Overheating

I was out on a trail this weekend.
Simple fire trail. And I noticed my temp gauge getting super hot.
I was in 4wd. My thermostat is a few weeks old.
Could it be my engine temperature sensor?
Maybe a bad thermostat?

06 tacoma 4.0

 

Thermostat, fan, clogged radiator (internal or external),...?

 

My fan works. My radiator doestn seem clogged. I can see through it with a light.
It was weird. I'm starting to think I maybe had some air bubbles in there. I burped the system yesterday and put in a new thermostat so we will see.

 

Why did you put a new thermostat in? Was it overheating before the new thermostat ? If it wasn’t then my first thought would be the new thermostat is faulty. If it was over heating then it could be a lot of different things. Also when you put the new thermostat in are you sure you put enough fluid back in?

 

ok the previous thermostat was replaced bc i went in the mud for the first time and i thought my thermostat when bad but my radiator was just clogged with mud. DOH!
so i replaced my thermostat.
i believe it was faulty thats why it was overheating on the trail and fluctuating. im gonna stick it in hot water and see if it opens up. if it does then cool i have a spare.