New to me '93 needs fan clutch (I think) and..., ?
 

Temp creeps up to just below 100, then cools a little while moving along. The fan clutch seems weak. Otherwise, the engine seems to run well and the car feels tight.

Is the cheap clutch OK? Anyone have a known good used one for sale? I hate to experiment with close to a $200 one.

It is white with blue leather interior 300D 2.5T. She looks good, original paint is crazed a little but still shines. Body seems straight with a few dings.

Other needs: Seats or seat covers, Drivers seat is a mess, passenger is not much better. Thinking sheepskin on drivers for now. Anyone near NC have any decent blue seats?

Watch the fanblade while having someone else turn off the engine. If the fanblade continues to turn some, you probably need a new viscous fan clutch.

For my 1981 300SD the cost was a lot cheaper than what you report.

Email: tyl604@aol.com
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Items Purchased

Description
URO Parts Fan Clutch
Qty Price Total
1 $35.99 $47.99
SUBTOTAL: $35.99
SHIPPING & HANDLING: $5.00
GOVERNMENT IMPOSED FEES: $0.00
TAX: $3.21
GRAND TOTAL:
Prior to any applicable Mail-in Rebate $44.20

If you buy cheap, you buy twice.

I installed a Hayden clutch a year ago. Despite a lot of blather here, it works just fine.

Man, is father of giants right
I am 5,000 miles into a gates water pump from rock auto on my 602: it's leaking about a pint a day out of the lower weep hole.
It didn't have the hose barb or the rib to be able to tighten/loosen the fan but I didn't think much of it as it did have a cast impeller.
$22 not well spent as I'm now pulling and scrapping it

I'd try a new quality thermostat and confirm that the coolant is at the correct water to coolant ratio. Also look closely at the AC condenser and radiator fins for external clogging.

Good luck!!!

On my 1999 E300 I drilled a small hole and partially filled with silicone oil 10,000 CST and it worked fine. Sealed the hole with a small stainless steel screw.

I replaced the fan clutch on my '91 300d with one from O'Reilly's... no problems since 7 months of daily driving.

I'd take a close look at the accessory belt tensioner, shock and spring. Mine were done for (the shock was rattling like an eastern diamondback).

I had a creeping temp gauge too. New thermostat didn't fix it. Eventually rewarded with a weeping water pump. Replaced and still had the creeping. 4 months later I found a pinhole leak in the lower driver's side of the radiator. Replaced with a new Nissens and the temp gauge is now rock steady.

Glad to see another w124 owner in NC... whereabouts are you from?

I went with a electric,it and control was cheaper.

+1
Efans are far more powerful and offer better temperature control especially when sitting in traffic.

Electric fans
 

The electric fan concept is tempting.

Anyone have a model number that "worked"?

How did you incorporate thermostatic control? Is there a tap for a sensor element somewhere?

I think I have heard the front of radiator fans come on in the car, guess I could put a relay to parallel operation of a back fan with front fans.

There seems to be some good info on this thread:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/382331-electric-fan-install-2.html

Thanks all for the input so far.

I did an electric fan mod on an old Toyota 4Runner I used to own. Used a two speed fan from a Ford Taurus, IIRC. It was mounted in its own shroud and fit the radiator fairly well. I've thought about doing something similar to my 300d, but it was easier/cheaper/faster to put in a new clutch to address the immediate need. My fan clutch was really loose and made a nasty grinding noise at engine shutdown.

Debris in the cooling system can cause early failure of the coolant pump, whenever you change the pump and witness scale or debris in the system clean it out before installing the new pump. I ran into this and had to replace coolant pumps 3 times on a single engine (not mercedes) to get it fixed for good.

I second the idea of replacing the thermostat.

On my '87 wagon, I bought the Four Seasons fan clutch from rock auto, because the picture clearly showed it was a re-boxed clutch from a well-known German maker with a good reputation (I have forgotten the name). Clutch delivered matched the clutch in the picture, it works great, only had it installed for a year or so.

They still have it listed. Behr is the brand clutch that I bought. OE. Price is now $150, I think I got it for a lot less back then.