Here is the story. I have removed the stock airbox put a cone filter on it, put a water pump in it too. So I live in Missouri sometimes the temp can drop low around 0. So i go out side and start my car and let it warm up. Go in the car the water temp is in the middle so time to go. i get about .25 of a mile and the water temp goes down, and the temp by then was like 30.
I thought no big deal the temp will not go too low. Well the temp went until the gauge will not read anymore. Then i was thinking that is fishy. So a little more driving and the heater is not as hot as it should be at. So here is the prob why will the water temp freeze after I drive like 1 mile. But what is weird about it is that the same thing will happen in the summer and when i stop at a light the guage will go back up.

 

Maybe its the thermostat stuck open??

 

the guage goes up so i know that it works. but i will check the engine to see if it heats up so then that might answer some ?'s.

 

One more for the stuck thermostat. Likely, it's the big hole that's stuck open (there are two--one large and one small in the thermostat).

My friend had the t-stat stick open on his '92. Going uphill, it came up to temperature, but coasting down the other side, it buried the gauge (in 45 deg weather). I had the little hole fail. It took forever to warm up that way. Better than failing closed.

 

I have been having the exact same problem. didn't do it until it got cold. I'm replacing the thermostat today, and i will let you know if that fixes it. I changed the water pump belt too since it looked a biot worn i thought it may have been slipping at higher rpm. ge5t the same symptoms as you.

I'll post my findings after new t-stat

 

Okay, I changed the t-stat and the problem appears to be remedied. I put about 30 miles on it today aftwards and the gauge stays in place. today was one of the warmer days of the winter being in what felt like the 40s. If any change when the ambient temps drop, I'll post it up.