operating temp for the 95 e300 D
 

My new one is running about 78 degrees instead of the 82 I am accustomed to seeing. Is the standard stat from the factory an 82 degree stat?

AFAIK it's an 80C thermostat; my '95 E300 runs at about 90C on the gauge most of the time (but I don't necessarily trust it). The challenge lies in deciding which (a) thermostat, (b) temperature gauge sender, or (c) temperature gauge is correct. An IR thermometer is handy in measuring the temperature of the engine and radiator once it's up to whatever passes for "normal" in your or anyone else's engine.

Jeremy

The NA engine uses an 85 degree thermostat and keeps the needle at 90C, It will climb to 95 or 98 (a hair below 100) at a standstill for more than 5 minutes.

So it must have the wrong stat.

Leave it alone Tom. If it keeps it at 95 and below year round you are good to go. You really have to load it up to bring the temp up. You won't get it up to a good operating temperature if all you do is a little round town driving. Around here loaded up is getting off the interstate (80 mph, min 20 mins) and immediately getting into bumper to bumper traffic with the a/c on during a hawt Ga summer.

I have two 95 E300's and one runs a little hotter than the other (maybe 5dF). One has 271k miles and the other has 317k miles. Both have had all new cooling system parts including radiator and the temps have remained the same (and same difference) through all the parts replacement. Head gasket has been replaced on both of them and I did not see any discernable differences in any of the parts. I don't run a shroud on either of them and I never see temps above 100dF although it looks like one of them may need a new fan clutch.

Mine behaves just like Zulfi's car with a new thermostat. My old stat was in the process of failing to open and kept the car at about 80 all the time. I have the original radiator and original water pump, believe it or not!

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D 409K

yesterday the car never came up to temp. Best was maybe 40C. I suspect the stat is stuck open.

This morning though at minus 6 F it started right up with no block heater.