300te cooling

[abh3]

Hello!

Finally fixed the front cover oil leak (the crown roars!) and had some questions about running hotter than normal, though within range...

The gauge reads erratically, up and down abruptly and creeps up when sitting in traffic. OK, probably should've changed that 1988 fan clutch when it was apart and it wouldn't creep up! BUT the erratic is either an elec. fault (my bet is bad ground in cluster) or air in the system. Is there a proceedure for bleeding the system (a'la old BMWs)? I filled the engine/rad through the top hose, then the resevoir. Ran to op. temp, took the little hose off the top of the rad and got a bubble, then coolant... added very little to the resevoir and haven't had to add any since. Any thoughts?

Also, where to go for the fan clutch? FastLane doesn't stock soooooo.... down and dirty DAP type aftermarket and cross fingers OR go take a beating from Hans und Fritz down at the dealer?

Thanks,

Benton

[derickson]

There's a bleed screw (bolt) on top of the thermostat housing where the upper radiator hose enters the engine. Just unscrew it (when cold) with the cap off the coolant overflow tank, and watch the air (followed by coolant) come out. I doubt this will fix your problem- it does sound electrical.