Ikenna351:



I dont know about Benz, but below is how to test Peugeot cooling system Thermostat while its still in the system/engine. You may find it useful for your Benz.

http://peugeotarena.com/how-to-test-peugeot-engine-cooling-system-thermostat-while-its-still-in-engine/


Ikenna

Ikenna the peugeot expert....

even though this is benz, I believe most internal combustion cooling system are somewhat conventional, they are just too similar... even with diesel engines..

Toyota camry, Benz, BMW, Ford Focus, .....their cooling follow same pattern...

Ikenna, you are tempting me with this ur 406 o!.... I almost made up my mind about it some few months back... would look more @ that your thread now, because I am noticing more of Peugeot around

Ikenna351:



I dont know about Benz, but below is how to test Peugeot cooling system Thermostat while its still in the system/engine. You may find it useful for your Benz.

http://peugeotarena.com/how-to-test-peugeot-engine-cooling-system-thermostat-while-its-still-in-engine/


Ikenna

Ik,
am sorry to distract you. but can you give me a fair estimate of how much a Toyata Sienna engine 98 model cost?
I may need to buy one soon. Thanks.

kuntash:


Ikenna the peugeot expert....

even though this is benz, I believe most internal combustion cooling system are somewhat conventional, they are just too similar... even with diesel engines..

Toyota camry, Benz, BMW, Ford Focus, .....their cooling follow same pattern...

Ikenna, you are tempting me with this ur 406 o!.... I almost made up my mind about it some few months back... would look more @ that your thread now, because I am noticing more of Peugeot around

Similar ? Yes, but not identical.

For example, Peugeots have bleed valves for their cooling systems, while some car brands don't. Like the ES9J4S in my 406 V6, the cooling system has 3 bleed valves. Meaning, no matter how stubborn a trapped air in the cooling system is by refusing to go out, it will easily be bled out at any of the 3 bleed valves at different locations. And Peugeot cooling system is bled when engine is not running and when engine is cold. But for some brands, the engine have to be running while bleeding the cooling system, especially those without bleed valves, i think. Some, as i read, the front end need to be jacked up while bleeding the cooling system.

My point is, benz may a different or better method of troubleshooting its cooling system, which i do not know of.

@ aikerism,

If you are replacing the thermostat (if you still have one there, that is), make sure you bleed the cooling system. The clowns that remove thermostat have a way of making you feel bad going against their suggestions. A cooling system without thermostat can tolerate air lock/air in the system without overheating, unless you are stuck in a traffic jam for a long time, since the water pump will be circulating the fluid from engine to radiator and back to engine continuously, since there is no obstruction anymore, and the constant spinning of the fan will help in preventing the boiling of the fluid. But with thermostat in, there will be obstruction. And with air behind the thermostat in the cylinder head, the trapped air will immediately boil uncontrollably and then the overheating starts. Thats why when they warn you against re-installing the thermostat and you insist, they will install it like you ask without proper bleeding or no bleeding at all. Few minutes as soon as you drive out, you will drive back with some sorry face "You told me so!". Find out how to bleed benz cooling system and do it yourself or insist they do it properly, after re-installing the thermostat. Good luck.

Ikenna

@Ikenna,
please I need you help here.
www.nairaland.com/1527701/please-need
thank you.

kuntash:

I think the thermostat has been compromised... two things... , there are two brands OEM for that ride- WAHLER & BEHR,

as you know, thermostats are designed to fail in the open state.. i.e allowing water to flow thru all the time, no restriction, - such can lead to what u have.

secondly the thermostat must have been removed , by the person that sold you the car, whether dealer or whoever here in Naija, such can also lead to your scenario..

the first instance of failure is prone to the WAHLER brand of thermostat , and its the common one around....

I would advice you ask your mechanic to check if the thermostat is there, or failed..... in any case, do look for BEHR brand and put in there. its usually rated 87 or 91 degrees centigrade..

best of luck...

@kuntash

I have the wahler thermostat on a 1995 C180 Benz, though the fan comes on immediately at start-up I have never had an issue of over-heating, no matter how long am stuck in traffic. (AC always ON).

It's almost 5yrs and not a single overheat issue.

What's ur take on that?

inze:

the fan comes on immediately at start-up

What's ur take on that?

^^^ that's where I have issue.

smthn is not right going by what u just said there.

the electric fan only should kick in

- when AC is turned on and engine already at running temp.

- when temp exceeds 100deg centigrade. it enters emergency mode and u would here a full blast of the fan.

- when your temp sensor is faulty and cannot tell the ecu the right temp, e.g when wires doesnt make contact etc....... bad wire harness .

- finally when our rewire must have bypassed the fan module and get power from your alternator.

