My temperature gauge is going all the way up but there sufficient coolant on the car and the car itself doesnt seem to be getting hot, what is making my gauge go up and make driving the car sluggish?

Bad gauge , maybe !

Temperature Gauge
The PCM receives the engine coolant temperature status through hardwired circuitry to the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor. The instrument cluster receives the engine coolant temperature data from the PCM through the SCP communication network. The instrument cluster microprocessor monitors the engine coolant temperature data received from the PCM and commands the temperature gauge indication with a corresponding movement of the pointer.

At the dealer we would hook up factory scan tool an see what the PCM is seeing for coolant temp . then go into data stream of instrument cluster an see if it is receiving the same data . , Your best bet , take it to a ford dealer . Before you start replacing parts that don't fix the problem .

Chevrolet Venture Questions - My thermostat gauge in the ...

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CarGurusOct 2, 2014 - My thermostat gauge in the car is going up and down, what could be theproblem - My thermostat starts on cold and when i get in and drive it goes from low .... low to almost hot., and it jumps back and forth when I drive the car.

Temperature gauge shot up - Bimmerforums

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Nov 30, 2010 - This morning I had a problem starting the car as it was -22F and when I finally started it my ... Now the temperature gauge still jumps right to the red zone (all the way to the right). There is no way that this is right as the engine is cold. ... Even if it were stuck closed, it would take a while for the car to warm up.

Car Repairs: Coolant Temperature Gauge - YouTube

? 7:47
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Apr 15, 2012 - Uploaded by TheYoshiClan
... Caprice/Olds Delta 88 owners. If your coolant temperature gauge isn't working, check this out before heading out to get replacement parts. ... the car is barely getting warm inside. What seems to be the problem if you know?.

My car temperature gauge keeps bouncing around from cool to red ...

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Yes, the temperature gauge should normally stop in the middle, between the cold and hot points on the gauge. When the engine is cold the thermostat will be closed and will keep recirculating the coolant in the engine block until it warms up sufficiently. Then the temperature of the warm coolant will cause the thermostat to open the channel to the radiator to get rid of excess heat, which should stop the coolant from over heating. So the effect of the thermostat keeps the coolant at a fairly stable temperature. When the coolant runs low, it can't transfer enough heat to the radiator and the coolant and engine then over heats. Watch for radiator leaks under your car after you have been driving it. If the coolant goes low again fairly quickly you could have a leak in a hose or the radiator itself.

Have you checked your cooling fan to see if it is working propely? Let the car idle and get warm and listen for the fan to kick in (if they are electric) or just watch to see if the fan starts to spin faster if it is the old school type with a clutch. Have you replaced the thermostat? A bad one will let the temp rise since it opens too late and then the temp will drop off. But it won't due this only at a light and it will do it infrequently.

The thermostat "seals" the cool coolant giving up (rejecting) heat in the radiator & heater core from the hot coolant absorbing heat in the running engine "block".

When the coolant in the engine reaches a specific temperature (180 ~ 195 degrees) as determined by the value selected by manufacturer or when replaced, it opens and allows the hot coolant in the engine block to be pumped out to the radiatot & heater core for cooling and the cool coolant in the radiator / heater core is pumped into the engine block - replacing the hot coolant. The thermostat senses cool coolant in the engine block and seals shut until the temperature of the coolant in the engine block rises to 180 ~ 195 degrees again. This process continues over and over for as long as needed.

You should check to make sure that the coolant level in the reservoir / radiator is sufficient by checking when cold. Do NOT remove a radiator cap when it is hot! With the cap off, start the engine and add additional coolant as the engine warms up to normal operating temperature. If coolant levels are ok, the trouble could be related to the thermostat or possibly a faulty temperature sending switch. This means that the temperature of the coolant is fine - but the switch or sensor that converts the temperature to a voltage for the gauge on yur dashboard is the problem.

If the temperature is fluctuating up and down, you should have it fixed. Good luck!

If the gauge does not go back to cold when the engine is cold, it could be the gauge on the dash. I am assuming the gas gauge drops with the key off.
You could unplug the temp sensor on the engine to see if it makes any difference.

When the coolant flush was done, did you have the thermostat changed as well? I would have the thermostat replaced. If the temperature gauge was reading properly, but you still had warm, not hot air, it would lean more towards the heater core being clogged, but that deosn't seem to be the issue your having, so i would go with the thermostat replacement. And whereever you have the repairs done at...make sure they fully bleed all the air out of the cooling system, this could also cause poor warm-up / heating problems. Hope this helps...

