Re: 2004 Jeep Liberty temp gauge reads hot, but motor is normal operating temperature
Welcome to the garage.
When the temperature indicator showed hot, was the cooling fan running? Where you driving slowly, so that almost no cooling airflow went through the radiator?
It can be ofcourse something simple as the coolant temperature sensor, the cooling fan or thermostat, but could be the waterpump as well.
Did you try and start it up again after it had completely cooled down? Was the coolant level still ok?
To see if the thermostat opens and the waterpump work, you could take the radiator cap off with the engine cold and then let it run. You will have to take some coolant out, because it will expand when heated and overflow from the radiator fill neck. When the engine warms up, the thermostat should open at a certain point, you can feel that at the upper radiator hose, which will become warm. As soon as the thermostat opens, you should also be able to see some flow in the coolant in the radiator neck. Then you know that the waterpump is ok. If the temperature rises quickly and the upper hose doesn't become warm, the thermostat is stuck closed.