while in motion, the heat is in the normal operating range,

however, while stopped at lights, or moving in slow traffic, the temperature seems to rise,

does anyone know what this might be

car is a tf auto

maybe its time for a new thermostat??
or the relay or fuse for the fan might be gone so check those it would be good if u had a multimetre. maybe a blockage in the radiator. so if the fuse and relay is good then take ur radiator out and backflush it with the garden hose and then take out ur thermostat and test it in boiling water to see if its working (when it gets hot the little valuve(bad spelling) should stay open) if it dosent open up ull new to replace it

What do the temps read?
Is your aircon on?
and mostly how long since you last check on radiator fluid?

temps are normally slightly higher when idle and not in motion, most cars are like that not only Magnas. Some go as high as before the 3/4 mark but not to the RED markings. Check hoses for any leaks etc... But is normal that when on idle for some period of time the temps are higher.

nah, it goes to redline, the radiator was flush last service 4 weeks ago,

and the fan was working then, but they fixed that, both fans are running

but i've checked the water levels after each trip the last couple of days, it hasn't lost anywater, i thought with the engine running hot, the water might of evapurated

Where are you checking the water, in the overflow bottle only?

Could be worth checking under the radiator cap (ONLY WHEN COLD!!) to make sure
there's water in the radiator. Sometimes it may not suck in from overflow bottle,
like mine did when the rubber hose got chewed by the alternator's fanblades.

My old AstronII used to knock/ping a lot when it got warm... can usually tell just from
the knocking sounds that the temp guage was moving up on a hot day.

Which was handy b'cos occasionally both the temp & voltage guages would quit working. :P

nah, it goes to redline, the radiator was flush last service 4 weeks ago,

and the fan was working then, but they fixed that, both fans are running

but i've checked the water levels after each trip the last couple of days, it hasn't lost anywater, i thought with the engine running hot, the water might of evapurated

You're not putting water in your radiator right?

You mean coolant yeh?

if its getting hot while not driving its most likely the thermofan not working

i think i'll take it down to my mechanic, i hope it's just a faulty gauge, otherwise it money going down the drain

when i check the water levels, it was under the tap above the fan, i didn't know there were other places to check the water

Ive had the same problem with my tr v6. Replaced thermostat, changed radiator, even bypased thermoswitch to have fans running contstantly. Still have the problem.

had the problem with the TR aswell, but got so hot sometimes that i'd blow a hose and that's ruin my whole day trying to fix it on the street etc....

Fixed it by replacing a relay in the fuse box under the bonnet (asked mitsu which one) and the fan started working again.

The relay was $25 or so from mitsu, got one from auto pro for $7 for a toyota.....problem solved.

Your cooling system might need to be bled propperly... otherwise faulty thermostat.

a faulty thermostate would play up while driving or sitting
a water pump is possable if the impeller is not spining at idle
a fan not working will cause the problem