Engine or Climate Control Heater not Getting Hot

It is almost always a failed thermostat

Good working thermostats are critical to proper engine operation. This is true on both gasoline and diesel engines. The engine needs to warm up quickly and stay hot during operation to reduce internal engine wear. I thought you just had to see the last one I pulled out of a Mercedes engine. Talk about failure! I had a customer come in recently with a small leak in his radiator hose. He said the engine got hot but did not overheat. He also complained that after the incident the heater was not working very well.

Broken Thermostat

Problem & Solution

Common among these chassis:

R107
W108 W109
W110 W111 W112 Sedan
W111 W112 Coupe
W113
W114
W115
W116
W123
W124
W126
W201
Classic Sedans
Ponton

I thought to myself right away that he probably fried his thermostat. I replaced the hose and removed the thermostat housing. Sure enough the thermostat came out in pieces. This type of severe failure is not all that common but this is not the first time I have seenĀ a thermostat go bad when the engine got hot. Anytime your engine gets hot from loss of coolant just replace the thermostat! Also, keep in mind that thermostats do not last forever. After only a couple years they can become sluggish and prevent your engine from running at peak performance. Remember - your diesel engine needs to be running at proper operating temperature for the diesel fuel to burn properly. Also, if the heater is taking a long time to warm up the car then consider replacing the thermostat. It is cheap!