How hot does your 116 run?

[hawaiiw116]

Hey guys my temp stays between 175 and 250.  What does your temp guage read?

Mahalos,
Jessie

[13B]

Well thats not "staying" anywhere is it? Thats a 75 degree F range yours is varying over.

FWIW:

my 6.9: normal driving 83 degrees C
idling at extended standstill in drive: goes up to 85 or 87C - then goes straight down within 500m of moving off
hot summer days over ambient temp 32C: normal driving with A/C on: 90 degrees C
idling at extdended standstill in park with A/C on full: 100C but have seen it go as high as 110C... again comes down once I move off

I.

[Hemersam]

My '78 280SE runs just below 175 F during the winter; in the summer on a really hot day (Texas), in city traffic it will get up close to 200 F, but rarely over that, and even on days with the temp over 100F, it doesn't get over 112F.
Hemersam
Dallas, Texas, USA

[hawaiiw116]

I am at about 210F!  Maybe I need to do a recore job soon!

[Papalangi]

Mine runs right on or just above the 175 mark in typical Seattle weather.

Michael

[Hemersam]

     Oops! I mistakenly said my '78 280SE heats up to a maximum of 112 F on a hot Texas day.  Actually, it gets up to about 212 F in such weather.  Excuse my mistake.   
Hemersam
Dallas, Texas, USA

[Zagato]

In the fall mine runs at about 180 F, while right now early in the winter, it's running at around 165 - 170 F. Don't know about Spring and Summer yet, haven't owned the car that long!

Also, the topic brings up another interesting question. How does the w116 usually cope in the summer? Many classic cars easily overheat, but is the w116 stronger? I ask this because even in the fall, my '74 450se would sometimes run hot. I had to abandon a journey once because I saw the temp gauge start to creep over 200 F.

[13B]

Many classic cars easily overheat

Only usually those which haven't had any cooling system maintenance since they rolled off the production line.

The W116 is no better or worse than any other classic car, and if the cooling system is neglected it will get hot and overheat.

Fortunately there's nothing too complicated in the setup (radiator/fan clutch/water pump, thermostat hoses etc. are all utterly conventional, so just make sure the radiator is in good condition and the cooling system is filled with the right amount of MB blue coolant, and holding pressure.

I.

[OzBenzHead]

My 280SE (European spec) runs at near-constant temperature - in the range 80-85 degrees Celsius - regardless the weather or traffic conditions. Only once has it approached 90 degrees C, and that was when driving at serious speed (let's just say well over the posted highway limit) for hours on end in inland Australia (i.e. hundreds of km from the coast) and the outside temperature was around 40 degrees C.

Even when the radiator core was on its last legs, the car refused to overheat. (I found out that the core was cactus only when I did a high-pressure reverse flush and caused the core to disintegrate - totally).

The only time any of my Benzes has overheated was the day I drove my W108 home from my (then) mechanic's - about 45 km - and discovered, on stopping, the temp gauge rapidly heading for boil. On lifting the bonnet I discovered that the top radiator hose clamp had not been retightened (it was a newly fitted hose and the mechanic had lost the plot halfway through the job). (Mechanic subsequently sacked when he made an even greater mistake.)

[pez]

In my '76 450se euro spec, the thermostat is a 72C [to my knowledge only 1 temp thermostat available] and the car runs between 80 and 90C at all times.....80C when very cold out, as high as 90C on the hottest days and with the A/C on full.

Based on your description of the variance in running temp on your car, it sounds like it is time to just dig in and do a complete re-do on that cooling system - hoses, belts, fluid, thermostat, water pump, re-core radiator, etc. - esp given the age of all of our cars. Plus, all that is not that expensive to do, unlike a 'modern' car.  Use Thomas Hanson @ MB Classic Center in Irvine, CA or www.autohausaz.com.

[Papalangi]

Mine did vary a bit more just before it overheated due to the fan clutch loosing it's grip.  It spun freely and the car was OK till the missus was sitting in traffic in downtown Seattle.  Oh what fun.

Michael

[JAYAUCK25]

I just replaced my water pump because of leakage and now mine also runs hotter than normal.  It always ran at or around 175f before, but now reaches 200-210 on a regular basis. 

[pez]

If you changed out your water pump recently, did you change you thermostat, too?  Also, on the m117 engine, there is a bleed bolt on the rear of inside of the left side manifold....this allows you to get all the air out....there can be quite a bit of air in the system and it should be bled to be sure that the pump is pumping water and not air.

Just a few things to think about...I am sure there are others.

[hawaiiw116]

I just replaced my water pump because of leakage and now mine also runs hotter than normal.  It always ran at or around 175f before, but now reaches 200-210 on a regular basis. 

The owner before me had the water pump changed.  I wonder if it was not bleed off.

[JAYAUCK25]

I didn't replace the thermostat, but did test it in hot water before reinstalling it.  I guess for as much as they cost I'll just replace it.  As for the bleed bolt, is it left hand looking at the engine or sitting at the wheel, because I cannot find it.