My 97 ford contuor’s temp gauge reads high - up to the L in normal- when i sit at idle for a few minutes,I’ve had the engine temp checked with the gauge this high and was told it’s not overheating, i replaced the thermostat the temp sensor, temp sender and had the fan checked nothing helped.could there be an air pocket in the system?
Yes, there could be an air pocket.
Or you could have a bad head gasket.
Pray for an air pocket.
Try a new radiator cap.
I’d first suspect a partially blocked radiator. With the engine running CAREFULLY feel all over the radiator for hot or cold spots. Be VERY careful not to get caught in belts, pulleys or fans.
If you find a hot or cold spot you’ve identified your problem. If not, you may then start checking for head gasket problems.
If the car has air conditioning you cannot do this from the front, through the grill. That isn’t the radiator. This has to be done from under the hood. Again, BE CAREFUL.
After 11 years that radiator probably isn’t doing its job very well anymore and might not be bleeding off heat like it should from accumulation inside. Shouldn’t be an issue on a well-maintained cooling system though really (You’ve flushed your cooling system every 5 years right? Hmm?) That said, I’d probably want to plug into the car’s computer and read the actual temperature from the computer and compare it against the temperature gauge. You don’t want to be a on a wild goose chase over a malfunctioning gauge in the dash.