New fan clutch and overheating [M103]
 

Hello!
I've got my 300TE ressurected from hell some time ago.
I have installed a new Airtex water pump (it's crap, don't buy it, the pulley shaft was pressed too deeply (5 mm more), so we had to fab a spacer), new AVA fan clutch (I was advised...) and literally new Behr radiator. A/C is present, but not filled yet (I swapped the engine 2 weeks ago).

Everything is okay, but it's slightly overheating in city low speed driving in low RPMs in [D] position. Got 105 degrees once tho the revs were about 600 RPM.

So...
1. is that the water pump?
2. fan whine makes me sick! it's like a bomb airplane under 3000 RPM, and usually I don't drive slow so it whines pretty often. What should I buy? and will it help?
I can buy Hella fan clutch, also SACHS, Vierol (Vaico) and MB original from a dealer which is 300 USD here. I don't know, if it would ever help me. Or I should go for electro fan drive?

I'm going with a electric fan on my m104 w140.

Hello! Did you replace the thermostat as well? It's typically done along with a new water pump and rad. I believe the Behr 87 degree celsius is the most recommended one. And as far as the water pump goes, oem is basically the only recommended pump for the car, so you might just want to scrap the airtex and get a m-b.

-Chris

Is it attached to the radiator w/ a some kind of a housing?

Yup, I'm pretty sure, I've got a new thermostat installed. My MB specialist said it can be trusted. In city driving at medium speeds the temp rarely goes up more than 87 degrees.

Pump? thermostat again?

Any ideas about the fan? Should I change the fan?
I'm seriously sick of its sound. I'm not likely to drive it because of the whine. My M103 sounds ideal, serviced CIS-E, new exhaust, cats and etc. it's quite and stable and the fan is like 100 times louder than the exhaust sound. I hear only the fan with the windows closed.

My friend with some MB collection (W140 S320, R129 SL320 final edition, G55 '07, C32 '03) says that I should change the fan clutch to MB original and it all would be good. :confused:

I don't have audio system now, coz someone had decided to steal, breaking a passenger window, an old pioneer car audio system which was installed there. Btw, on the 1st night after I've bought it, haha. :D
And also I'm listening to the engine and stuff that might appear, as I've changed the engine (as it died on the 10th day that I bought it).

Plus last year I used to drive a Nissan Silvia S13 (JDM RHD coupe) and it had a viscous fan clutch but it was DEAD SILENT. Though I liked to rev it hard, it was N/A and AT so it wasn't too fast from stand still. Now it's 2JZ-GTE w/ 5-speed, but still WIP.
http://cs377.vkontakte.ru/u272771/11...x_7da5a3b9.jpg
My pitch black girl... :P Sorry for off-topic. :P :P

P.S. This night I visited local MB dealer (24h service and parts, btw) and they said it was $400 for the pump and $250 for fan clutch. Dammit.

If the fan is engaged even when you're at highway speed and the coolant temp is below 100C, that's not right. Mine disengages as soon as the temp drops, 10 seconds after the fan comes on, tops. Go with the OEM clutch. I prefer to go with oem everything. To me, if mercedes considers it good enough, thats all I need to know:). Also, when you're sitting in traffic, it's not uncommon for the m103's to get toasty. Mine does, especially with the a/c on. The electric fan is supposed to come on when the temp reaches 105C. Just so long as it cools right off when you start moving again, you should be ok. When you take the the clutch off, inspect it. If there's something wrong with it, you may be able to get your money back. $400 for the pump at the dealer ain't too bad, especially if you're gonna do it yourself. I would be a little leery of having to make spacers and stuff in a M-B water pump. But, do the fan clutch first, before you spend the money on the pump.

I have a new Behr fan clutch and radiator. At low RPMs the fan clutch doesn't pull enough air to hold 87 degrees. It will heat up to 105 if left sitting for any legnth of time. When driving off I get a good howl as the engine revs and it pulls the temp down in a hurry. When I run my a/c the aux fans are almost always on in hot weather and supply enough air at idle to hold temps much better. So if I'm left idling any legnth of time I just switch on the a/c and all is good.

whatever, recommend buying a reconditioned water pump from a MB dealer. It will be less expensive than a new one and have a 1 year guarantee.

When I insall a E Fan,I use stock fan shroud to mount e fan inside.

The viscous fan ought to be silent in ordinary running and should only roar like an aeroplane engine when it is engaged to cool the hot engine.
Viscous clutches fail, usually, in one of two ways: Either the clutch seizes up and the fan spins at full power all of the time or the clutch becomes slack and doesn't spin the fan quickly enough at idle.
M103 engines had two different types in production: bi-metallic, heat, triggered and magnetic clutch triggered. The latter is obvious by the black electric cable running to the rear area of the fan clutch.

Yup, same stuff, mostly.

that's a great advice, thank you! I wonder if they offer some of them here.

Do you mean that you've got a E320 electric fan and etc? from W210?

Are they interchangeable? I wonder if the magnetic clutch would need an extra wire or something...

P.S.
Might it be a too low idle? I've got 650-700 rpm idle, and 550-600 rpm with D engaged. 1.5 kg/cm3 oil pressure at idle, btw.

The idle speeds that you quote sound alright to me, certainly they sound like the previous 300 that I had and that didn't overheat at all.
The magnetic fan clutch will require a power cable and I think it would be wired into the ignition ECU, but don't know how.

Efan is the way the go on the M103. The 2 aux fans are more than enough to cool the engine on their own if they are triggered a bit earlier. Mine hardly ever run unless i'm sitting in traffic on a hot day.

Laso is OEM Water Pump. You can buy them elsewhere besides the dealer - cheaper.

Pull the radiator and have it checked by a shop for flow. I know it is new but I put a new Behr (made in South Africa) in my 400e last year and it was sh_t. Had to take it back.

Also, make sure you bleed all the air out of the head by removing the bleed screw up front (in the row of sensors)

The last M103 pump I bought came from an MB dealer here on LI. It was new and was under $150. I don't think $400 for an OEM pump here in the US is reasonable.

103
 

I used to have a sluggish performance & a hot running engine , A/c on. Eventually the fault was diagnosed to a stiff and ageing compressor . A replacement resolved the problem.

Incidently the 103 clutch fan has its blade pitch in the reverse/opposite direction check if it does throw a huge volume of air when hot.
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