The gauge always goes up really high but isn't necessarily overheating. Can someone tell me how high it can go safely or what the problem might be? Our car is a 2.0i sport vauxhall frontera 1994 reg.

lisa buckenham, July 2007

It could be a water leak. Check the spherical water bottle at the top left of the engine compartment. If the levels down top up.If it goes down again you may have a leak.If its leaking it could be from one of the pipes or it could be a head gasket problem.A compression test can point out where the leak is.First though have you felt the radiator?It should be warm after a journey. If its cold it could well be blocked. I,ve had this problem and needed a new radiator.

Dave Towers, August 2007