My girlfriend has just bought a second hand car. When I drive it around town for about half an hour the temp gauge goes up and hangs around the normal area. After leaving town and getting onto the motorway it then falls back into the cold region.
Should this be happening?
It’s a liquid cooled engine, not air. So surely the amount and speed of air shouldn’t make a difference, or should it?
Also, driving in stop and go traffic is similar to just letting the car idle. There should be an electric fan which will keep the car from overheating.
I once had a car that began to overheat in stop and go Chicago traffic. I managed to get it home by passing everybody on the shoulder, increasing the airflow and cooling the engine. Illegal yes, and it pissed off a lot of people, but it kept me from breaking down right there on the interstate.
You could have also turned on your heater full blast. I had a '92 Grand Am that overheated if a butterfly farted on it. I was able to draw off a lot of heat from the engine by cranking up the heater. Uncomfortable? Yes. Better that than a blown engine.