Temperature too hot?

Hi guys
just got a Mk1, cabby 1.8.
Quick question, what sort of temperature should I expect it to run at in traffic and around town?

At the moment in traffic it often creeps up to 3/4 and around town it's a bit over half, I've had problems with pipes bursting and what not, so i've replaced the fan switch so the fan is working fine, i'm not sure but I THINK the bottom rad hose never warms up as it should so I might need a new thermostat. will check tonight, but could that be the cause of the high temperatures? ( if they're high!)

Thanks

3/4 on the gauge is fine. The fan should come off and on, its good you've now sorted this out. If pipes have bursted in the past, was this the only damage to the overheating or maybe you have warped the head, or another issue on the engine?

Ah good, thanks for the reply. I hadn't considered any further damage to be honest.

I haven't noticed any steam from the exhaust and it seems to be keeping all the coolant on board at the moment. Is there any other things i can look for, short of doing a compression test - which i don't have the kit for ?

Thank you,

Loss of power, but you'd have noticed that. I'd say you got away with no further damage.

A lot of modern cars have a big flat spot in the way they report temperature to the driver, so we have got used to rock steady temperature displays. Think manufacturers did that to stop questions about the gauge rising in traffic.

   So providing your not getting any other signs of over heating just ensure the basics are done correctly.

     can clean/flush out the sytem if you wish.
     Always use correct coolent mixture.
     If you replace mixture ensure heater matrix fuly opened and run with expansion bottle cap off for a while to ensure no air locks.
     Any signs of leaks can normally be spotted by white buildup.

     youve replaced the sensor that turns on the fan and checked its working.
     can change the thermostat for that extra comfort factor.

Thank a lot for the tips. I'm still waiting on a replacement hose for my little botch job ( which seems to be holding out, touch wood ) Then I think i'll flush it and replace with coolant + antifreeze.

It's good to know the car's happy enough a bit hotter, and reassuring that it's an accurate representation rather than the car manufacturer mollycoddling my worried mind

As above - nothing to panic about. When you flush, make sure you do all the system. (It's easy to just do the radiator, or part of the engine!)

After a good flush, and new 50/50 coolant, mine went from running just below 3/4 (fan kicking in after just a couple of minutes in traffic) to running at just over 1/2 on the gauge.