I noticed the other day while at an idle my temperature gauge rising.

So I shut off the car and let it cool, but it began to rise again after only driving a mile or two.

Its not losing coolant, it running fine, when I pull over and let it idle the temp will slowly drop to just above normal. When I give it gas or accelerate it will rise very quickly.

Turning the heat on doesn't seem to impact the temperature at all.

The fan doesn't seem to be working, but since it actually cools down while stopped and idling, I'm not convinced this is the source of my problem.

I've read a lot and don't know where to start for sure.

My plans are to swap the thermostat, and test the fan motor, does anyone have any other ideas what the cause may be based on the symptoms, or suggestions on what steps I should take next?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

You're already planning on looking at the two main culprits - the thermostat, and the fan. Replace the thermostat with a new, OEM unit (yes, it's more expensive, but it's well worth the couple extra bucks). Once you've done that, you'll need to burp the cooling system. To do that, you'll need to put the car on jack stands (or park on an incline), remove the radiator cap, start the car, and wait for the needle to reach just below halfway, when the fan should kick on. If the fan doesn't kick on, then you need to dive into diagnosing that.