Car: 1992 190E 2.6

Well I have done all I can so I come before you today to ask expert advice. I live in a small town in texas and I do not have a professional mechanic that works on MBs.
So I posted here with a thread and no one really answered my question.

here is the URL for the original thread.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=96552

A gentleman by the Name of Jim Anderson gave me a suggestion but it was already something I had known all along about the pulley.

So this weekend I began the task of tearing apart the damn front half of the engine. I pulled the radiator and cross member pulled off the water pump pulley water pump belt. then I decided I might as well replace the belt tensioner and the rod, nut and the sepentine belt.

Okay, I got all of that done and put it back together put in 6 quarts of 50/50 and the damn thing wouldnt take anymore? So I ran the engine for about 10 minutes till operating temp and then I checked the coolant level again. I went down a bit so I thought okay it must have just need to circulate a bit so I added a bit more 50/50 to the mix. Ran it again for a little shorter time period and It got up to operating temp, but then the fans kicked on, and I thought okay its been Idling for a while thats normal so I shut it off. Waited 10 minute s then backed it out of the garage and put it on the street. Well, the next morning I went to drive it to Wal Mart and when I turned the key the coolant level indicator came on immedeatly and I didnt panic at first, I just thought maybe its bogus. Well I opened the hood and low and behold not a single drop of anything in the expansion tank. It was as dry as the sahara desert. So I put more 50/50 coolant in it and Drove it to Walmart watching the coolant light carefully. It never came on and the car performed like a champ. I came out of wal mart turned on the car and the coolant light didnt come on which I was happy about. Well, I looked at my temp gauge, which is in accurate some of the time, actually im beging to think all of the time now. and it was already at 80 and I thought that was a little hot for sitting an hour. The outside temp was 70*, not hot at all. So I started it up and drove home well about half way through the 6 mile trek I pulled up to a stop light and could hear the aux fans just running as high as they could, and of course I was freaked out.

WEll, I decided to get it home not romping on it but keeping a slow and steady pace below 2000RPMS the whole time. I get home and park and shut off the engine immedeatly. I open the hood and yep its overheated not badly though it didnt reach the boiling point. or the 265* the coolant/antifreeze boils at it was just really hot. So I pulled out my stanley laser thermometer and took some temp readings.

325* at the exhauast manifold.
248* on the block.
225*on the valve cover
192* on the expansion tank cap.

Then when I looked at the expansion tank and it was filled to the top and the coolant was spiting out that overflow. and on to the ground. So I went inside mad, angry, hurt, sad, betrayed ect.
I came out about an hour later and the engine was still a bit warm but not abnormally so. I touched the expansion tank cap and it was a little warm but not hot. I opened it up expecting the worst, oil in the coolant because I was almost certian the head gasket blew. I shined my flashlight in the expansion tank and oh my god, I almost burst in to flames. There wasnt oil in the coolant as a matter of fact there was no coolant! Once again it was dry and there wasn't a trace of water in that expansion tank.
No puddle under the car.

I Screamed what in the he L L L L

So now im tuning to this site and its professionals. What could be causing this? I consider my self a deicent DIYer and have all the tools and service CDs for my car.

Has anyone seen this?

I have never seen a problem like this on any car let alone all the pre 1995 mercecedes I have owned (Including a 83 380SEC, 92 400E, 90 500SEL and 92 300E). This car is demon posesed!

Can anyone help me im a desperate fool at the end of my rope my daily driver has become my garage queen. The most common view of my engine since april is all torn apart.

Thank you for your Time.

Andrew Niiranen