brigham biker

thanks for all the great info. it gives me places to start looking. i really hope it isnt head gaskets. could i check for head gasket leaks by doing a compression test? i have replaced the thermostat with a new one which i tested before installing it. there are no outward signs of coolant leakage that i can find. only coolant seen is when it comes out of top of overflow reservior when heated up. more info about how and when it heats up: driving it around town, lower speeds, short distances, the temp stays midrange in the normal zone of gauge. driving it on freeway, higher speeds, longer distances is when the temp starts to climb into the top of normal zone. could it be something as simple as a loose fan belt? the electric fan seems to be working. that is to say it comes on but only when nearing the very top of normal zone. shouldn't it come on sooner? could that thermoswitch be working but flakey? can that switch be bypassed and wire the electric fan to come on whenever the car is on? or is that a bad idea? this could help me figure out if the thermoswitch is flakey or not. what about the mechanical fan clutch? i suspect it may be bad because when engine is off i can manually turn the mechanical fan and it turns easily not free wheeling but easily whether engine is hot or cold. shouldnt that clutch be loose when engine cold and tight when engine hot? i am going to use some of the suggestions and get to work. thanks for all the great input.

I recently acquired an '87 GL Wagon, 1.8l, FWD, 3spd auto. It needed timing belts which were included with the car. I had a local mechanic install them. The car starts right up, idles nice & smooth, gets about 25+ mpg & goes down the road straight. I cleaned it up put some new tires on it and gave it to my daughter to drive to school. Problem is it seems to be running hot. It has gauges. Temperature runs in the high "normal" area to just over the line into "hot" or red area. It also belches coolant out of the top of overflow reservior when at its hottest, usually soon after a radiator top off after an "overheat" incident. I have been topping off radiator but only add coolant to reservior if level is at or near bottom line on tank. After checking out alot of postings here I am hoping to get some suggestions for problems to look for and solutions to try.