hi,

for about 3 months my car has been running a little hotter than usual. i first noticed this in our blazing hot summer and thought the ambient temp may be playing a role but i considered the cooling system should be able to adapt to a 10C change in outdoor temp quite easily.

the car tends to get towards 3/4 when stop/starting. idling it will sit around half way. upon continuous driving for 5min the temp returns to below halfway, so it is able to be air cooled.

i read a few articles about cleaning out the radiator and checking the fanbelts. i did both. the radiator is as clean as i can get it. the a/c condenser sitting in front of the radiator is not the best for airflow, but this has not got any worse in the last 3 months so i doubt it as a cause. the fan belts were recently changed and the tension is fine.

the coolant was changed last year and i have recently changed it but no success in correcting the problem. i use 50/50 ethylene glycol, a bit of overkill since temps here range from 10C to 40C. i did notice i was only ever replacing about just over half the supposed capacity of the cooling system. i could not find a radiator block drain plug on my b23e.

all hoses are fine. not blocked and the hose going from radiator to thermostat is hot when the car has reached operating temperature.

the water pump is not making any noise.

the fan seems to be working ok. the clutch will only allow at best one revolution when the car is shut off from operating temp. not covered in muck.

so, sorry about the long post but i could use some help or some reassurance that this is not bad since it has never entered the redzone.

thanks
chez