Ok so the other day when driving on a back road basically idling going 15-20 my temp gauge went up to about 220 and then after a few hours later I was idling at a fuel station and the temp gauge creeped up to 215 or so. However when driving normal speeds it doesn't go above 190 and I know tstat is working because the temp gauge fluctuates like normal and the hoses are hot. What could be wrong to make it run so hot at low speeds?

 

i had a similar issue. could be clutch fan or the raidater is pluged with cotten wood tree crap or bugs. you really need to pull the raidater to see asses it. i tied a trouble lite couldnt see it till i pulled it. easy to do really.

 

Is it possible your clutch fan is going? Low speeds and sitting still are where the temps will be more dependent on it.

 

Mine did the same exact thing, I changed the water pump, and added some stuff in the radiator thats supposed to make it run cooler ( cant remember the name ) its a reddish pink liquid. and I believe that solved the problem. its been a while. WAIT I remember ( had to scratch my head a bit )!!! I found an external leak in my Headgasket like 2 weeks after the water pump change out. between # 5 and 6 cylinder on driver side, was leaking coolant down the side of the block.

 

I second plugged with bugs, etc.
You really have to pull it to see and clean.
I run a screen in front of my coolers to keep it from happening again.

 

Ok awesome thanks for the help I will clean ygr radiator and see if that helps. I can hear my fan coming on quite a bit actually but only under throttle when idling I do not hear it at all is that normal?

 

Fan clutch looks good, my coolant was pretty old and dirty changed that, cleaned the radiator and installed a new thermostat and it is running much cooler. Thanks for the help!

 

I used to have this problem when towing or stuck in traffic in high heat conditions. Added a Derale fan on a switch in front of tranny cooler and put wetting agent in coolant, along with cleaning radiator. Have not had a problem since even when towing in 100+ temps. The cooling system is quite large but you do need maintenance on a regular schedule.

 

Ok so after flushing the coolant and installing a new thermostat I am still having a problem. I was stopped and idling for 5-10 minutes and I watched the temp gauge slowly creep up to 205 and just stay there. As soon as i took off the gauge slowly dropped down to about 170. It took less than 1/4 mile for it to get back to 170. Dealer told me the water pump is in good condition so my question is why is it still getting hotter only at idle? Should I be worried about this at all?

 

Sounds like your fan clutch is weak. I would install a new clutch and see what happens. When you start moving there is enough air movement to cool water down, but while sitting still, the air flow is reduced.