After having a look at many of the posts, I am growing concerned about the cooling of my 94 E500 this coming summer. Here in the SE it can get deceptively hot, and I have found that even on the level all of vehicles tend to run a bit hotter. I live atop a steep mountain (great drive every day!) but it privides sufficient stress to have put an end to my 83 300TD's hill climbing ability (no comparison here).

Question:

1. Should I consider aux cooling (I run stock at the present time)? If so, how do I prioitize (oversized radiator, transmission cooler, larger oil cooler).

Any thoughts are greatly welcome.

Have you changed the coolant lately? Supposed to be changed every 2 years. Only use MB coolant! Could help your problem.
How warm is your temp getting?

WaterWetter
 

Try Redline WaterWetter. I used it during a trip to Las Vegas last summer and the temp was over 120 degrees. Never experienced a cooling problem. Great stuff.

David,

The coolant has recently been changed, and replaced with MB coolant at the dealership. The temp has not been soaring, but when it hovers around 85C when the outside temperature is in the 40's, the thought of 95F days with 90% humidity got me thinking bad thoughts.

Dean,

Is the RedLine product an additivie I put in with the MB coolant? Does it have any side effects? Your driving condidtions are not too far different than mine, and if you have had success, I'll give this a try and save the money.

Thanks to both of you for the thoughts.

mbsteve

Your temp (~85C ) does not sound out of line given that the W124 500's run hot. From what I gather, some 500's run slightly hotter than others. Mine has always run on the cooler side. This morning I noticed that the temp guage was slightly below 80 during a highway stretch of my commute. Generally it runs around 82. Oddly, after adding a chip and KN's, it runs cooler... almost as if it is breathing more freely and dissipating heat more efficiently. I'd also recommend water wetter.

Mark is correct. That temperature is normal. Esp in traffic, the engine temp might run over 100C. If it stays over 100C for an excessive amt of time, I would worry a little. But this is not too out of the ordinary. My car runs at 100C when sitting in traffic. Once I get going though, it gets right back down to 82 or so. How was it last summer?

The ratio of anti-freeze to water is important. Anti-Freeze does not disipate heat, just the water. In the summer you may choose to use a higher ratio of water to anti-freeze.

Jim

mbsteve: With WaterWetter, you add one bottle ($8) to your rad and reduce the coolant to water ratio to about 20%, depending on the temperatures you are expecting. This should be good for a 10-12 degree reduction in coolant temperature. More coolant in the water means less temp reduction.

BE CAREFUL you maintain enough coolant to prevent freezing! Obviously, WaterWetter is not a year-round solution if you live in colder climates.

Can you use WaterWetter with any engine? Maybe I should get a bottle of it??

Thanks for the helpfull input everyone. Since I did not own the car last summer, I have no basis for comparison. I know htat the newer engines run a bit hotter, but I do not what to explore how close to the edge you can go before you do some hefty damage. But for $8 (Water Wetter) and a coolant change it sounds like the right type of insurance policy to take out.

Thanks again.

Dean: Where did you get the water wetter, my dealer does not have it.

David,

Yes you can use watter wetter with any engine and you should get it. It is a surfactant and also has a very high heat transfer capability, reducing chance of localized boiling under very hot temps

Any Redline Oil dealer can get WaterWetter. Check out www.redlineoil.com to locate a dealer nearest you.

But Dean, PARTSSHOP sells them right here!!!!

OOOPS! :o