ok so ive got an 88 samurai and its running hot. first i replaced the thermostat with a 195 degree one and that made it run hot while DRIVING and cool while STOPPED. i know that sounds weird but thats what it was doing. so then i swapped a radiator into it, and now it quickly heated up half way in the driveway and all the way to the top of the gauge within a 1/4 of a mile........i'm at a loss here.....any ideas???

Sounds like the water pump impeller is spinning on the shaft, but
a 195* thermostat should make the gauge read a little hot, the
stock thermo for that year was a 180*

Wild

so to fix that itd be easyer to just put a new water pump in correct? luckly the parts for a sami are pretty cheap

Ya, water pumps aren't too expensive, while you are in there
it would be an excellent time to change the timing belt too so
pick up one of those when you order the pump

Wild

yeah i already have done the timing belt a few months ago. i am planning a full rebuild w. some new "high performance" parts. ill just be happy with somewhere around 120 would be nice but if i cant get that out of my motor then im planing on doing a TD swap some time next year.

actually new development.......i seem to have a short in my wireing......when im driving and i turn my head lights on the volt meter drops to about 10 volts, also the temp. gauge peaks out ONLY when the lights are on. but is perfect when not on. also if im listening to my raido, have the lights on, and the off road lights on the car instantly shuts off. any ideas or sugestions of WHERE this short might be??

Sounds like the grounds to the gauges or the computer are not
doing their job

ok thanks, ive narrowed it down to being some part of the dash wireing. ive found out that it also affects the gauge and voltage when i turn the heater/fan on

It's called a back feed, and it happens when there is an insufficient
ground, and the electrical loads back feed thru other sources that
have better grounds, this can cause all sorts of really strange things
to happen, like wipers coming on when you hit the turn signal, and
it's just a bad ground connection.

At first you think there is a problem in the multi stalk on the steering
column, but not so

My advise is don't tear into your dash wiring first, check the body ground
from the battery, and then the rest of them, that means take it loose,
wire brush all points of contact clean bare metal and put back together.

Also make sure the small wire from the battery ground to the body is really
making a connection, and that it isn't corroded to copper powder inside the
insulation cover

Wild

i checked and my neg cable is running straight from the block to the bolt connecting the tranny to the block. is this bad or could be the problem?

Could be the problem, you also need a smaller wire, like a 10 ga
bolted to the body for the body ground, otherwise the ground
could be coming through your speedometer cable or some other
strange place, not good

Wild

so just splice into the battery ground and run one to the block and one to the frame?

i checked and my neg cable is running straight from the block to the bolt connecting the tranny to the block. is this bad or could be the problem?

Did you mean from the battery to tranny bolt? I'm not 100% sure on a Sammy, but I think same as a Trackick the main ground should be going from battery to the top mounting bolt of the starter. If it's somewhere else, I'd put it right 1st & go from there.

yeah its the bolt holding the starter to the tranny. BUT i have a new development........today i went to start up the sami and it well.....wouldnt start. so i checked, rechecked, and checked again all wires and grounds under the hood. nothing. so then i went to the ones under the dash. started wiggleing some wires around and it started up just fine! so.....i think that this is my issue with the gauge as well......luckly i have been debaiting on putting the like-new spare dash i have in the truck, and it has a full wireing harness attached to it. so if i cant fix the issue easily, ill just swap em all out and go from there.

so just splice into the battery ground and run one to the block and one to the frame?

No, the body, the frame has no need of a ground