Jus brought a escort gti and the cooling fan dosnt kick in until its v near the red,jus seeing if this is right as does seem abit hot 2 me!

 

been doin that to me too and blew a rad hose on the motorway the other day. best bet is to try the thermostat first as its cheap and easy, might not be lettin all the water reach the temp sensor properly, or just as easily the fan temp sensor, should be on one of the top hoses and unsrew to change. only cheap bits to change but worth tryin. sayin that my zetec has always tended to run pretty hot.

 

or you could tyr the cheapest option wirer in the fan so it runs all the time or put a swicth in the system so you can turn it on /off

 

Thermostats do not stop water getting to fan switches.
The fact that it cut in and did not overheat shows the cooling system is working ok, could just be a excited guage!!
If you are unsure then change the fan switch for peace of mind, zetecs do run hot though, my das gets just above the "N" before the fans cut in.
tabetha

 

i have a gti and mine does the same useually(sp) gets to the letter a the cuts in

 

same here, fan come son only when gauge reads really hot