Can anybody tell me exactly what my normal operating temp should be? I have an aftermarket gauge hooked up right now using the sensor that came with it in place of the oem, and my temp is always about 210 degrees. I figured this is about right because the cars runs at this temp all the time with the exception of running a little cooler on the highway. Thanks for any help because I did search this, and was really unable to come up with a suitable answer.

210 is acceptable. If you have a factory type thermostat, its set to open at 195 degrees. Now your operating temp wont be perfect 195 due to efficiency of lack of efficiency of the cooling system. My car with the Megasquirt will run 203 with a 195 degree therm. Give the sensor a 10% variance due to it being a different setup with a different ECU.

If you want cooler you can go with a 160 degree thermostat but honestly if you live in a cooler climate during the winter, i would swap it back when it gets cold out. I do.

Terry

thanks again man great answer!