Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
I'm sure infrared thermometers are awesome, but frankly I've never used one so I'd be a little skittish about trusting one. There's also the possibility of it reading correctly, but perhaps reading other heat passing by from other areas (like exhaust manifold). For that reason I'd want a submerged temp probe (so you know you're reading actual coolant temperature). Digital meat thermometers are cheap, accurate, and fall within the range we're after, so I'd get the van to temp, then (carefully) remove the radiator cap and stick the probe down into the coolant.

Better yet, since you've invested so much in your van, wouldn't you feel better knowing at a glance what the temp is at any given moment? There's lots of nice accurate temp gauges to choose from, but I personally like Koso because they're reasonably priced, accurate, and easy to read:
Alright everyone, the mystery has been SOLVED!

I followed Tim's advice and installed a KOSO temp gauge and found out my van is running 175 - 190! Even after installing an OEM temperature sending unit, my gauge is way off. Looks like I'll be relying on the new gauge instead of my stock gauge.

I can also rest assured that I now have an all new cooling system . Looks like I'm ready to head to Key West in April for the first major trip.

Thank you all again for the generous help.

-Hugh