Thanks for the good questions, Jerry. We did use an infra red gun and it showed the same (relatively) as the temp gauge. We defined hot as between 185 and 220. It buried above 220 after we shut it down, which I think is expected? I don't know the pressure rating on the radiator cap. The truck is in a shop about 25 miles from home and it will be Monday before I return to it. Meanwhile, I thought I might gather a few suggestions before then. The coolant did not boil over through the overflow tube.
Before starting it, the engine had not run for 4 years. We changed all fluids including coolant. As we adjusted timing, the radiator hose blew off. 35 pounds of cat litter later, we had the shop floor cleaned up. After adding more coolant, the same thing happened--now at 70 pounds of cat litter--but the floor is once again clean! Did we have a "vapor lock" or something like that? I am new to all of this process so I don't mind asking dumb questions.
The "overheating" occurred after we ran the engine without blowing the radiator hose.
