Hello and thank you for your time,

I have a 1995 s320 lwb and it seems to run above 100, I dont believe this is correct and should be running just above 80. My Mercedes friend says its the Radiator, because we already replaced the thermostat and fluid. Oh yes and a new fan clutch.

Any ideas would be greatly apprecaited.

Above 100 in traffic is not abnormal. Exactly what temp is the car reaching? I wouldn't be worried about seeing 105C, but if it is regularly reaching 120C, then you have a problem.

The thermostat is not fully open until 102C and the aux fans do not come on high until the car reaches around 110C or so.

Is the car heating up on the highway, only in traffic, or a combination?

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

I agree with the other guys. My 88 300 will run hotter than that in slow summer traffic and it has a new radiator (top hose connection broke), water pump etc. How many miles does your can have? It shouldn't be the radiator. Be sure a new radiator will cost you $500 +

The car has 150k miles on it and it really gets warm when stopping at a signal light. It seems once it get to a certain temp, 105 or above, it has a much harder time cooling down. The Aux fans work both the Air cond and coolant temp. My buddy suggested we change the fan clutch which we did, but the temp issue is getting worse. So our next step is going to be replacing the Radiator, everything else seems fine as far as the operation of the motor etc. My buddy is a Mercedes Mech. and seems to think it must be the radiator but also suggested I post here to see what the basic opinion would be.

Thank you for all the help and any more info would be much apprecaited.

If it is still heating up in traffic with the fans working properly then it would probably be a flow problem. Either the radiator is restricting the coolant flow through a partial bloackage which may be the case or the thermsotat is not fully opening on the car.

__________________
Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Yes, that is what I think as well, blockage someplace, I replaced the thermostat three times just incase the new thermo was also bad. But it did not change. The only thing left that I can think is the Radiator. Thank you for your help, I hope to do the replacement this weekend, I will let you know how things work out.

Thank you

The design of the viscous fan clutch in these cars makes them susceptible to damage if stored / shipped in the wrong orientation. They must be stored in a certain position, or the oil inside can leak out. It's possible you have a defective fan clutch. Was there any signs of oil on the new clutch or the box it came in before you put it in? The radiator could also be the problem as suggested by others. If you're sure the clutch is 100% OK, pull the radiator and have it cleaned out by a radiator shop. Regular garden hose flushing might not cut it.

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Yes, I did order a new Radiator and I should have it by this Saturday and I hope to have it installed by then.

I dont think there was any oil on the clutch when I took it out of the box, I have thought and thought about that question and I can say with confidence that there was none.

I am in Southern Cal, Temecula/Murrieta area and we are having some extreme heat right now which is not helping matters at all. So I hope to have solved this issue and I will post my results.

Thank you again for all the advice.

Good job on watching and correcting your temp issues. If more people were like you there would be a lot less head gasket failures and major engine problems. If the radiator doesn't fix, have you thought about the temp sending unit? Good luck!

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Brian W. Heitman

www.MBCA.org/northtexas

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If you still are nervous about the running temp after radiator replacement, try Water Wetter added to the coolant. It has reduced my temp by 10 degrees.

Tim

I have water wetter too, works well, but don't freak if you find some oily film in your coolant resevoir, I saw this and thought, uh oh, but it is just the water wetter.

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Brian W. Heitman

www.MBCA.org/northtexas

Join MBCA!!!

I replaced my temp sending unit and the old one was readin 10 degrees above the new one.

Hello All!

Well I put the new radiator in and it fixed all the issues with the temp.
The car runs at a perfect temp even with the hot weather we are having here in Southern Cal. The outside temp is around 105f to 108f and the car runs at just above 80c and after a fast freeway run and then stopping it may go as high as 88c to 90c but never higher then that. Before it would go way over 100c.

So if you have a temp issue, dont play around with it, replace the radiator, that is my take on it anyways!!

Thanks