How high should the temp gauge go before the fan kicks in?

Temp gauge sits fine on half way whilst driving the car, I know that the wind through the rad cools it, I just like knowing that the fan works, so I'v just had the car 'ticking' over on the front to see if the fan kicks in and the gauge was almost at the top (first red dot) and it still didnt kick in (I switched off then to let it cool down), took the car round the block and the temp gauge sat happy in the middle.

fishpond47 said:

How high should the temp gauge go before the fan kicks in?

Temp gauge sits fine on half way whilst driving the car, I know that the wind through the rad cools it, I just like knowing that the fan works, so I'v just had the car 'ticking' over on the front to see if the fan kicks in and the gauge was almost at the top (first red dot) and it still didnt kick in (I switched off then to let it cool down), took the car round the block and the temp gauge sat happy in the middle.

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Hi i have bravo hgt and my temp gauge sits about 5 bars from the bottom and if i leave it idleing for a while the fan will kicks in 1 bar below halfway. What engine have you got.?

I had problems with the fan not kicking in till it nearly hit the red. First check relays,fuses. Then check the fan switch is working by using a paperclip to short the connector to the switch and see if the fan starts. If it does then the fan works so could be faulty fan switch. Could be a number of things causing it. I ended up getting a new fanswitch,thermostat and coolant temp sensor before it started working properly and now kicks in just at halfway. Could also just be an airlock so check for that.

forgot to mention that it's a 1.2 engine, I'll check all the fuses+relays tomorrow, I have just done a water change (well last week) so maybe there might be an airlock (dont think so though), heaters lovely and warm.

I'v managed to pinpoint the fault down to the resister thing on the fan caseing, off to the breakers now to get a replacment.