E36 M3 running hot.....

[2tmike]

Hi, anyone had this...even in this cold weather water temp goes up to 3/4 mark on the gauge and the engine pinks under load ( so it is hot, not just the gauge). If stuck in traffic oil temp also goes a bit over half way. There are no signs of head gasket problems or coolant leaks and the viscous coupled fan seems ok.I'm not sure though, should the auxiliary (aircon fan) also cut in when the temp rises or is this fan only for the aircon? It only seems to run with the aircon on. Any ideas appreciated ....

[E36GUY]

change the thermostat first and see if that sorts it. cheap part and easily done.