engine operating temp...
 

recently returned from a trip to maine in the benz.Those of you that have looked and helped with some of my other dilemmas will remember that turbo function was an issue.after cleaning and gauging(boost) I narrowed it to boost pressure sensor and/or alda.boost sensor seemed to be the one,but I digress.after leaving from pittsburgh and driving for several hours I noticed that my engine temp was staying at about 82C.at one point when climbing a particularly long and steep hill,temp went to about 92C.recalled reading about adding fuel enrichment(alda) when turbo boost is high(@70mph pushing a steady 6# boost,when @80 pushing a steady 13# boost(installed hybrid boost mechanism-bearing with spring ) .anyway,after the alda adj my temp went back down to about 78C and stayed there no matter how big the hill or how long boost is "maxed"(14+ish#).drove all day several days in a row.car seems to run strong and with no dilemmas.what is the normal temp range for my 300D turbo.read a post about smeone changing their thermostat to a hotter one because they felt that their wvo was not getting enough heat.they were talking about temps in the low 90'sC.is my car running cold?does this mean/imply some problem that just has not surfaced yet!?
My a/c is non working,would this keep temps low?the car was loaded, girlfriend,dog and all associated camping gear for a week in the back country of maine.thank you for any and all assistance.
BTW-have not fixed center vent yet....

Is this a 617, 603...? My 617 stays between 82-90 degrees almost all the time. Sometimes it'll get up to 95 on a big climb with the a/c on when its 100 degrees F + outside. Not sure how the 603's run.

I beleive it is a 617.

and 56 people looked at THIS one and again-no suggestions.I am shocked considering the level of logaria that normally is on this website!!!!

Sometimes we read threads to learn what causes problems.

You know, when we don't know what causes them...

Most of the 617's run close to 90°C. in steady state conditions on the highway. Going uphill will cause a rise in temp........sometimes approaching 100°C..........and climbing an extended steep grade at maximum power in 95°F. ambient temperatures or more will cause the temp to climb above 100°C.

Naturally, there are numerous variables which will affect the above statement. Some folks run hotter than the above, but, usually there is an issue with the cooling system such as an inadequate radiator.

It's unlikely that you are running a consistent 82°C. simply because the thermostat does not begin to open until 80°C. and the difference of 2 degrees is insufficient to generate sufficient flow around the thermostat to the radiator. You most likely have a gauge that reads several degrees cooler than the operating temperature of the engine.

Consider the temperature normal and further investigation of the cooling system to increase this temperature is unwarranted.

75-82 is a normal running range. But, it should only go higher during long hills, stop-and-go traffic, and hot day's with A/C on high.

When it gets above 100*, it's time to back off, kill the A/C and let it cool down. If you let it go all the way to 120*, you are asking for trouble.

I'd recommend that everyone upgrade to the 9-blade plastic fan and smaller waterpump pulley. They can be bought new at the dealer or found on most late 83+ 300xD's.

I don't have A/C, but I have to work it pretty hard to break the 90* mark.

This is just how my 240Ds run. Sounds normal to me:)

It's difficult to support that argument if the range of the thermostat is 80° to 94° and the location of the sending unit usually dictates a slightly higher number than the location of the thermostat.

Unless my sensor is reading low, I stay between 80-82 most of the time. Sometimes it will drop to 75 if I let it idle for an extended time and it can cool to 60* when I'm cruising down the mountains on I-70.

If your gauge is accurate, you need a new thermostat. The thermostat should keep it above 80, regardless of load and temperature (after it initially warms up). Mine will maintain 80 C with -5 F outside temperatures. On hot days, with the AC on, mine usually runs 90 - 95 C.

i agree.

my sdl was running very cool when i bought it. 60 ish. it also was really grungy inside. i put in a new stat and have kept changing the oil. it is gradually purging the crud out.

tom w

I'm getting a grungy engine???:eek:
















;)

the operative word is was. it was all cleaned out when the valve job was done.

also, this is a repeat post from a couple of months ago.

you will have that thing humming in no time. you will love the way it drives. i do.

tom w

thanks to all the concrete info.it seems that I am where I am supposed to be more or less.sorry if this is a repost,I did search the threads for this info,did not find.maybe I searched incorrectlly.

1985 edition of the TDM says thermostat should begin to open at 80ºC and be fully open at 94ºC for the 615,616 & 617 engines. (+/- 2º) FWIW ;)

601,602 & 603 stats are 85ºC/94ºC.

Hotter Thermo
 

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/alternative-fuels/161718-hotter-thermostat-wvo.html?highlight=lukas

Howdy,
I put a hotter 92 degree thermo in my 83' 300d with good results. I have been running it this way for a few days now, through a whole tank of wvo, and am pleased with the results. I think it will be especially helpfull this winter. My wvo system is totally dependent on coolant heat for proper operation.
Cheers!
Lukas

Yesterday my mechanic replaced my Behr 80 *C thermostat with a German made (Wahler?) 92*C thermostat.

He noticed that the engine of my 1979 300D was taking too long to get to higher temps (usually ran at 175 *F or a bit above that but did take a while to climb to temp esp. in winter -no snow etc.).

