Pull open the hood and turn your keyswitch to the "ON" position; try to spin your engine cooling fan by hand.

Now, start up your COLD engine and let it idle for a moment, now rev the engine to see if the cooling fan is engaged (the loud roaring we are all familiar with).

Bump the idle speed up to 1200 or 1500rpm and then hold the upper rad hose with a bare hand... that hose should stay relatively COLD until the thermostats start to open, if you find the hose is warming up steadily as the engine warms up, the thermostat is probably stuck open.

With a properly functioning cooling system and thermostats, you could continue to hold that rad hose; as the engine approachs operating temperature (170 +), you should feel the coolant flow begin to rapidly warm the hose. You may need more rpm/load to reach operating temp.

*always stay clear of fan, belts, and pulleys while engine is running*

 

Thanks so much to everoyne for their help. I replaced the thermostats..as they were stuck open/closed one or the other!! So now when I see people with winterfronts I suggest thermostats as well!!!

Thanks guys!!!!