c180 Running Temp

hayth_merc

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Hi,

have seen a few threads on this but just wanted some help/clarification.

On my daily commute - average around 50mph, the temp is steady at around 80.
if i get caught up in any traffic jams, the temp rises to 90-95. Is this normal?

Cheers
Haythem
 

television

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Do a carrot test, on the engine fan, when the gauge is showing 85c slowly try and feed a carrot into the fan blades, it should chop it up,if the fan stops then it needs a new visco coupling
 

gibsones135

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Do a carrot test, on the engine fan, when the gauge is showing 85c slowly try and feed a carrot into the fan blades, it should chop it up,if the fan stops then it needs a new visco coupling


Can you do the test with white cabbage aswell? Chuck in a splodge of mayo and hey presto ...Coleslaw!! :D
 

television

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Can you do the test with white cabbage aswell? Chuck in a splodge of mayo and hey presto ...Coleslaw!! :D


:lol::lol::lol:
If you engine is as clean as it should be then yes, though its the ends of fingers that puts people off:shock:
 

Blakey

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How about red cabbage then?
 
C

C180 Chris

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If we can use any Vegetable then why not drive the car down to your local MP's office, they could stick a finger or two in and that way you could save the cost of the carrot or red cabbage and he/she would be doing something useful.

A win-win situation:D:D

All the best,
 

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Number_Cruncher

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Thats right, a red herring :confused: it has been used since the forum started in 2002 with at least several hundred post on doing this test

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=2015&highlight=carrot+test

Yes, a red herring!

I don't doubt that the carrot test allows you to tell if the fan has locked up or not - although if you can't hear it roaring, then you must be pretty deaf!

What I'm saying is that at 85 degrees, the thermostat is barely allowing coolant into the radiator, and so, there's no way the radiator fan should be locking up.

I would be *very* surprised to see the viscous fan locking up at these temperatures, and so, I think the carrot test would be leading people to the wrong conclusions, and making them fit new viscous fan hubs without real cause, and to no great effect.
 

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Yes, a red herring!

I don't doubt that the carrot test allows you to tell if the fan has locked up or not - although if you can't hear it roaring, then you must be pretty deaf!

What I'm saying is that at 85 degrees, the thermostat is barely allowing coolant into the radiator, and so, there's no way the radiator fan should be locking up.

I would be *very* surprised to see the viscous fan locking up at these temperatures, and so, I think the carrot test would be leading people to the wrong conclusions, and making them fit new viscous fan hubs without real cause, and to no great effect.

Whether you like it or not the engine visco fan locks up at just over 80C on this engine.

You argued over this.

You can hear the bi metal click

You argued over this.

The carrot test has worked for years.

And now you argue over this.

There are hundreds of post on this, so they are all wrong
 

Number_Cruncher

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>>Whether you like it or not the engine visco fan locks up at just over 80C on this engine.

I very much doubt it. I would expect that the thermostat doesn't even open to the radiator before 85C, so why on earth would the viscous fan start at 80C? what would it be cooling?


>>You argued over this.

Yes, I still do.


>>The carrot test has worked for years.

Yes, I have NO problem with the test per se, just that in this case, it's not appropriate, because at this temperature, the viscous fan shouldn't be engaged anyway.

>>There are hundreds of post on this, so they are all wrong

Possibly, just possibly.

Where are you getting this 80C figure from, and what exactly is being measured?

The advice as written is wrong, and will be costing people serious money to replace these expensive parts for NO gain.


When I disagree over something, it's to try to straighten things out, to bring clarity, and be helpful, I'm sorry if you find this upsetting.
 

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The 80C is a MB figure well documented, with pages and pages of info, take a read before you comment.


Replacing expensive parts ????? it is a fact that if you run the engine up to 80C and over the fan will speed up, but if low on silicon it will not reach full power. The carrot test works well, as can be seen by the 100's of postings on this.

I do not find it upsetting, you just do not come up with any other method of knowing if the fan is running at full power.

Listening for the roar is hardly constructive is it, If some chop carrots and some do not, surely the one that does not is at fault, simpler that cannot be, and carrots are cheap
 

Number_Cruncher

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>>The 80C is a MB figure well documented

No. The thermostat won't be opening until the coolant is 85C.

There will be no hot water in the radiator for the viscous fan to cool at 80C.

I ask again, what is the 80C measuring (it certainly isn't coolant temperature)

I'll say again - I have *nothing* against the carrot test to verify if a viscous fan is locked up - it's a reasonable method.

But, the temperature that viscous fans lock up at isn't 80C, and for the OP, he hasn't got a viscous fan problem - he's nowhere the temperatures where the fan should cut in.

Here are some typical numbers from MB.

Thermostat start of opening 85 to 89C, fully open at 102C

Viscous fan clutch cut in temperature 96 to 104C
cut off speed 4500 rpm / 3250 rpm

electric fan 1st stage on /off 100 / 95C
electric fan 2nd stage on /off 107 / 100C

Please post the context of this 80C figure, and then we can begin to work out what it really means.
 


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