Overheating. CONSTANTLY!

wow i didnt expect to get this much help. i am positive there is no air bubble in the system but i will check it again to make sure. never know. I ordered a brand new highflow cat for it. havnt got it yet. original rad and heater core far as i can tell. the thermostat is good and works fine i tested it in boiling water and it opens and closes fine. there is no coolant in the oil from what i can tell and if i see the temp guage getting way too hot ill shut it down although thats not the greatest either because constant overheating and cooling is looking for an issue. i parked the truck yesterday and its going to stay parked until i figure this out close to home and not have something really expensive go out on the highway somewhere.

check your radiator cap as well for cracks and such. a bad cap can cause the system to not pressure right and cause issues. also after running it and shutting it off, listen at the radiator for gurgling noises, i have a bad head gasket and it heats up on me, only smokes when full on coolant. half way or so and it doesnt smoke at all. is no oil in my water or water in my oil. maybe these can give ya a hand at solving your problem.

My other comment was going to be: be sure the thermostat is in correctly. It can be installed backwards. But it sounds like you are familiar with installing it.

Also, check the carpet on the passenger side, see if it's wet. If you have a heater core leak and its not leaking outside it could be soaking the floor. It's going somewhere....

Check your intake manifold bolts to be sure they are tight. I forget the torque spec for those bolts.

As for the help, that's what we, on the forum, do.

Dan

My two cents:
Replace the sending unit for the temperature gauge.
As Cusser mentioned checking the thermostat position is in correctly.
As for the leak, possibly happening when pressure is built up, try idling for a few minutes turn off the engine let it sit a while and look for drips along the associated hoses/tubing and under the truck if you haven't done so.

If this was a penny for your thoughts it's more like 3.5 cents

checked the thermostat and its in correctly. checked for leaks in and out. there is no leaks under the hood and i looked again underneath the truck and still nothing. The rad cap seems to be fine and there is no bubbling noises that i can hear. I checked the carpet and it doesnt seem to be wet anywhere (I checked both sides for the hell of it passenger and drivers). I am not sure where the sending unit for the temp guage is though or what its worth. On the other hand, this engine has 280k on it which i know means nothing if its taken care of properly but I dont know that much detail on the history of it. The motor overall doesnt have a whole lot of power but its fairly tired. Who cares though lol some of us would rather all show no go(less O.P.P attention for racing lol). I came across another 2.2 with tranny (good clutch) and all the attachments, including computer excluding the power steering pump for $400. It only has 160km on it and passed an etest 6 months ago. Yeah i have to drive for about 5 hours to get it but it may be worth it.

The sending unit for the gauge is located right under the t-stat housing.

The first thing I would do is to install a aftermarket temp. gauge so you know exactly what temperature the engine is running at. The factory gauge isn't going to tell you that.
Once you have it installed and you can see the actual temp. if it is getting near 200 degrees then your radiator or fan clutch is not working properly.....these 2.2 engines should stay under 200 degrees. Mine runs around 170 degrees....a little cold actually, but my fan clutch is stuck "on" more or less......it's not "relaxing" like it should at cooler temps.
If it is still the original radiator, it probably is half clogged and not getting full flow through it.......you'll be amazed how well a new radiator will work when your old one is partially blocked from years of circulating old antifreeze.