cooling system questions

[mdistel]

I really haven't had any overheating problems with my m50 to date but the needle seems to be creeping hire since the last coolant change. I used to run only water and water wetter but I wanted to put coolant in as I was concerned about colder weather and corrosion.

After I drive the car for a while the lower coolant hose is never warm. The top one is pretty hot. The center of the radiator is cool to the touch, mostly the area behind the electric fan which runs continuously. Is this normal?

The water pump and thermostat are both relatively new.

Mark

https://www.e30m50.com

[nando]

water is a better conductor of heat than anti-freeze is. So when you add "coolant", the engine is naturally going to run hotter since the water/coolant mix isn't as efficient as plain water. is the temp still normal, and is it just creeping up a bit higher than before? if so then it's probably because of the coolant. :)