long-gone,
thanks for the thoughts...my plan is to check the hoses but I'm confident it's the water pump...the car has 130,000 miles and it's probably the time for a new one! I'll keep the board posted on my findings.
thanks again for taking the time to reply...

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1994 E420, 1994 E320CE, 1994 E320TE and 1991 300SE