I have checked it out. I do have a thermostat afterall but it most likely has failed, it is a whaler brand... The mechanic disconnected the socket and the temp gauge pin droped to the minimum, he then used a wire to connect the socket to one other place and the guage pin shot up to the maximum... Hmmmm!
I will have it replaced but I couldn't do it today and am leaving town for a few days, so I will tackle the thermostat issue on my return!
Am grateful to you all my brothers from another BENZ
Thanks to you Ikenna (my namesake)

[quote author=smartchoice]wow okay I will give you some one's number in Lagos but can't/don't want to post it here without his permission....but I'd send it to you if you can post your email/fone here

I called Mr C****** in lagos and he gave me a price of 110k. However, I did make initial payment through another source and it was delivered on Wednesday. I drove straight to the workshop this morning and changed them. the ride now feels smoother and accelerate faster. I also checked the alignment to save my new tyres from any unnecessary wear. pics coming soon...

The pictures
pix 1 shows the new shaft purchased in lagos at a price of 130k and transportation expenses 5k totaling a sum of 135k.
pix 2.. The machanic trying to remove the old shaft
pix 3.. The culprit. The old driver side (left) shaft that makes the clicking sound
pix 4.. Checking out the alignment.

aikerism: I have checked it out. I do have a thermostat afterall but it most likely has failed, it is a whaler brand... The mechanic disconnected the socket and the temp gauge pin droped to the minimum, he then used a wire to connect the socket to one other place and the guage pin shot up to the maximum... Hmmmm!
I will have it replaced but I couldn't do it today and am leaving town for a few days, so I will tackle the thermostat issue on my return!
Am grateful to you all my brothers from another BENZ
Thanks to you Ikenna (my namesake)

Is like you want to join the mechanic in performing Circus show in your engine bay, because it appears two of you have mistaken temperature switch with thermostat. Thermostat has no wiring connector or socket. It pure mechanical.

Ikenna

Benz M Class or E Class Or C Class

Ikenna351:

Is like you want to join the mechanic in performing Circus show in your engine bay, because it appears two of you have mistaken temperature switch with thermostat. Thermostat has no wiring connector or socket. It pure mechanical.

Ikenna

Yes its pure metal parts and its there... My mistake was with the temperature switch. I travelled out of Abuja but once am back I will sort out the switch and thermostat issue so I can have a normal running temp for once...

Rick9: Benz M Class or E Class Or C Class

buy the three, they fall into different needs..

ML-350, E320, C280, C220 or C240

kuntash:

buy the three, they fall into different needs..

ML-350, E320, C280, C220 or C240

You are so on point...

Squeaky Clean...

I downloaded a video on how to remove the seats and the centre console for a thorough clean...
Pics soon...

ziccoit:

Chief au.hanson. You are welcomed back to the house. You're very right

This is what the owner manual says about the fuel consumption (L/100km) :

Yes you are right too. C180 get that low because of the little horsepower, but you can achieve the equivalent of the:c200, c230 by stepping up your tuning, on the contrary, it will take less fuel because it wouldnt struggle to make movement anymore, the reason it took that low.

I discovered that in the process of setting mine . I now enjoy good mpg and perfomance all round

inze:

Looking at the first pics on your post, i can say that your car idling is relatively low. _{I stand to be corrected though}

Yes it is low because the engine is perfect, if it perform optimally at that level; no rough idling;picks ac well and no dragging.

But i'm not comfortable with the temperature reading , there's something wrong with the thermostat reading; you may be having a wrong temp thermostat there, the right thing should be 87 degrees centigrade. You have to check that too soon to maintain that nice engine of yours else...

aikerism: Squeaky Clean...

Chief your vehicle is superb i must confess

au.hanson:


Yes it is low because the engine is perfect, if it perform optimally at that level; no rough idling;picks ac well and no dragging.

But i'm not comfortable with the temperature reading , there's something wrong with the thermostat reading; you may be having a wrong temp thermostat there, the right thing should be 87 degrees centigrade. You have to check that too soon to maintain that nice engine of yours else...

Hmm. I have similar issue too. The coolant gauge always stands at 76- 80 degrees Celsius. I also noticed my radiator fan always kick in and stays on about 5-8s after I start the engine. I heard this might be related to the faulty automatic A/C heater control unit. This is what I need to replace as soon as I get one.

@au.hanson, kindly help me source for the part (automatic A/C heater control unit) in your area if you don't mind. I'll appreciate.

Thanks sir.

Sorry have been busy, just seeing your post. wow ok...so you chose 135k instead of 110k why? Hope you ride is okay now?

[quote author=danadam][/quote]

[quote author=smartchoice]Sorry have been busy, just seeing your post. wow ok...so you chose 135k instead of 110k why? Hope you ride is okay now?

