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Originally Posted by mykg4orce
The car is a 1990 190e 2.6 with 276,000KM (convert to miles) on it.
The fan clutch looks like the picture attached, I'm not sure whether to call it electric or hydraulic.
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Thanks for the information. First, your clutch looks to be a viscous, or hydraulic drive. When cold it should spin quite easily when the engine is stopped, and not 'follow' the engine rpm when speeded up.
When warm/hot, it should not spin as easily when stopped, and should 'follow' engine rpm and sound quite a bit louder when rpms increase, as it is now drawing more air through the radiator. There may be a noticeable drag on the engine when it is warm. Does this happen? If not, this could contribute to the engine temperature increase, as the fan is not drawing air through the radiator as fast as it should.
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As far as losing coolant, I am not too sure. Should I be expecting a drastic drain in my coolant right after engine overheating? Well all the times my car has over heated I have never seen the coolant light come on, and when the car cools down the coolant level in the expansion tank seems to be the same as it was before.
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If you have a head gasket leak, there will be some loss of coolant. BUT, from what you describe, you are running
hotter, but not really
overheating, which occurs at or above the red marks on gauge at 120C. If your temperatures do not get this high, and you are experiencing no real loss of coolant, I will suggest that you have an under-performing system, rather than a failed system.
Let's see how the system of water pump, thermostat, engine fan and radiator are performing. We know the auxiliary fans are working...
Is your temperature normal, around 80C, at speed? If so, the thermostat is probably OK, as is the water pump. They are pumping, anc controling, but the return temperature is not low enough, so the radiator should be inspected.
Your radiator may require a good exterior cleaning. There are a LOT of small air passages, and they can clog easily with dirt, bugs and debris. Washing with a forceful stream of water, from the rear, may dislodge most of this. It is best done after removing the radiator.
Your radiator may also require a good interior cleaning. A quick check by hand of the radiator is to feel parts of the front as it warms up, to estimate if it is warming evenly. (Don't try from the back, the fan may bite you!) If there are obvious hotter and colder areas, there could be some restrictions inside that are cutting down on water flow. A cleaning/flushing may work, or it may require a replacement.
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A head gasket replacement seems like quite an expensive project...
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Yes, it is, and it is probably one of the
last reasons for an engine to run warm or overheat. Let's eliminate all other reasons first.
Best Regards,
Jim