Temperture guage going up and then down loss of coolant as well

look for more sensors...what model car?

Coolant temp sensor

The ECM gets it messages for heat from the engine coolant temperature sensor. The sensor is probably bad. Since the fans come on right away the ECM is in a safe mode for the engine. Meaning it turns the fans on because it can't read the coolant sensor. As far as the fans staying on for a couple of minutes this is normal when the engine is hot. The ECM does this.

Is the air dam at the bottom of the front of your car intact? If not it will definitely cause the engine to run hot at highway speeds since not enough cooling air will be passing through the radiator.

Sure the engine coolant will be warmer than the outside temperture and if the car has been sitting a long time in cold weather and the outside temperture warms up it could be the other way around. The coolant temperture sensers aren't real accurate as they are a relaitive senser beween hot and cold and the numbers reported don't have to be real just the change from hot to cold and the reching of the coolant to the operating temperture. Noe it the senser doesn't read the opertating temperture coprrectly you'll have all kinds of problems. The therostaste will try to set the temperture of the water to it's set temperture and can open or close completly to get 195 degrees F. Many times if it's too cold then the stat is bad and needs to be replaced This shows up in alot of cars first thing after winter and the first onset of cold weather when the daily tempertures vary the most from day to night.

The guage itself is probably bad. Maybe try replacing the guage or instument cluster with a junkyard one.

It could be the impellor wearing out on the water pump, though I have not heard of this issue in your make of car, I have seen it first hand in other makes. The thermostat may not be opening up all the way, flow restriction,. The coolant temperture sensor could be going out, and the gauge in the dash could be going out. You could have flow restrictions else where in the engine. Have you ever had the engine flushed? these are the things that I can think of that would make your engine run hotter than normal.

replace the temp sensor... autozone has em for like $10

sounds like your low in coolant. this will cause an air pocket in engine and cause erratic temp readings/loss of heat check coolant in radiator when cold. and add

Hi, They are controled by a thermo-fan switch, when coolant reaches a certain temperture fan switch turns on radiator fans and brings temperture back down. Thermo-Fan switch is located bottom of radiator.