hi i have a 2002 xterra and have a problem that started today.
after approx 5 to 10 minutes driving time the heat gauge jumps from normal to beyond hot in the blink of an eye.
i have checked the radiator thormostat cooling fan everything is fine with no leaks or overflow when the gauge jumps up.
is there possibly an electical issue or sensor problem here.
any help would be appreciated.

thanks

you might just have a bad cap that is not holding pressure, much more likely than a bad sensor.

get an ohm multimeter and check the resistance dont remember if it is a 2 wire which it should be . any how get a pot with water and let it boil .next attach the multimeter to the sensor get the reading. dip it in the water if it changes its a good sensor. if it dont change it is bad. next thing is to check the wires and harness make sure that there are no bad spots it could be grounding . that will cause it to give you a high temp reading. good luck

welcome take the rad out and clean both sides out .