thanks guys this weekend i'm gonna clean the radiator, get a new thermostat and TPS. Hopefully, everything will work out.i'll update possibly friday night

 

update: replaced the thermostat with a 180 degree one, and replaced the TPS. All trouble codes went away and it doesnt even reach 220 anymore. the old thermostat was kinda rusty so it musta been stickin. also, since replacing the TPS, the shifting went back to normal.

 

Might want to concider a few coolant flushes this summer. There are some anti rust additives out there. The rust will damage your new thremostat and your water pump.

 

a flush is on the list when i do my next oil change. new tranny filter and fluid too.

 

new problem: i was sriving today and the temp. went up to 220 AGAIN and stayed there. after about 10 minutes, the check engine light came on. i pulled the code when i got home...code 32. Now my book says its either a differential pressure sensor or EGR valve. The book doesnt even talk or show the differnetial pressure sensor, and the book shows a digital egr location, but mine isnt there.....which is it and where is it?

also, the upper radiator hose was really hard to squeeze....is there something maybe blocking the thermostat?

 

the last time I seen that was a buddy of mine put the thermastat in backwards. try checking that. my book says code 32 is egr failure only. nothing about the other sensor. but the sensor should be next to your brake booster on the outside. check the egr valve. it should be on the passanger side of the motor. most likely on the exhaust or on the intake, back drivers side. also check the egr solenoid on the pass. side on the fender well to the rear of the valve. or on the front drivers side of the motor. pay careful attention to the vacuum lines. a crack or leak in one of these line will cause problems. also check your temp sensor, sometimes its the little things.

 

pretty sure the thermostat is in right, i put it in just like the old one was in, plus i have driven it 3 times and the temp. was fine, until now anyway.
i was thinking of checking the egr valve tomorrow and probably even cleaning it.

 

these cars run hot. 220 is a bit high, but nothing dramatic. The fans kick on at either 210 or 215. You can try and get a new sensor that kicks them on at a little lower temp but dont go to low.

On a hot day here ( 90+ degrees) its not at all uncommon to see the temp read 215 or even a little bit higher.

Also, it could be the gauge itself thats giving you an incorrect reading.

 

Is your fan running? Hose should be hard but, How long does it take to get hard when you start it up? How is it on the highway? With a 180 thermostat 220 is higher then it should be out on the highway this time a year. Your going to have issues in the summer.

 

this summer is what i'm afraid of. i just read in the haynes manual that a sticking or faulty egr valve can lead to overheating issues. Hopefully that will correct the problem. If not I'm gonna try and get a new fan motor or something.