i just installed a water temp gauge in my car and replaced the valve cover gaskets but the water temp gauge reads 220. i started the car fine nice n cold. went to 180 no wories BUT as soon as i started driving the temp started to rise up and up and it hit 220 and i had to wait a few seconds to find a place to pull over but i did and it just stayed right at 220 the whole time. i let it cool off and luckly i was just about a minute or so from home so i crossed my fingers and inched it home keeping out of the throttle but it still went up to 220 and stayed there again. Is that normal? didnt budge past 220.

 

220* is fine, the fans don't even come on until 222*, so you'r still within the OK range.

Once it starts getting into the 240's, that's when I start to worry.

Start the car, let it idle and heat up to make sure that the fan comes on. If it doesn't, you might have a bad fan switch, fan relay, or fan itself.

 

220 is normal. I have majorly overheated my car in the past and the engine is still running today. I went past the 260 point.

 

If you are at all concerned, install a 180 thermo, and a jet 190 Fan switch. DO NOT install a 160 if you see any kind of cold climate. Off a cold start the car will studder, and will seem like its takes forever to warm up. Also while driving in winter in cold, that low a coolant temp will force closed loop rich in the ECU, burning more gas, and higher plug foul rate.
That way the thermo will open at 180 instead of 195, and the fans would kick on at 190 instead of 220 or so.
But as others have said, that is fine.