Engine Temp.
 

On the warmest days in the summer,my needle on my temp gauge stays just past the "P"on the word TEMP. Is this normal or is my 1.8 running hot.

Yes, maybe.

Seriously, the only way to tell is for you to get a feeling for what "normal" is on your gauge with your car. If you want precise info, you'll have to replace the gauge with a numbered one, and the sender with one calibrated to the gauge.

You can also calibrate the gauge by measuring the temperature of the oil some other way (a pyrometer, perhaps, or dunking the plugged-in sensor into boiling water) and noting where the needle reads.

But those are really the only ways to make real sense of the stock temp gauge.

--DD

Rumor has it all 75 1.8's run hot... See external oil cooler tech article for how to keep things cool.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_ext_oil_cooler/914_ext_oil_cooler.htm

My 75 2.0L droped from "P" to "M" when I removed the tinware and cleaned all the cooling fins on the P/C and the heads, I also fixed all the little holes in the tinware using a ball-peen hammer to fix the tears and heavy duty A/C aluminium foil tape to plug the holes. I dropped from "M" to "T" (sorry didn't have a numerical gauge on the car) by changing the exhaust to a 73-74 SSI with Bursh muffler. All the other smog equipment was already removed by a PO.

[This message has been edited by JP Noonan (edited 03-10-2000).]