Hi all,

I recently replaced the radiator, thermostat housing, thermostat, radiator hoses and coolant in my MK1 Escort and it now seems to be running at a higher temperature. I have a temperature gauge which read around the 280F (137.8C) mark when warmed up. Is that about normal for a 1300 Kent Crossflow engine? It use to run around the 260F (126.7C) prior to the changes. Its a panelvan if that makes any difference.

Cheers 

I think you need a better temp gauge. At the temps you are saying the engine would be near melting.

ok thanks for that, do you have any idea what the normal running temp would be?

It depends on the thermostat used but around 80-90degree C is the normal operating temp.

 
Yep 90 degrees is a good medium.  Certainly sounds like your guage is crapola. Is it the original dash guage or an aftermarket one?  If so what brand is it
 
You could check this by getting it warm without theradiator cap on and then putting a thermometer into the radiator

Its an aftermarket one, I don't like it and want to reconnect the original gauge meter up but unsure how to. 

Past experience with running a car without a radiator cap resulted in all the water in the radiator being spat out. I'm not sure how I could check the running temperature through the radiator with a thermometer.