I needed the ride back in shape as fast as possible so I couldn't wait for the price confirmation. Anyway, I believe there's likely to be slight differences depending on the grade/quality of the shaft. The ride is now VERY OKAY. I will be goin to yola (over 600km from kano) soon and hopefully it's gonna be a fun drive to & fro. Thanks for the assistance, I appreciate.

You're welcome....

[quote author=danadam][/quote]

ziccoit:

Hmm. I have similar issue too. The coolant gauge always stands at 76- 80 degrees Celsius. I also noticed my radiator fan always kick in and stays on about 5-8s after I start the engine. I heard this might be related to the faulty automatic A/C heater control unit. This is what I need to replace as soon as I get one.

@au.hanson, kindly help me source for the part (automatic A/C heater control unit) in your area if you don't mind. I'll appreciate.

Thanks sir.

I will my dear, but give me a little while to come out of the "grub". My hands are really full, just that i cant resist nairaland.

However are you really sure that that is the problem? Because what you state looks like something of a wrong thermostat temperature range. Have you taken time to actually look at your thermostat rating?

Ikenna351:

Similar ? Yes, but not identical.

For example, Peugeots have bleed valves for their cooling systems, while some car brands don't. Like the ES9J4S in my 406 V6, the cooling system has 3 bleed valves. Meaning, no matter how stubborn a trapped air in the cooling system is by refusing to go out, it will easily be bled out at any of the 3 bleed valves at different locations. And Peugeot cooling system is bled when engine is not running and when engine is cold. But for some brands, the engine have to be running while bleeding the cooling system, especially those without bleed valves, i think. Some, as i read, the front end need to be jacked up while bleeding the cooling system.

My point is, Benz may a different or better method of troubleshooting its cooling system, which i do not know of.

@ aikerism,

If you are replacing the thermostat (if you still have one there, that is), make sure you bleed the cooling system. The clowns that remove thermostat have a way of making you feel bad going against their suggestions. A cooling system without thermostat can tolerate air lock/air in the system without overheating, unless you are stuck in a traffic jam for a long time, since the water pump will be circulating the fluid from engine to radiator and back to engine continuously, since there is no obstruction anymore, and the constant spinning of the fan will help in preventing the boiling of the fluid. But with thermostat in, there will be obstruction. And with air behind the thermostat in the cylinder head, the trapped air will immediately boil uncontrollably and then the overheating starts. Thats why when they warn you against re-installing the thermostat and you insist, they will install it like you ask without proper bleeding or no bleeding at all. Few minutes as soon as you drive out, you will drive back with some sorry face "You told me so!". Find out how to bleed benz cooling system and do it yourself or insist they do it properly, after re-installing the thermostat. Good luck.

Ikenna

@ Ikenna, if i may add to your contributions, my experience with Benz c180 without a thermostat(thermostat removed) will definitely overheat at holdup.

Also, after installing the thermostat, do not lock the little returning hose not until you see the water spill out of the return pipe with force(that is bleeding in Benz). Before then too, as you are pouring the water, be pressing(suction) the bigger hose that terminate at the radiator head and check the water level again to gauge as the car is idling .

au.hanson:


I will my dear, but give me a little while to come out of the "grub". My hands are really full, just that i cant resist nairaland.

However are you really sure that that is the problem? Because what you state looks like something of a wrong thermostat temperature range. Have you taken time to actually look at your thermostat rating?

Thank u chief.

You may be right. In front of the car when the bonnet is opened, there is a sticker there that shows a thermometer with temp ranging between 60-80 degree celsius. Which means the thermostat might have been average of 75 degree Celsius. In addition to this, I check the thermostat housing, inscribed on it is WHALER and A111 203 08 75 MADE IN GERMANY. This is buttressing the fact that the WHALER thermostat installed might be of 71 degree celsius.
I started the engine, waited for like 8mins for temp to reach 78 degree celsius and I opened the hood. Upper hose of the thermostat was very hot couple with the fact that the radiator fan kicked started and stayed on as soon as I started the engine.
I read it here that when WHALER thermostat fails, it does so in opened state so that the coolant keep on flowing no matter the engine temperature making the engine run cold. Since I still able to get ave temp of 71 degree celsius I want believe the thermostat is still functioning but wrongly ranged as you said.

QUESTIONS:
1. How can one explain the radiator fan that kicks in and stays on as soon as engine is started?
It runs at high speed with annoying sound (windy sound).

