I just bought a 2002 Pontiac Trans Am V8 with 6 speed. The engine temperature gauge sets just below the 200 degree mark. Is it running too hot or is this the normal temp?

IT MIGHT be normal but type DEXCOOLSETTLEMENT.COM into BING or YAHOO! and see that GM was sued MULTI MILLION DOOLAR lawsuit for theuse of DEXCOOL and how it eats HOLES in gm engien gaskets affecting ALL GM CARS worldwide from 1996-2003 and LATER! THEY COULD NOT AFFORD to reapir ALL THESE CARS! IT is NORMAL for most cars to NEAR the 200 degree mark and then for the FANS to drive the temp back DOWN a bit! PWOER WASH yrou ENGEIN BAY with GUNK ORANGE and fopcus on the space BEHIND the RADIAOTR that collects INSECT BODIES< leaves, seedlings, fuzz, and PAPER! These thigns INHIBIT the flow of FRESH AIR around ENGEIN andd TRANS and also around the CRANK POSITION SENSOR whcih is VULERABLE to HEAT! GEt a FULL FLUSH AND FIL of coollnat and use what GM is using NOW< the PINK PENTOSIN COOLANT carried by AUDI dealerships! GET AL THE ORANGE STUFF OUT OF THERE as quickly as you can! BEFORE it eats up yoru INTAKS GASKETS and INTAKE MANIFOLD! It MAY be TOO LATE already! For BEST results us MOBI LONE 0W-30 engien oil to SAVE ON GAS and prevent SENSOR andCONVERTER clogs! GOOD LUCK!!

I have a 97' t/a ws6, and from my experience, it has a horrible engine cooling. I suspected it was due to low air flow to the radiator from poor ventilation, as it would heat up when stopped and cool off when moving around 35mph+. If yours acts the same way I would highly recommend going to SLP's website and getting the radiator fan override switch. Best $50 I ever spent on the car! The switch plugs into one of the two harnesses and a ground wire to connect to the easy posts. You just have to run the switch's wire to the interior. The switch is less than an inch tall when mounted and about the same width as a quarter. It has 3 options for speed, high, low, and off/auto (no override, gives control of fans back to the computer). Since I installed mine I have yet to over heat, I generally set it to low when it crosses the 185 mark (first 1/4 mark), high when it reaches 210 (1/2 mark), and auto when I'm not worried about it. IMPORTANT, always put the switch to off/auto when you shut of the car, if not it WILL drain the battery and you will be walking. Best of luck, PM me if you have any questions. Remember, with this car I learned, always try the cheap to fix / easy solutions before you injure your wallet. Most of the time it's something simple/stupid that nobody every thinks to try!

Its normal but you will want to flush your cooling system as a precaution