Correct temp??

I won a 1997 Grand Prix GT on e-bay for 880 bucks just a month ago. Well I'm still waiting for the funds to license it so I start it every once in a while and have noticed that despite warming the engine up the temp gauge rises very little. Can someone advise me where it should read as a stock figure. I'm thinking I may have a thermostat or water pump problem. I know nothing of the background of this vehicle.

Thermostat probably is stuck open.

How long are you letting it run? Both of mine take forever to warm-up just idling.In ten minutes they might get to 180* on a 60-70 degree day just sitting there running.

stock operating temp is 195 i believe...

Okay I let it warm up quite a while and when I drove it home after purchase it didn't get but about 1/4 inch off of where it starts. Also as I was sitting in it when I revved the engine I heard a gurgling sound every time. I'm of the opinion that the thermostat is bad also and that's a cheap easy fix. It's not getting anywhere near 195. One other thing, how would this thing sound with no mufflers?

"One other thing, how would this thing sound with no mufflers?"

BAAAAD!!! They all do.lol

There are some on here that like the straightpipe thing, but most dont.They sound ok at idle with no muffs (or resonator for that matter) but anything above idle sounds crappy.

Yup lots of rasp and drone while driving down the highway.

flush the heater core, by removing the hoses off the engine, then flush it with a garden hose.

then fill the rad wait for the engine cooling fans to come, this can take a while as you already found out, 15 to 20 minutes easy. now on top of your t stat housing is a bleeder screw, when the fans come on, you know the t stat has opened, now open the screw a few turns till a solid stream of coolant comes out., shut screw top of the rad. and that should do it. i leave the cap off the whole time while its warming up, if coolant burps out, let it, its normal. when the t stat opens the level should in the rad should drop. top off as needed.

Great thanks for the advise on both issues. I'd have regretted it big time if I had gotten the grinder out and cut those off. I think maybe soundfx mufflers or some other options would be wiser. Now to fix that fuel sender so I can tell how much go juice I got.