Temp Gauge Reads Hot all the time and no heat

Hi Bill, is the engine actually getting hot enough for the fans to come on? if the engine does have overheating problem (but you say the temp gauge reads normal) then i would check the operation of the engine temp switch, there are two, one for the gauge and one for the fans.

use a termo laser to check temp of coolant at filler cap ,with cap off run vehicle till you have hot heat coming out of your heater then check with laser. if it reads above 140 then you know 2 things . either the therm sensor is going bad or the temp gauge is bad , make sure the radiator fans come on ,if they do and you have good heat then you have bad gauge.

The Engine Temp. sensor is bad. it is under the intake manifold. if there is a miss also check under the coils over the spark plugs. If there is Coolant in the spark plug holes .then the intake gasket is leaking. The intake manifold needs to come off to change the coolant sensor. When off look for corrosion on the cylinder head at the coolant port. If there is corrsion then the cylinder head must be replaced.

fans came late on those car,like 212 and second fan comes on at 224,you reprogram it to come a lot sooner,,other thing is there might be gunk inside the block,and coolant has hard time to pass through,and staying longer than enough in block temp goes high,even tough the radiator is doing it's job,it is just coming out block lot hotter than it suppose to be,and gauge read the block not the radiator

Turn vehicle off. Allow to cool. Raise hood.
Try to see if the fans spin freely by hand. If not, replace. If they do spin, proceed to next step.
Next step-
Check coolant level, add if needed. Remember-radiator must be cool before opening cap. Make sure radiator cap is secure and tight if coolant was added.
Start vehicle. Observe coolant gauge as vehicle warms. Fans should come on when temp gauge reads halfway between c and h.
If fans do not come on see if they come on when you turn on ac or heat. If doing this makes them come on, suspect faulty cooling fan sensor switch. If they don't come on replace cooling fan sensor switch and fan relay.

undo the clip on the highest hot hose to expell any trapped air(this is a first step to any heating problem and its the cheapest.....)

Make sure the fans are coming on or it will over heat. If the fans come and the gauge is reading hot check the thermostat. Follow the top radiator hose to the engine block it probably has 2 bolts holding the thermostat housing on.

It sounds like the coolant temperature sensor is beginning to fail. It is highly unlikely that the in-dash gauge is a problem. The coolant temp sensor inputs to the computer affecting everything from radiator fan speed, engine fuel/air calibration and a variety of other parameters.

Be absolutely certain to "burp" every bubble of atmosphere from the coolant system too. Air bubbles have the amazing ability to prevent coolant flow and will cause all sorts of problems, especially if the bubble wants to hang around the temperature sensor location.

Normal operating temperature is going to be around 210 F.

Most Autozone, Advance locations will read engine problem codes at no charge, so drop by one of those locations and let them read the problem code.

My guess will be the coolant temperature sensor. Then have the problem code reset, remove all air from the coolant and let us know how this worked.

is antifreeze dirty looking and if was changed was it chemically flushed?

as soon as you turn it on after it has been shut off for how long? you could have a bad sensor. if you have a sohc (single overhead cam) engine you have a coolant temp sensor. if you have a dohc (double overhead cam) engine you have a cylinder head temp sensor. either way you will need to start with everything cooled off, drain the coolant, remove and replace the sensor. for the sohc engine you have to remove the ignition coil to get to the sensor, for the dohc you have to remove the alternator. in both engines you are supposed to torque the bolts that hold the sensor in place to 89 in-lbs, tight enough to not have a coolant leak at that point, and not so tight that you stretch the bolts or break them off in the block. if you still have a problem after you replace the sensor then you probably have a bad water pump. hope that helps.