Coolant temp running up..........

[plurkje]

It does remind me of a 300D I used to have, when driving at highway speeds only uphill I had to slow down in order to keep the needle out of the red! I replaced the radiator and everything was back at normal again.
The radiator was not leaking or anything visually wrong with, just a little old, I think. Internally the coolant flow must have been reduced in the course of a short period.

By drilling holes in the thermostat you're only addressing the symptom, not the cause of it! And in the longrun things like that ruins the engine due to the prolonged warming up period!

[no-blue-screen]

Well, this weekend here is what I plan to do for starters.

1) Install new 9-blade fan and new behr fan clutch

2) Install new thermostat

3) Drain and replace coolant

I think I saw the post on modifying the thermostat. I think the recommendation was to have two thermostats in climates where temeratures change to extremes (like here in Maryland). The modified thermostat for summer time, and the standard unmodified thermostat for fall, winter, and spring.

I am also going to run the hose through the outside of the radiator and condensor to clean away any dirt, leaves, etc. that could be restricting air flow. Anyone else have any other recommendations? As I said, I already have a new water pump...so if I have to buy a new radiator I will probably throw the new water pump on while I am at it. The radiator looks fairly new though and doesn't appear to have any leaks.

[mybenz123]

Also buy some citric acid from the MB stealership(might
have to order it,not sure thought) and flush with that.
It should come with instructions how to perform the flush.

While your at it check all the hoses.
Also the transmission cooler hoses at the bottom
of the radiator.

Louis.

[no-blue-screen]

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, my back hurts a little, but I took er on a nice highway cruise and she doesn't go above 90!

This is what I did today:

1) Replcaced the fan clutch and old style 6-blade fan with a brand new Behr fan clutch and new 9-blade MB fan - The old fan clutch was def shot as all kind of nasty stuff fell of it when I took it out. With the new clutch and fan on, I can hear the clutch engage when I rev er up

2) Drained old coolant and replaced with new

3) Replaced old thermostat since I don't know how long it has been in there. The old thermostat actually had Behr-Thompson written on it....LOL....The new thermostat was a Behr branded thermostat.

4) With the fan shroud off , I ran the hose and washed the outside of the radiator, condensor, and oil cooler to rinse away any debris that could possibly restrict air flow. I did not use anything high pressure, just the hose with a multi-function nozzle set to a flat spray pattern.

I want to thank everyone who replied for their suggestions and I certainly feel much better now that the vehicle is not running above 90C.

Last note: I took my time to make sure I did everything right and the job took about 3.5 hours from start to finish including a short break for lunch.

Now tomorrow I install my new hood pad