my step-daughter has a Mercedes 190E 2.6 circa 1993. it has more problems that i can even delineate. The lastest is overheating. she says it’s just the gague that’s off, but running the heater cools down the engine. Coolant level seems fine. I’ve offered to get her a decent car like a recent Accord or Civic, but she loves this piece of junk.
If she drives it in a place where a breakdown won’t put her in jeapardy (like city streets), is there any danager of overheating, beyond destroying the the piece of junk car? I’m worried about explosion, fire, etc.
Severe over-heating will just damage the engine. It may be something fairly simple causing the high heat indication; such as, the engine cooling fan(s) not coming on. If she loves the car, why not make a little effort to keep it running?
What do mean by “overheating.” what is the gauge reading? Does it ever boil over? If it’s actually overheating, what has she done so far? It could be as simple as a thermostat or a radiator cap. If she doesn’t want to repair it, she should sell it and buy a “decent car” to abuse.