ok had the runner for about a year when i got it it seemed to run bit warm but the rad was just nasty
I replaced the rad but the weather had gotten cool so I never really could see if it solved the issue.

well this has been a nice weekend in Canada so I decided to do some land scaping. this ment pulling a trailer full of river rock. I was making the toy work a bit .
This caused the gauge to climb and once when done I was pretty sure I heard the sound of hot coolant in the over flow

in the whole time I have had the runner the electric fan has not come on someone told me they were for the A/C. I have not run the A/C think it needs recharge. I also think I found that the fuse is missing on the pass side kick panel

so any way what are the givens for hunting down the hot stuff
I don't want to fry this thing

 

Check your fluid levels when it's cool, in both the radiator and the coolant reservoir. Check both radiator hoses for leaks. If you're up to it, pull off the thermostat housing and test the thermostat.

 

Electric fan? Not stock....perhaps there's an issue with the fan?

How hot on the gauge did it get?

 

If the fan is about 12" in diameter and in front of the rad it is for the A/C.
How high did the gauge go?

 

yes it's the one in front of the a/c

the gauge that sits right on the c moved up about 1/4way not to top or pinned

I opened rad to find it a bit low on coolant but not alot
seems odd its down too

 

The gauge normally reads in the middle. If it's just above the C it might not be running hot enough or the gauge is wrong.

 

Your gauge may be in accurate, due to failure in the cluster or the temp sensor, it will also read lower than the actual water temp if there is air in the system or the sensor has junk built up on it. And the last cause is an improper or bad thermostat.

For running hot you'll want to inspect the fan clutch, the coolant mix ratio, radiator fins/flow, and obstructions in the coolant lines and water jacket. Also the oil quality, if you don't get any highway travel in the oil will become dilluted and you'll need to get some in or change the oil more frequently.