'88 240 166K

ok so my '88 seems to like to heat up to about 11O'clock during rush hour stop and go traffic. Here is what I have checked.

******
Fluid is ok and at normal level
Water pump still turns
Hoses are not damaged
Thermo is new as of Jan '03
Fan clutch works fine
Radiator is still original.
******

NOW here are my Q's.
Is my problem a radiator? Is the heating because the radiator lines are getting old and cloged? I plan to change fluid and water pump soon, but need to know if I should do the radiator as well.

Also, Would a radiator from a '88 740 turbo fit a '88 240 non-turbo?? Should I trust used radiators?

Thanks everyone,
Chuck

I am probably one of the cheapest, junkyard picking, make it fit if it's free, do without if it isn't, fix it right next time, chicken wire & duct tape,don't force it get a bigger hammer, will it run without it, people to post or read the brickboard.... and I put NEW 3 row all metal radiators in both of my 245's some things are just not worth gambling on.
And yes I'm still driving the one I bought "for parts"

Bret
--
rust free in west Texas

All Radiators should be replaced after 150K miles. I followed the advice of past posts & replaced mine on my '82 240 at 152K miles last fall. Although it worked OK I later was able to break the tubes wuth my thumbs. I saved my self a LOT of grief later !

You are definitely skating very close to the edge by running the original 15 year old radiator. Even if it is not restricted after all this time it is certainly past its service life. The plastic that it is made out of is brittle and could fail at any moment- especially with the added heat you are experiencing. When it fails you may or may not be aware that your engine's coolant is draining out on the highway. Chances are you will fry it because of coolant loss. You will be posting back about how hard it is or how expensive it is to replace the headgasket and have the head planed. Or you may find that the head is cracked from the heat.

You should replace your radiator with an all metal one. Think NEW.

Randy

Thank you randy.

Metal, NEW, radiator it is.