I just got an '82 240D that was just upgraded to a 300D. I love it, but noticed that it runs Hot at highway speeds, fine in town. I drove several miles to get a new thermostat and radiator cap, (with the heat and fan on high...) and when I got home checked the radiator's heat and found that it was cool in the lower middle and at the bottom. Appears to be clogged. It looks in very good shape from the outside, possibly a replacement, but I know that means nothing.

Is it worth my time and effort to flush it? Also, as the engine was recently replaced is it possible that there's an air bubble in the system and it needs to be Burped? Would this cause a cool spot on the radiator?

I may not need the new thermostat after all, if the problem is the radiator. The guy I bought it from will check it out for me and take care of it, I hope, but I'm not taking it in until next week and would like to flush it myself if possible.

My first thoughts are you should have it rodded. Doubt flushing is going to knock out some hard core passage blockages as you describe.

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Did the radiator get upgraded, too?

tango, don't think so or he probably would have told me. It looks OK, but definitely not new.

TX, thanks for the thoughts, but my rad. is one of the ones with plastic and aluminum, I am under the impression that these can't be rodded.

This car was a summer car for the original owners for about 10 years, and probably sat in a garage for many (most) months of the year. I reckon that might explain that the bottom of the rad was cool, lots of crap settled down there.

The guy I bought it from is a good guy, runs a garage that fixes up old mbs, he has my ex 300D there now so maybe he will swap out the radiator for me... he did offer to let me have parts from it.