trying to figure out if my car is actually overheating

[tankpower2]

I've got a '95 camry 5sfe, and for several months my temperature gauge has been telling me that I have a problem with overheating. It's seemed that the problem is that the fans don't turn on until the temp gauge is pretty close to the red...I've tried replacing the thermostat and the coolant temperature switch, but the new ones seemed to work worse than the old ones. On my way from NC to FL my gauge sat at about 2/3 to 3/4 of the max pretty much the whole way, even after unplugging the temp switch so that the fans ran constantly. The sender for the gauge is only about a year old, but I'm beginning to think it may be faulty...Is there a good way to tell if my car is actually overheating or not? The coolant overflow tank isn't spilling over even when the needle is just below the red, and I'm not seeing any steam...is it possible that the sender for the gauge has broken somehow that makes it show a higher temperature...the last time it broke it just didn't work period.

thanks

[fredk]

if it overheats your going to loose some water, if your not pushing the water out, its not hot

[amerikim]

water pump vanes?
When you start your car next when cold, hold the hose and see if it warms up to indicate flow.

[V6LE_CAMRY]

you might have bad waterpump. not a bad idea to replace it. Have you flushed your cooling system?

[Mike Gerber]

A lot of professional techs now have a laser temperature indicator. They can point it at your radiator and get an actually reading of the water/radiator temperature. It might be worth it to take it to a pro and ask them if they have one of these and then give them a few dollars to check the actual temperature for you. It would be worth it just for the peace of mind you would get if the temperature is found to be normal. If not normal, then you can continue trying to diaganose the problem.

Mike