I just wondered if I could get an oppinion. The temp guage started running hot. I replaced the therm. to a 185. It helped for a short time, but now its running hot again. I removed the therm. completely and it still runs hot. The radiator cap was replaced also. No noise is comming from the water pump. What next?

Fans running? Flushed the system lately? Coolant level good? Heater core leaking?

Have you checked your temp with a scantool?

The actual temperature gauge can be super innacurate, especially when you're waiting for the low and high speed fans to come on. Is your car actually overheating or just running hot? Also, is this occuring while you're stuck in traffic, or while you're on the open road?

If you're not actually overheating, you should assume something'* wrong anyway until you've checked all the possible suspects... better safe then fried car!

Start by checking your coolant level as suggested. Also, Open your hood and start the car and let it idle. Wait for the car to get hot. Does your low speed and high speed fans come on? If the answer to that is yes and your coolant is good, I bet your gauge looks like its sitting at 230-240. That is just our wacky gauges for you.

Regardless of this, if you have access to someone with an OBD1 scantool, I'd check for the actual coolant temp rather then guess if you feel its suspect.

If all that above still fails to solve the problem, then check the radiator fins and make sure there are none missing. If they look bad and there are missing fins all over the radiator, time to replace it.

I first suspected the temp sensor being faulty when the guage went to almost 280. Thats when I pulled over and took the therm. out. The thing was still cool enough for me to do this without waiting for it to cool off. Now, though, it is actually HOT. Yes it does seem to heat up quickly when I'm in traffic. I put on the heater to full and it seems to help. Buy the way, a few weaks ago the a.c.c. went out. It flashes on start up. Can this have anything to do with it?

Put the thermostat back in. thermostats do not cause overheating unless they stick in the closed position.

engines are designed to operate with a certain gallons-per-minute flow through the cooling system. Coolant flow through the thermostat is part of that design.

If you remove the thermostat, which looks like a restriction to you but is not, you are cutting transit time of the coolant through the radiator, and the coolant is not exposed to the airstream and cooling fins long enough to cool down to design temperature.

Overheating then occurs.

Let'* clear some things up here.

Morty... Our temp gauges are not super inaccurate or crazy wacky either. When you purchased that car you were told the gauge was not accurate due to the pcb behind the gauge being from a different year. It'* only your gauge and it'* consistent therefore you know how to read it.

I assume when you got up to 280 you were in traffic or sitting still. If so then your fans do not appear to be operating. Check the fan relays in the MaxiFuse center first. The connections are tyipcally the most common area over time to have an issue.

I've found unplugging and reconnecting about 5 times is the key. Add a little dielectric grease and that should keep them clean.

Thanks for the input. As of right now I have checked the coolant level, coolant concentration, water pump is circulating, the therm. is still out, the fans work but only at high temps. I tried to get one of those scan tools from AutoZone, but they didnt have the one for the 94,* and older. So, until I get the right scan tool I am just guessing at what the cause is. Is there anything I should check with a scan tool should I get one?

Compare the scantool reading to that on the gauge. They are fed from two different sensors.

I believe that if you reinstll the termostate it will go a long way towards curing the problem. If you don't want a thermostat, take an old one and knock out the middle portion so the restrictor plate alone remains.

As a long-time drag racer, i can tell you that slowing down radiator transit time for the coolant works very well.