So now the car runs at what seems to be 230*F (110*C).

I am not sure how to read the marks on my Farenheit temp gauge.
The labeled lines are 100, then 175, then a mark unlabeled, then the white mark for 250 having the red zone just above that.
My car seems to be normally running between the unmarked one and just below 250. I calculate to be 110*C.

I am sure this is better for the engine than the way it was before because I am attaining running temp faster. Especially for City driving.

Is it all good?? Comments??

Thanks:)

sounds like it might be the guage!

tom w

You mean the guage being innacurate by +- 5 degrees??

The guage has behaved fine historically but the accuracy I can not vouch for.
Just what the before and after readings were. I personally don't think the guage is bad. Perhaps a bit innacurate..

The main question is, are these supposed readings OK for this engine? i.e. using a 92*C v.s. 80*C thermostat?:)

Sounds like your car was running at normal operating temps with the proper t stat before your mechanic messed with it, or am I missing something?

It sounds like they are missing with the thermostat to support some kind of WVO hack. IMHO, just run the correct (80C) thermostat.

i thought it sounded like the guage might be consistantly reading 20 to 30 high. kindof skimmed it though.

tom w

I jumped into this old thread because it had related topic.

My 300D is not WVO. The guage 'seemed' to be fine always. I have no way of knowing how exact and accurate it is, but it works.
The symptom always was that it took a long time to get up tooperating temp. With the 80*C stat, it usually ran at 175 F or a hair higher once it reached normalalized temp.
Of course on hot days, during long freeway drives, it would be higher like around 212F.

Now I have a 92C stat. The running temp is higher. Stabilizes at around 220F-230F . It reaches stabilized temp faster now than with the 80C stat.

So, what is normal op temp for a 300D nonturbo?

Is a 92C stat NOT recommended for this car??:scholar:

All you needed (at most) was a new 80c T stat. A tad above 174F is just right. You need to look for a new mechanic ;)

hmm. on the same car, well a TD actually,
how long should the temp take in 30-50 F outdoor temps to reach 175 F (80C?)?
John

Geez, I read some where just how long it should be, seems like it wasn't long, something like 5 minutes, not that long.

All I could find was a 92c Tstat. No one had the 80c one. I will replace with an 80c one in the spring season. Currently runs about 95-98 on the highway.

Wouldn't you want to get the 80c tstat in there now so it doesn't take as long to warm up? I don't know about you, but I like my heater working as fast as possible when it's cold outside.

Click the 'Buy Parts' link at the top of the page, they're right there.

Hott!
 

Mine runs at 100-105C (going by the OEM gauge) at idle and low speeds, and climbs to 110C at 65-70mph. I think that's a bit hot going by what i've been reading here, but have not confirmed accuracy of the gauge yet. I took the thermostat out yesterday to replace it and found it was 176F(80C)! However it's a made-in-China brand so I don't know if I trust it. Also I noticed the radiator has apparently contacted the fan at some point in the car's previous life, so there are some rather large flat areas. It has the 6 blade fan too...
Can anyone recommend an easy way to check the guage accuracy?

Well, considering I just bought this one, I would rather wait a bit and get one later. It was 21f outside this morning, and I already had heat in about 3 min idling. I just went fron no tstat to this one. I replaced it Sunday, and did not have the time to wait for delivery.

That is a tad too hot.

I check the temp gauges by getting a reading at the sensor (or T stat housing) with one of those little infa red remote gizmos. Its a cheepo from Costco but it seems too work. Old way.. if you can hold the upper radiator for more than a couple seconds, its not too hot. Wouldn't count on the accuracy of that one tho.:D

Well, with the old 80C stat, my car took about 10-15 minutes of running (city sreets) in San Francisco climate (say average is 60F) to get to 175 F (79.4C).
Likewise, on a hot day on the freeway it would run at around 212F (100C).

BUT now with the 92C stat, the engine temp rises faster to 175F and beyond. After much city driving it settles at around , what seems like 230F (110C).

My main concern is with the implications. I don't think it will overheat (50-50 mix coolant) but I wonder if it may affect the water pump or worse the head gasket. I also wonder whether it may cause engine oil to breakdown faster but this is academic because I change oil every 1500 miles on average.

So is head gasket something which may be affected by higher running temp??

I imagine that the Diesel engine itself can take high running temps and to some degree benefits from higher temps especiall because 90% of that car's use is city driving and short trips.

Comments??:book:

Stevo, you are correct.

I had to buy an 80C thermostat from the dealer and bring it to the mechanic to replace. Now it is normal.
Although the old one was 80C, and was stuck a bit open, the mech insisted on the 92C one, blah blah blah.
Wrong!

Normally the guy is great but lately his screwed up family life has taken its toll.
:behead:

Sounds like a good time to get the manual and start twisting wrenchs:D

Yeah, I have the manuals and cds and wrenches. I do what I can on my own.

I brought it to him to figure out an alectrical drain which I had 99% tested out. (my lack of experience to get the final 1%)

He noticed the therm was not right.
He was correct on that but stubbornly installed a 92C therm even after I pointed out that it needed an 80C.

I do what I can on my own.
When I can !! :idea2: