8.1 Engine Running Hot

Keep in mind that many of us with the same engine have had to drive for a number of miles BEFORE the fan clutch settled in. For me it was almost 100 miles. Some of the others were less and a few were more. On my fan clutch there was a note "in the box" about how it had to be stored on the shelf. I guess they expected the warehouse to open the box before they put it on the shelf. In any case, after the necessary break in period my fan clutch would start to roar at 207 degrees, as verified by my OBDII monitor of the actual coolant temperature. Right now if your temperature is moving up and down on level roads, I would say that your thermostat is working but you might not be getting sufficient water flow or sufficient air through the radiator. Make sure that the radiator is properly cleaned and flushed from the rear to force debris out the front. My normal cruise temp on a level road, while loaded and towing was a steady 196 degrees by my OBDII gauge.