When I drive first thing in the morning, the temp needle rises to near the red after about 5 minutes (though later in the day, it sits at about 9 o'clock or slightly higher during extended drives no problem). However, the engine does not seem overly hot to me when I look under the hood. Hoses are only warm to touch, coolant reserve not boiling. I'm looking to replace the coolant temp sensor/compensation board bypass. But I was wondering if there was an easy way to confirm that the engine was not overheating even though the needle is registering near the red? Thanks.