Hello everyone I was wondering if it would be any benefit to my 1983 mercedes 240d to upgrade the cooling system components. What I mean is to replace the thermostat (with one that is rated to 80C or 176F), install a 9 blade fan and fan clutch off of a 300sd to replace the 5 blade fan, and to install a 300sd water pump pulley which is smaller than the stock 240d pulley to overdrive the waterpump and increase the flow of the system. Also a new temp sender because mine is old and the temp gauge reads a little off because of it. Later in the summer this year I will give the car its second cooling system flush also. Any thoughts appreciated!

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your car should have the 80C thermostat from the factory.


a 5 blade fan does a good job at cooling the engine. I used to own a 240D and never had cooling problems.


In my opinion if you have cooling problems then these might be the causes:

under-filled coolant(push top hose down when filling)

clogged radiator(both inside and outside)

corroded/eroded water pump

maybe thermostat?

Just fix the issues with the system the way it was designed and you should be fine. It is also possible your car is operating as intended. I can't count the number of times a post comes up online somewhere about somebody thinking their car is overheating when in fact it was running perfectly normal.

I agree with the two previous posts.

The 240 d system is lighter and simpler to maintain. It was used extensively for taxi service. If it is all in good working order it should stay cool pretty well. 82 degrees is normal unless pulling a long hill on a hot day, or if stuck in traffic on a hot day.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Ok thanks guys. But i do still want to try putting the om617 fan with fan clutch on just to try it. I got a new temp sender and my thermostat today so ill keep you guys updated in the future days. Also when my father bought this car everythhing in the cooling system was replaced and that was in 2013-2014. But now the temp gauge says its running a little hot. So ill change the sensor and go from their. Also im young so i have a knack for trying to improve things, it also doesnt help not having a fan shroud to help draw in air from the radiator I'll reinstall that too. Anyways wish me luck!

The coolant isnt low its to the bottom of the radiator neck like its suppost to be. I replaced the radiator cap a few months ago and topped it off and i have never lost coolant since. Also when we first got the car everything in the cooling system was replaced

Yes you could have coolant showing full in your radiator but your top hose could be low/empty.

What happens is that people fit aftermarket/weird hoses and the hose rises above the radiator on it's way to the engine and you get no coolant flow/air pocket.

This happened on my 240D. I had the coolant level all the way to the top and almost overheated the engine after doing a coolant change. Took some head scratching but I figured it out.

The solution is simple: push the top hose down and observe the coolant level. Cutting the hose short so that it doesn't rise above the radiator could solve your problem. It did solve my problem

Shroud is very important because otherwise your fan will not draw air through the radiator

So is the car running hot, or is the OP just trying to overcomplicate something for the sake of overcomplication? The 617 fan clutches are a known weak area, that is NOT an upgrade to the fixed fan of the 616. The 240D cooling system is blissfully simple. Overheating issues are most likely to be related to a worn water pump, flaky thermostat, or clogs/sludge in the cooling system.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Ok to clear things up, the car is not overheating however my temp gauge reads about 90-95C and the the infared gun says the engine is running cooler so I need a new temp sender unit. But the reason I wanted to add the fan clutch and change the pulley is because I thought it would be an improvement to the cooling system and help the car out on a hot day in traffic or on the open road. Also the radiator hoses I have are the right size and do not rise over the top of the radiator. I can take pictures later to help if you guys need it.

Also their should not be any sludge buildup in the engine because me and my dad did the cooling system flush with apple cidar vinegar and then neutralized it with baking soda. That was around 6 or 7 years ago though. But still would it hurt to change out the 5 blade fan with a 9 blade fan? and can't you just bolt the 9 blade fan to the pulley without the clutch?

I guess what a lot of us aren't understanding is why you want to mod a perfectly functional cooling system and make it less reliable (fan clutch) and make it more taxing on the engine (smaller pulley and 9-blade fan) when it won't improve anything over an already functional cooling system?

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Ok sorry didn't know and also I'm not going to swap the water pump pulley as it is the correct size. What I plan to do is install the radiator fan shroud, new thermostat, and cut the upper radiator hose shorter. Because I looked at it earlier and it is a higher than the radiator. So i can do that, however the lower radiator hose is a little bit longer than needed should i cut it down? it doesn't leak or anything.

I wanted to install a fan with more blades on it so it will increase the airflow and dissipate the heat of the radiator better. The stock 5 blade fan may work ok but a 9 blade fan will work better. And I have a good fan clutch from a 300sd that has a lot of resistance to spin and is not leaking oil. It is also a MB Original fan clutch. The 9 blade fan coupled with the radiator fan shroud will most definitely increase airflow, so whats not to understand?

If the engine isn't overheating, more air through the radiator isn't going to do anything at all, the engine temperature is regulated by the thermostat. The clutch is thermostatic, it won't even run the fan with any fervor until the airflow through the radiator is hot enough. What part of that aren't you understanding?

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)