nervousr 88 SL driver

[mattcara]

dear friends,

I have an 88 SL with 80k miles. its in excellenct condition and i just recently had all the filters and fluids changed.

but after driving her a few nights ago in the hot outside temps, i got really nervous, and i was wondering if im crazy or some of you out ther might share my concerns.


the car got hot, and it felt too hot. the temp gauge didnt go up to the redline, but the car just felt really hot, and the cooling fan was buzzing and it just felt like it wasnt normal.

do any of you out there feel like there SL's drive hotter? i dont know. i want to be able to drive my SL cause i really do love it, i just dont know if this is something that i need to get used too?

[rickjordan]

What temp did she get up to?

[mattcara]

its goes just slightly over the 100c mark, but if i idle for a longer time on 90 days, it could go up even more..


but i have never experinced redlining


Matt

[affab]

Matt,What you are experiencing is common for these cars.As long as your not sitting still for unusally long periods of time, you'll be fine Thse cars have large engines tightly fit into the engine bay with not alot of room for air to circulate.

[mattcara]

thanks for your response..

i hear what you are saying.. it amazies me that MB wouldnt have figured out how to keep this car cool by 88!

but i think it is normal.

i was sittig in new york city traffic and that is when i got freeked out..

so do you think it is bad to drive it in the city?

its a shame if i cant

[rickjordan]

I don't know if it helps the engine or not, but after running around in my SL, I'll open the hood up and let the heat out.

[mattcara]

i am going to do that! it cant hurt..


i have read some threads where guys have drilled holes in the engine compartment to also cool more

[elau]

Why don't you put some Water Wetter in the coolant tank? It helps. I am not sure if your model year has thermostat, you may want to see if it is going bad.

[airedale]

Originally Posted by rickjordan

I don't know if it helps the engine or not, but after running around in my SL, I'll open the hood up and let the heat out.

I notice the Kansas City, Missouri Police when their cars are sitting idling for an extended time open the hood about 1/4 of the way. They have a fleet of 1500 or so cars and probably did some research on it.

[mattcara]

i am going to open the hood. it cant hurt.

also im not going to put it in the garage so fast after using it..


i put wetter in.. i think it has helped .. the temp seems abit lower/.

[G-Benz]

MB hadn't solved it with the R129s either...still stuffing V8s into tight engine compartments, and mine registers 100C even on summer evening highway drives!

[rickjordan]

Has anyone looked at a Jaguar XJ12. You want to talk about stuffed.

[BENZ-LGB]

How about turning the heater on when the engine is getting too hot. That usually opens up the thermostat which helps cool down the engine. Even the engine in my daughter's 300TE wagon tends to overheat if it runs on heavy, stop and go traffic in So. Cal.'s freeways. And there is plenty of room in that engine bay!

Good luck.

[airedale]

That is a tough thing to do, turn the heater on, in the middle of the summer with a Mercedes Benz. The car should likely be looked at by a mechanic. My 560 SEC holds beautifully on temperature but my 380 SL will warm up with the ambient temperature up. With the 380SL I took it to my mechanic when I noticed it get near the temp red line but not quite. He found the auxiliary fan was not coming on. Then he did a neat thing. He unhooked the two wires that supply the power for the auxiliary fan and attach to the A/C dryer. This little switch was not closing to turn the auxiliary fan on. He said he would order a switch and then came the good part. He took a yellow plastic fuse ( like most cars use ) and hooked it across the two wires that connected to the switch. The auxiliary fan runs now when ever the engine runs. For the plus 95 degree days we have here I appreciate the auxiliary fan running constantly, the engine temperature is lower so I told him to be in no hurry the get the replacement switch. In fact when I do replace it maybe still in the summer I will use the fuse jumper. It just seems like it is nice treatment to the engine and my mileage has improved by a mpg or so.
The clutch on the mechanical fan may be an issue too if the car is not cooling. I read that after driving in 95 degree city traffic you should not be able to turn the fan blade by hand ( engine off of course. )

[BENZ-LGB]

I agree that turning on the heater on hot NY weather (or hot LA weather for that matter) is a tough thing to do. I should have said that was an emergency cure until he found the culprit for the overheating and got it fixed permanently.

Better to suffer a little cabin heat than to have a permanently damaged engine.