Hello,

I'm new to this forum, but i have been watching it for a while, and have gotten the impression that this is a very helpful and good volvo-community, so i finally decided to join.

Last summer i got my first own car: an old, but well maintained 79 european Volvo 245. I am very happy with it, but one thing has been bothering me since i got it: After driving for a while (about 15 minutes), the temperature guage goes almost up to the red area, but it stays there, and doesn't go higher. It's been like this since i got the car. I've never had any problems with the engine. It runs good, sounds good, and doesn't seem to overheat or smoke. So the question is: is it ok to continue driving it like this, or should something be done? Am i in any danger of damaging the engine?

Also, there is a small, black box on the fusebox-cover that says temperature-relay (sorry for the much too large image). It has a switch to select between auto and manual, and a knob to adjust temperature. I've never seen anything like it on other 240s, and i wonder what it does? I've kept it on auto since i got the car. Is there any reason that i should switch it to manual and adjust the temperature?