thermostat, etc. in the whole process.

So here is my question...

Before I had the problem, it would typically run 82-85C all the time. MAYBE getting up to around 90 on a warm day with the AC on.

NOW... it is running pretty much 90 all the time and this evening while driving home, it would get up to about 95-98 when I would sit at a light for a while. DID NOT go over 100 or touch 100.

IS this something I should really be concerned about OR do you think it is just a difference in the thermostat. OR... do you think that I could have plugged up the radiator with the stop leak crap to an extent that it is not able to have its max ability to cool the car down? I have a buddy who is willing to ship me his spare radiator to put in the car if I cannot get to the bottom of this slight temp increase. I am really thinkin it might be radiator... MAINLY because if i turn the heat on high, it will stay right around 80C BUT with the heat off... it runs warmer...

Give me your thoughts guys!!!

Thanks,
Aaron