hmm. upon closer inspection, my E420 never gets to 80, but rather sits at 70 deg C or so. car warms up fine, blows warm air, etc. is my thermostat also busted..?

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Current cars:
2001 MB E55 AMG
2003 Honda S2000
2000 Honda CRV

Gone but not forgotten:
2004 BMW 325i 5sp sport
1999 BMW 540i sport
1997 MB E420
1995 BMW M3 coupe

Yes. As mentioned in the posts above, an M119 will, if anything, run hot. Replace ASAP.

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Steve
'93 400E

really?? but the car is running so awesome. does a faulty thermostat give any other symptoms other than the cooler temp reading?? is there a way to test if the thermostat is bad before buying one..?? and how much is that part?? .

__________________
Current cars:
2001 MB E55 AMG
2003 Honda S2000
2000 Honda CRV

Gone but not forgotten:
2004 BMW 325i 5sp sport
1999 BMW 540i sport
1997 MB E420
1995 BMW M3 coupe

My '96 E320 always runs between 90C(winter) and 95+C(summer) ... Check your thermostat... Hotter is better for your engine (but not > 100C) , IMO

was it thermostat that you change, or was it the temp sensor? thermostat is where a valve opens based on temperature and closes the valve (for water to pass thru) when its cold.