2. Why the radiator fan doesn't allow the temperature to go above the thermostat range before it kicks in?

Hello house, please I need your candid opinion on this issue that has been bordering me and a friend.
A friend of mine just purchased 1999 A160 from Cotonou, the guy that delivered the car to him from Cotonou changed the follow come engine oil and the gear oil to unknown gear oil, but he said the engine oil was changed to Mobil oil which he couldn't tell us the actual Mobil oil he used, based on his excuses that the car has over stayed in Cotonou before my friend purchased it...
Now my questions:- 1. What effect would this gear oil caused later?
2. What is the next step of action?
3. Then how about the availability of the spare parts for this car? because I got same type of car for my wife recently, which am also concerned about where to be getting the original spare for this car? Thanks

pafestula: Hello house, please I need your candid opinion on this issue that has been bordering a friend.
A friend of mine just purchased 1999 A160 from Cotonou, the guy that delivered the car to him used from Cotonou changed the follow come engine oil and the gear oil to unknown gear oil, but he said the engine oil was changed to Mobil oil which he couldn't tell us the actual Mobil oil he used, based on his excuses that the car has over stayed in Cotonou before my friend purchased it...
Now my questions:- 1. What effect would this gear oil caused later?
2. What is the next step of action?
3. Then how about the availability of the spare parts for this car? because I got same type of car for my wife, which am also scared about where to be getting the spare for this car? Thanks

As for your concerns 1 and 2, just pack the car, look for the mb recommended engine and gearbox fluids, drain the systems off those unknown fluids and replace with MB recommended fluid.

I know engine oil should be mobil 1. You don't tell us the type of gear that comes with the car.

As for 3, I don't know.

ziccoit:

1. You don't tell us the type of gear that comes with the car..

automatic transmission Bro!

pafestula: automatic transmission Bro!

I believe it should be 5-SP 722.6xx transmission. Just look for the mb recommended transmission fluid. Those auto tranny boxes hate abuse o. I have similar issue when the agent poured Dextrom III into my gearbox. He thought the fluid was low. I didn't know how he arrived at that since they don't come with dipstick. May be via an eyes gauge. Lol. Yet to change mine but I don't drive the car for now until I remove the trans oil and pour the recommended mb fluid. Good transmission fluid is like blood to human which they say is life.

Suffice to tell you that the transmission works wonderfully well, very smooth, no hesitation. The moment I engage drive and lift my leg off the brake the car moves. No symptoms, nothing. Yet I believe I have to go the manufacturer ways, at least as far as transmission fluid is concerned, because they don't like abuse.

Good luck.

ziccoit:

I believe it should be 5-SP 722.6xx transmission. Just look for the mb recommended transmission fluid. Those auto tranny boxes hate abuse o. I have similar issue when the agent poured Dextrom III into my gearbox. He thought the fluid was low. I didn't know how he arrived at that since they don't come with dipstick. May be via an eyes gauge. Lol. Yet to change mine but I don't drive the car for now until I remove the trans oil and pour the recommended mb fluid. Good transmission fluid is like blood to human which they say is life.

Suffice to tell you that the transmission works wonderfully well, very smooth, no hesitation. The moment I engage drive and lift my leg off the brake the car moves. No symptoms, nothing. Yet I believe I have to go the manufacturer ways, at least as far as transmission fluid is concerned, because they don't like abuse.

Good luck.

Thanks Ziccoit, I dont know why the house is keeping mute over this matter.. at least someone should tell us the best he/she is using..

ziccoit:

Thank u chief.

You may be right. In front of the car when the bonnet is opened, there is a sticker there that shows a thermometer with temp ranging between 60-80 degree celsius. Which means the thermostat might have been average of 75 degree Celsius. In addition to this, I check the thermostat housing, inscribed on it is WHALER and A111 203 08 75 MADE IN GERMANY. This is buttressing the fact that the WHALER thermostat installed might be of 71 degree celsius.
I started the engine, waited for like 8mins for temp to reach 78 degree celsius and I opened the hood. Upper hose of the thermostat was very hot couple with the fact that the radiator fan kicked started and stayed on as soon as I started the engine.
I read it here that when WHALER thermostat fails, it does so in opened state so that the coolant keep on flowing no matter the engine temperature making the engine run cold. Since I still able to get ave temp of 71 degree celsius I want believe the thermostat is still functioning but wrongly ranged as you said.

QUESTIONS:
1. How can one explain the radiator fan that kicks in and stays on as soon as engine is started?
It runs at high speed with annoying sound (windy sound).

2. Why the radiator fan doesn't allow the temperature to go above the thermostat range before it kicks in?

Failed thermostat!

The answer has been thoroughly answered [earlier-on] in this thread.

In addition to what the thread reflects on your issue: check your tensioner. If it's weak, use a lower thermostat (that is 85degC). The service can be deferred for a few years (if it's not critical). I don't recommend this approach but it's best than service job improperly done.