Radiator is full and the temp gauge on the dash never goes above the halfway point but my under hood temps feel pretty high, especially on the passenger side of the car. Heat pours out when I open the hood after a normal drive. Turn on AC and the fans kick on as normal. I have a temp tester. What should the under hood temps be?

 

hot.

what you consider as hot the car doesnt give 2 ****s about. remember the engine coolant is 200-210. the exhaust is going to be 600+. all that heat goes somewhere.

 

Understand. Just seems hotter than modern cars. I have no idea how these temps don't cause stress/cracking to the accessory belts.....

 

as someone who fixes cars for a living....gonna disagree. modern engine bays are packed much tighter and run at higher operating temps. many of them will trap the heat in with all the engine covers.

 

I can imagine things being pretty hot under the hood if you still have catalytic converters. I actually removed the insulation on the under side of the hood to help expel heat. my car also doesn't have any of those covers underneath the engine bay.