I have a 1979 245DL that has recently been getting a little hot in the summer weather, sometimes forcing me to drive with the heat on.
The radiator looks fine, I see no signs of rust or corosion on it, but it is a single core radiator, do I need a double or triple core radiator? Would an aux. radiator fan do the trick?
The heatercore, and water pump have been replaced recently, I am going to change the thermostat for good measure. I'm not too keen on buying a new radiator, but what else can I do?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

timon

You've got a pretty old rad. Check the fins to see if they are deteriorating. My '80 rad didn't leak but the fins crumbled to the touch (winter salt). Replacement used rad cools a lot better.

BTW, running very hot may cause premature engine oil seal degradation.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans

timon,

Many times a radiator will get bugs, sand, dirt, misc crap stuck in the fins and this dramatically impacts the cooling efficiency of the radiator. You might use a garden hose and, with the engine off (obviously!) shoot some water through the radiator (directing the water jet from the engine compartment outward) I've used this technique many times to clear all the small bits of sand and gravel that our fine MA highway maintenance(?) puts on the highways in the winter here (October through May ;)

Hope that helps some,

TomD
'86 240
'93 240

It's a very easy job to pull out the radiator on these 240's, so I would do that and take it to a rad shop for a flow test. My '83 was 50% plugged with scale deposits, despite a flush and fill every two or three years. They disassembled the (all metal) rad, rodded out the tubes, and reassembled, also repairing a pinhole leak in a tube. The flow test after this work was pretty convincing. They just stand it on the shop floor, fill it up then unblock the outlet and let the water run out under gravity. Much bigger gush than before. Cost was $85. Decent quality new rad is about $60-80 more. Use new hoses when you reinstall - cheap insurance.
--
Bob (81-244GL B21F, 83-244DL B23F, 94-944 B230FD)

Hello,

You're right in changing the thermostat. As a rule, they should be changed once every 2nd or 3rd year to ensure proper performance. Get one of those rad flush kits, and change the coolant itself for good measure. Nothing beats a little extra preventative maintenance to save a hot summer blow-up.

Happy Bricking!!!

Richard

87 245 DL 360,000 km
82 242 GLT 121,000 km