Was driving like normal just out and about and I look at the ultra guage and it's at about 205. Which was kinda odd cause it rarely goes above 200 even with the a/c on . Then it slowly starts climbing to 210. Now I'm already sweating lol. Then it jumps up to 217. I decide to pull over. Nothings leaking all the hoses feel normal. So I keep driving it slowly goes down to about 200. My normal highway driving temp is about 188. So I know something isn't right. Bad thermostat maybe?

 

Yep, sounds like your thermostat stuck for a minute but then opened up once it got hotter.

 

Thermostat is less than a year old, maybe just got a bad one. Radiator is new, so is fan clutch. The only thing that isn't is the water pump.

 

might was well convert over to the inline thermostat if you're going to be in there replacing the current one.

 

Just ordered one from extinct actually lolWent out to see if it was still getting hot and I'm sitting in 88 degree heat at idle with a/c on and I'm not going above 195. That was very strange to see 217 randomly. I'm gonna say he was right about the stuck thermostat.

 

That is the problem with the factory style thermostats - random excursions way above set point. Not that the inline thermostat elements never fail, I have had one fail. But you can remove it in 5 minutes without losing more than a cup or two of coolant and run with no thermostat element. Generally more consistent and reliable. I experienced your exact issue a few times before I quit using them, EVER.