In normal driving, my temp gauge points in the middle. When driving in very hot weather in heavy traffic with lots of idling, the gauge climbs into the red. Is this normal or is there some issue with the cooling system that needs maintenance? The fan clutch works as I can spin the fan by hand when the engine is shut down. Any ideas?

 

no it is never normal for the temp gauge to climb into the red.. post a new thread about your problem as this thread is over a year old.

and that might just be your problem, the clutch fan might be bad. if you can spin it with your hand that just means its not locked up.. my guess would be that the fan isnt engaging when the motor heats up.

 

Thanks for the reply. An acquaintance of mine pointed a laser thermometer around the radiator and told me there's blockage inside it and I should replace it.

 

Work on the cheaper stuff first. Fan clutches are not expensive and relatively easy to replace. When the motor (and the air) is hot, can you turn the fan? If so, it's likely not engaging properly. If it runs hot in traffic, but not on the highway, the radiator is probably still OK.