I got the ol' Volvo out of the garage today, and I left the engine idling. For about 5 minutes, I had the choke on, and when I turned it off, the needle on the temperature gauge had just reached under the letter C. I then let the engine idle as normal for about 10 minutes, and when I returned the needle was halfway across the gauge, and the fan had started to kick in.
Is this normal or am I right in thinking there's gasket problems on the horizon?

Also, I noticed a small amount of oil on the garage floor, in the area positioned where the rear axle has been....

Sounds Ok

I`d worry if it kept going up and up. As long as it stays between middle and about 3/4 when the fan should kick in, it should be fine.

If your head gasket was on the way out there would probably be other symptoms

Fifteen or so minutes isn`t actually that fast and will seem like an age if you`re standing there waiting for it to get hot....

Re. your gearbox - why not just get under and check for leaks? Top up if required and keep an eye on it.

Will

It'll be fine, try only using the choke for a few minutes as otherwise u'll just burn a load a fuel, make an awful petrol smell in your garage and to be honest it doesnt need that long, not at this time of the year anyway!

my 360 goes to middle really quick too,but just stays there. if you live somewhere cold it is very good.plus it shows your thermostat is working correct.

Volvo 360 GL B200K wrote:It'll be fine, try only using the choke for a few minutes as otherwise u'll just burn a load a fuel, make an awful petrol smell in your garage and to be honest it doesnt need that long, not at this time of the year anyway!

Right, I use the choke only 10 sec at this time of the year, only for the start and then I push a little bit on the pedal to make the idling speed raise...