W124 fan clutch and other cooling system improvements

When I first got my 300TE registered, I had the A/C regassed as it wasn’t very cold. That made a huge difference as after that the car was ice cold. According to the service history, it had been a couple of years since it was last done, so it was probably about due. At the time, my mechanic suggested I replace the fan clutch, as the electric fan was cutting in quite a lot. He didn’t think the mechanical one was getting enough air through the condenser.

I figured this was a good idea, because even on a warm (e.g. […]

M117 Fan clutch

The other day I was driving my 560SEL on a fairly hot (30C) day in heavy traffic. The engine temperature got quite warm when sitting in traffic. It was well over 100C in traffic, which would eventually cool down when I got moving. The car didn’t overheat, but I did hear coolant boiling in the radiator hose after I finished the drive.

While the temperature itself is well within spec, given the day wasn’t really that hot compared to days in the mid 40s we get here in Sydney, I wanted to do something about it. Additionally, the air conditioning […]