This is directed to those PRV engine lovers (OK, I know there won't be many ...) - in particular the B28E. I have one in a 1981 264 GLE which has done 233,000 km. I've had the car for almost 20 years, and the engine itself has never given any problems at all. Since I don't do my own mechanical work, my efforts towards keeping this baby alive over the years have been directed towards stopping ignorant service people from using inappropriate coolants and oils, and also finding someone who could actually tune it correctly!

The latest work I had done was a replacement of the water pump (went almost on time at 80,000 km), all hoses and the thermostat. The indicated engine temperature is somewhat higher than with the old thermostat. The one fitted (not OEM) was marked 82 degrees C, which is correct according to the Haynes manual. My temp gauge has always sat at 9 O'clock, or slightly below. Now it sits at about half way between this position and the beginning of the red area. I understand that there are considerable variations between different brands of thermostats, so my questions are:
1) Where does your temperature gauge normally sit?
2) Do you consider the position of mine to be excessive?

I guess I'm a bit jumpy about this because I assume higher engine temperatures mean higher rates of corrosion, more oil sludge formation and more pressure on the head gaskets - all known weaknesses with this engine. What think ye - am I worrying about nothing?