Guess What CJB! You are normal!

Welcome by the way!!!!

Zetecs according to the gauge do run hotter. It is not unusual to see the gauge go to the high side of "L" before the fan cuts on. What you described is EXACTLY how my Zetec responds.

According to what I have heard thru the grapevine on the site, this points to cheap or bad gauges that were put into our cars.

The other thing you might want to do, is drain your radiator and take it to a shop to have them clean it out. I believe it is called "rodding and cleaning". It is to remove scale build up that can occur thru time in the radiators of cars.

After you do that you will want to run lots of water thru it to get rid of as much left over gunk as possible then do a 50/50 mix of water to anti-freeze. I have also heard that too much AF can make the mix thick and that can cause the engine to run hotter than not.

Cool? Hope this helps!
Rich

'96 Mystique, Zetec, MTX.
---Mods---
Removed both intake resonators and airbox. Installed APC air filter and APC crankcase ventilation filter. Removed exhaust resonator.
Installed XM Satellite Radio. Replaced bad alternator and 175a fusible link...much fun!
Intake plenum---GONE!!!!
My car growls louder than yours.
If I can't buy it, I'll build it...Trust Me!!!!