YOU NEED BLEED COOLANT SYSTEM.CHECK COOLANT LEVEL IN RADIATOR.ADD MORE DEXCOOL UNTIL COOLANT LEVEL IS CLOSE TO RADIATOR SPOUT.CRANK ENGINE LET IDLE UNTIL TOP RADIATOR HOSE GET HOT.WATCH TEMPERATURE GAUGE.IF TEMPERATURE GAUGE START RISING TO HOT ZONE.TURN OFF ENGINE.LET COOL DOWN.USE LARGE RAG SLOWLY OPEN RADIATOR CAP A LITTLE AT A TIME UNTIL ALL PRESSURE RELIEVED.REMOVE RADIATOR CAP.ADD MORE COOLANT.CRANK CAR AGAIN LET IDLE UNTIL TOP RADIATOR GET HOT.KEEP EYE ON TEMP.GAUGE ALSO.WHEN TEMP.GAUGE STOP CLIMBING.YOUR COOLANT SYSTEM BLED.WHEN DONE LET CAR SET A WHILE CHECK COOLANT LEVEL.ALSO FIRST THING IN THE MORNING CHECK COOLANT LEVEL AGAIN.AND BESURE ADD COOLANT IN THE OVERFLOW JUG TO THE COLD MARK.DONT OVER FILL THE COOLANT RESERVOIR JUG.WORK SAFELY DONT GET SCALDED.

I don't think it's the thermostat, so much, as the circuit for the temperature gauge which includes, wiring to the cts (coolant temperature sender), the cts itself, and the gauge. It's likely a wiring problem if it randomly bounces from normal to hot while driving the vehicle or standing still.

When your temperature gauge reaches "H' it may too late to prevent a major breakdown. Knowing the symptoms of an overheated car and how they occur may be the difference between being inconvenienced and incapacitated.
Identification:---Other than a low oil level or low oil pressure light, there is not a more significant part of a car's instrumentation than a rising temperature gauge or a glowing "Hot" light. These lights are really the only confirmation a driver has that his car is really overheating. It is the identification of the symptoms of an overheating car that enable the motorist to avert a badly damaged engine. Overheating is always a traumatic event for a car's engine, which makes the early identification of the symptom an important addition to the informed motorist's tool kit.
Stuck Thermostat:--The car's thermostat is a valve that controls coolant flow from the engine block to the radiator. When the engine is cold the thermostat remains closed so that the coolant can reach operating temperature quicker and also provide heat to the passenger's compartment. The thermostat has a spring on it that moves depending on coolant temperature causing the thermostat to open. Sometimes the thermostat fails to open thus restricting coolant flow to the radiator where it would be cooled down. This condition is often the cause of overheating. The symptoms of this cause would be a rising temperature gauge and possibly the loss of heat inside the car.
Restricted Radiator:---A car's radiator will have thousands of gallons of coolant passing through in its lifetime. Along with the coolant comes particulate matter in the form of corrosion breaking loose from various parts of the car's cooling system. These contaminates collect in the tubes of the radiator reducing its efficiency. Extensive "plugging" in the radiator will cause the car to overheat. The symptom of this condition would be a rising temperature gauge which goes up when you accelerate.
Coolant Loss:--A car's cooling system is a closed loop system. You are not supposed to lose coolant. Sufficient coolant loss will cause the engine to run hot because engine is heating less coolant to higher temperatures. The symptom of overheating induced by coolant loss would be a pool of coolant on the pavement when the leak is external. Steam under the hood as the lost coolant hits hot parts of the engine, or a rising temperature gauge in the case of a undetectable engine related leak. Of course, the gauge would also go up if the leaks were not detected. Deteriorated Water Pump:--Cars use a belt driven pump to push the water and coolant mixture through the cooling system. This part is called the water pump. Rarely the impeller that draws the coolant through the pump will rust away making it impossible to push any through the system. If this occurs the temperature gauge will climb and coolant will boil over in the radiator. Inoperable Fan:----Most cooling fans are electrically driven. Some are driven by fan belts. If a belt breaks or the electric supply to the fan is interrupted overheating may result. Electric fans are tuned on thermostatically when needed. When the car runs at idle for extended periods or the weather is extremely hot, a failed fan will cause overheating otherwise it serves as a standby assist to the rest of the cooling system. In stress conditions an inoperable fan will cause the temperature gauge to rise. This will help. Thanks please keep updated.please please do rate the solution positively .thank you for using fixya